Cardinal O'Brien attacks MSPs over 'unjust and immoral laws'
Oct 11, 2005
Scotland’s most senior Catholic will today launch a scathing attack on MSPs "intent on enacting unjust and immoral laws".
(Scotland on Sunday, 9 Oct 2005) In a homily to be preached to a gathering of Catholic lawyers, judges and prosecutors in Edinburgh, Cardinal Keith O'Brien will also criticise those who see marriage and the traditional family as "outmoded Christian dogma".
In his annual Red Mass to leading figures in the Catholic community, O'Brien will say that while laws should not be based on religion, they should still be based on universal moral standards.
In an outspoken message outlining a decline in the role of the family, Cardinal O'Brien will claim: "There are moral approaches to the ordering of civil society that have been proved to lead to the common good, irrespective of the religious beliefs or traditions of the societies in which they apply.
"The clearest proof of this is that, throughout history, certain fundamental civil arrangements have been shared across many societies, faiths and traditions. Among them are respect and protection for marriage, the family and human life itself."
But in criticizing the current approach to law-making, and in an attack on MSPs, the Cardinal is set to add: "We are now faced with legislators intent on enacting unjust and immoral laws which do not stem from any natural or rational basis. It is all too easy to think of laws and proposed laws of our own Scottish Parliament on marriage, the family and the adoption of children which come into this depressing category."
The Cardinal's comments are the latest in a series of criticisms on society's values. In March this year, O'Brien said society had "lost sight of the sacred nature of human life". In his Easter Sunday Homily, given at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh, he called for the promotion of "pro-life issues" and called a parliamentary report on embryo research a "development which would lead to even more destruction of human life".
He also called on Scotland's Roman Catholics to boycott the National Lottery after £3.3m of Lotto cash was handed to Brook Advisory Centres and the FPA - formerly the Family Planning Association.
In February, O'Brien overshadowed an Executive summit on tackling bigotry by describing the Act of Settlement, banning Catholics from the throne, as "hurtful" and demanding the Executive lobby for its repeal.
He said: "It's a matter of regret, surely, that had Mrs Parker Bowles been a Catholic, Prince Charles would have lost the right to succession to the throne and, similarly, if they had been going to have children they would have been excluded from the right of succession, and that's hurtful."
O'Brien also called for all General Election candidates in May to be quizzed on life issues.
In his speech today, he is expected to say: "Sadly, in our post-Christian world there are many who consider it fashionable to attack arrangements previously considered as being good for society on the flawed assumption that they are relics of some outmoded Christian dogma rather than pragmatic and proven arrangements which have delivered stability and security to many societies.
"The new iconoclasts of contemporary society are determined to destroy any law which they consider may be associated with the Christian culture and heritage, an inheritance which has both served and defined Europe for many centuries."
Cardinal O'Brien attacks MSPs over 'unjust and immoral laws'