Here’s another scandal involving an employee of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, archbishop of Westminster in England, but is it as bad as the paper makes it out to be? The cardinal’s chief spokesman on pro-life issues has been accused of having children out of wedlock and forcing the mother to abort.
However, let’s be clear that there are two different accusations here. Dr. Austen Ivereigh is accused of getting his girlfriend pregnant back in 1989, long before he was employed by the Church or was even Catholic. The ex-girlfriend claims Ivereigh told her to get an abortion and then after she did, he abandoned her.
The ex-girlfriend who had an abortion told the Mail: “This man is a hypocrite. He can’t condemn abortion and the women who have an abortion but then get women pregnant and absolve himself of any responsibility to support them or their child.”
Ivereigh says:
I was not a practising Catholic at the time of the abortion, which happened when I was in my early 20s. I was opposed to the abortion and have been passionately anti-abortion ever since. It was a traumatic episode which led me back into the church.”
He adds that he denied threatening her or forcing her to have abortion.
Meanwhile, Ivereigh—who is a bachelor—is also accused of getting his most recent girlfriend pregnant with twins last year. The newspaper says that “a friend of the woman” told her that he had promised to marry the woman then walked away upon which time she had a miscarriage. Ivereigh says simply that “the relationship broke down on both sides.”
Is it a scandal or a diversion from the Church’s pro-life activity?
Technorati Tags:abortion, Britain, Catholic, media bias, scandal, Westminster
bk_keywords:Catholic, pro-life, Evangelium Vitae.
As I said, let he who is without sin cast the first stone. I dare say that there isn’t a single person reading this thread who hasn’t sinned and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that there isn’t a single one who hasn’t committed a mortal sin.
Haven’t you ever made a mistake? Should someone who commits a sin be cast into the outer darkness forever without the hope of forgiveness? If the guy went to confession and confessed the sin and received absolution, then he has been forgiven by God.
Alecto: If these new claims are indeed true then that would change things. Since I don’t know you and since anyone can say anything anonymously on the Internet, you’ll understand if I take your comment with a grain of salt.
Based on the article alone, there wasn’t enough to make a claim of hypocrisy. As more facts come out that could change.
I’m curious how you can be so certain the allegations were true. Did you know one of the people involved? Did you see some documentary evidence?