111111211111111.' .4* No. 3362.
Frou.%
PERTH, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1968.
iRegistered at the G.P.O.. Perth or transmission by post as a Newspaper.)
Price 8c.
A Statement by the Catholic Bishops of Western Australia on ..
LEGALISED HOMO
the Bishops of the Catholic Church in ALLWestern Australia as the official teachers
and spokesmen of that Church are unanimous in restating their opposition to legalised abortion. That is, they categorically re-affirm that the direct killing of an innocent human being, whether before or after birth is, as states the Second Vatican Council, "an abominable crime." It is directly contrary to the law of God and this has been the consistent teaching of the Christian Church since the earliest times. The life of a human being begins at conception and continues through to death and beyond, and there is no difference as far as morality is concerned, between the direct killing of that human being whether in the womb, during infancy or in senility. Mother and child have an equal right to life. The life of a healthy child, though biologic ally a better investment, may not be preferre d to that of the mother, nor may the possibi lity of harm to the mother give to her a greater right to life than her unborn child. Most of the arguments alleged in favour of abortion are of little value since they prove too couch. If social or econom ic distress seem to favour the killing of the unborn child, the same reasons could be advance d for the horror of infanticide. If foreseeable deformity is advanced as a reason, the well-known inaccuracy of the diagnosis and of the prognosis in such cases is such that probabl y 90 per cent of the sacrificed babies would be normal. King Herod in the Slaughter of the children of Bethlehem was more efficient. He had very good political reasons for his actions; we might think we have good medical and social reasons. The tragedy Of the Holy Innocents is re-enacted daily in our times. In the past few years abortion for psychiatric reasons has increased enormously, yet psychiatry is the least precise of all medical specialities and for every psychiatrist who recommends abortion there is one like Doctor Myre Silt (British Medical Journal, 1963) who says: 'There are no psychiatric grounds for the termination of pregnan cy." Many have stated that PsYchiatric patients are as likely to suffer post abortion guilt complexes and depressions they are to oPeration. benefit mentally from the bloody Let the c Parliamentarians think and think again of onsequences of their sentimental concern for the rare hard cases they have met. They are resPonsible before God for protecting the lives °f innocent people. In Japan, where abortions „are legal, the incidenc e is 400 times that of the united States and hospitals often cannot cope twith urgent surgical cases because of the num'ebr of beds occupied by healthy women seeking a. ortions. In Hungary there are more abortions than live Australia births and the same could happen in which is crying out for population. mit is , Probable that so many doctors would sas,a to disassociate themselves from this un0,;,°11rY work that the Government would be thvellg_ed to appoint official abortionists, in much lilans.arne manner as it appoints an official hangprTh a e Catholic Bishops of Western Australia trerydthat people may resist the ever-increasing be towards social irresponsibility and may for ,_11'engthened in their respect and concern nurnan life • (Signed) + L. J.
GOODY, Bishop of Bunbury JOBST, Bishop of Broome. P- X. THOMAS, Bishop of Geraldt
+ J.
on
'IIM. McKEON, Vicar Capitul '11 G. GOMEZ, Abbot
ar of Perth
of New Norcia.
Ordained
Father Gerard Damian Lane kneels during his ordination to the priesthood by Bishop M. McKeon in the church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scarborough on Saturday, September 7. The son of Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Lane s tudied for the priesthood at Saint Charles' Seminary, Guildford, and Saint Francis Xavier's Seminary, Rostrcvor, South Australia.
Called to serve Christ's poor in needy Asia dinal
Cicognani.
in
which he spoke of the "magnificent work- of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Australia. and
ONE of the strongest impressions left by the first Pan Asian Congress I PAN- saying that he prayed the response of the ASCO) of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is that time and space have now that Australian Society to his appeal in his encyclical v ery little meaning. on the Development of
A thousand or two miles is only a between-meals trip by air, and delegates P eoples would be crowned with fruitful f rom Singapore, Vietnam, or even Japan, who attended the Conference held in results. The Austra SociSydney left convinced that the ties between their own countries and Australia ety was in thelian first rank of those helping in the are close indeed, despite obvious differences of race, language and culture. develop ment of an in-
1 THIRTY-THREE deleThe delegates also ney Town Hall at the an answer on all levels, ternational morality of II gates and observers managed to visit Bun- official opening of the personal. State, as well justice. In conclusion. His Holiness imparted from 20 Asian countries. bury and Collie and Conference. as national: his
particular paternal "Is it too much to ask apostolic benediction. With the aims of the Bishop Muldoon was C o n ference obviously that we as a nation set Fiji and New Guinea at- for home. very much in mind—to aside an effective per- the first of a long line of tended the Congress. find new ways of ex- centage of our national speakers who insisted which finally dispersed tending the Conference the Society's income to help the na- that Septem ber 7, each on must deal with hard work for the needy, the tions of Asia?" delega tion returning The tone of the Syd- suffering, the lonely, the Leaving his hearers facts. -We are here." he home after taking in a ney Conference was set handicapped and the to ponder this question. said, "to discuss how the visit to one of the States. by Bishop T. W. Mul- abandoned in Asian and Bishop Society in Austraia may Those visiting West- doon, Auxiliary Bishop other countries — he mess Muldoon read a better serve Christ's age from Pope Paul ern Australia were Mr. to Cardinal Gilro y. posed a question to his VI, sent through his poor by extending its Bertram de Wijeyeratne when he spoke at Syd- audience which require s Secretary of State, Car- • Continued on Page 2. and Mr. Cecil Fernando of Ceylon. Mr. Koma Wilfred Cheu and Mr. Dominic Cheung., of Hong Kong. Mr. Bennet D'Souza and Mr. F. Silveira, of India. Mr. J. THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ONE MORE losing — in his case the Monsignor Frayne felt Arokiasamy and Mr. R. PERSON PRESENT THAN IN FACT THERE right to decent living con- able to compliment Faditions ashore. N. Martinus. of Malay- WAS FOR ther J. O'Shea, Chaplain THE OPENING OF THE NEW sia, Father Blanco Chi, to the Fremantle branch, The Chapla the in to Mr. E. T. Juan, of the STELLA MARIS CLUB AT FREMANTLE ON Missions to Seamen, the on a beautiful new club. Philippines. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8. Rev. C. W. Chetwynd, From his experience of Father J. Moran, Na- were necessary in Fre- was present with Mrs. clubs around the world, tional Director of the mantle—the other being Chetwynd, as was the he thought that the new Apostleship of the Sea the Anglican Flying An- Assistant Chaplain, the S tella Mans Club, though not the largest, New Zealand, just gel Club. The answer to Rev. H. Bowker. for During their stay in The club was official- was certainly one of the Western Australia, they failed to make the offi- this lay in the 1,500 to ceremo declared open by the best equipped. ly cial ny owing to 2.000 ships which were the guests of the visit Honourable slip transpo Ian Sinclair, in a rt ar- Fremantle each year, St. Vincent de Paul The Mayor of Frerangements near the bringing with Society here. them Federal Minister for mantle. Sir Frederick end of his long journey. about 100.,000 seamen. Shipping and Transport, Samson, was prevented They attended the However, he was there which total does not in- who had travelled spe- from attending by illmeeting of the Metro- shortly afters \ ards to clude about 50,000 sea- cially from Canberra ness, but sent a message politan Central Counjoin more than five hun- farers on passenger for the occasion. of good wishes. cil, and the general dred guests, including liners. "We are not inmeeting of the Society others Others in the official from overseas, terested in competition," The new club, which in the Archdiocese, at and from the Eastern said Bishop McKeon, p ar ty included Mr. was designed by Messrs. which Bishop M. McHarry Fletcher, M.L.A., E. Le States. B. Henderson and -but in people." Keon. Vicar Capitular, Mr. Jerry Dolan, M.L.C., G. P. Thomps on, and presided. Over two hunThe building was Bishop McKeon then and the International built by Messrs. K. R. dred clergy and mem- blessed by Bishop M. spoke of the human Executive of the Aposbers of the St. Vincent McKeon. Vicar - Capitu- rights of the seafarer, tleship of the Sea, Mon- Stewart Pty. Ltd.. of sborne Park. cost de Paul Society were lar of the Archdiocese of rights which, in his way, signor Francis S. O 140,000 to build and $ there to meet the Asian Perth. In his speech. he shared with the un- Frayne, who had come equip. About half of this delegates, and to enter- Bishop McKeon said born child and threaten- from Rome. amount still remains to tain them after the that it had been asked if ed peoples and which all Like the Minister for be raised, said Father meeting. t wo seafarers' clubs three stood in danger of Shipping and Transport, O'Shea this week. the United States of make a number of visits America. New Zealand, and tours before leaving
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