Pope urges bishops to fight tide of secularism
By Ed West

12 February 2010

Pope Benedict XVI with Scotland's bishops last Friday

Pope Benedict XVI has criticised the "tide of secularism" sweeping Britain and spoken of growing public backing for euthanasia in his ad limina address to Scottish bishops.

Speaking last Friday in Rome, the Pontiff condemned support for euthanasia as the Scottish Parliament debated legalising assisted suicide. Euthanasia, he said, goes directly against the Christian idea of the dignity of human life.

But he also said that too many people see the Church in terms of "prohibitions and retrograde positions" when in reality it is "creative and life-giving, and it is directed towards the fullest possible realisation of the great potential for good and for happiness that God has implanted within every one of us".

The Pope made his speech just a few days after he had condemned the British Government's "unjust" equality laws, which he said restricted religious freedom, in an address to the English and Welsh bishops.

He also told the Scottish bishops they must "evangelise society" as he highlighted his concerns about the country.

"That task requires a readiness to grapple firmly with the challenges presented by the increasing tide of secularism in your country," he said. "If the Church's teaching is compromised, even slightly, in one such area, then it becomes hard to defend the fullness of Catholic doctrine in an integral manner."

Last month Margo MacDonald, a member of the Scottish Parliament, introduced a bill to legalise assisted suicide in the country. It would go even further than the guidelines for England and Wales being drawn up by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, which are likely to state that anyone who helps a loved one die will not be prosecuted unless they did it for profit or if the victim was not seriously ill.

The Pope criticised this development, as well as the legalisation of animal-human hybrid embryos in 2008.

"Recent developments in medical ethics and some of the practices advocated in the field of embryology give cause for great concern," he said.

The Pope illustrated the theme of his address by reminding the bishops of the life of St John Ogilvie, who in 1614 was hanged and disembowelled after torture for his refusal to give up the Catholic faith and revert to Protestantism.

Addressing Scotland's sectarian problem, he praised Catholic schools for "overcoming sectarianism and building good relations between communities". He called such institutions "a powerful force for social cohesion" and said that "when the occasion arises, you do well to underline this point".

Benedict XVI confirmed that he would travel to Scotland as part of the historic first papal state visit to Britain, where he said he would "have the joy of being present with you and the Catholics of Scotland on your native soil". Pope Benedict is expected to begin his three-day visit to the UK in Edinburgh.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the president of the Scottish bishops' conference, told the Pope: "We remember with joy the visit of your venerable predecessor, Pope John Paul II, in 1982.

"We are certain that the Scottish people will give Your Holiness a heartfelt welcome. We hope that your visit to Scotland later this year will bring us renewed encouragement, vigour and joy as we seek to serve Christ in the circumstances of the present day."

A spokesman for the Church in Scotland said: "The Pope's remarks gave been welcomed in their entirety by the members of the bishops' conference and the wider Catholic community in Scotland."