Pastoral Letter from Bishop Patrick McKinney
Each one of us has a duty and right to protect life from the cradle to the grave. Bishop Patrick has written a Pastoral Letter to be read out at all Masses this weekend. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley, has announced that she will be bringing a bill on assisted suicide. Ms Leadbetter won top place in the private members ballot, so her bill has a high chance of succeeding if MPs vote in favour of it. The first reading will take place on 16 October, with a vote set for second reading on 29th November. This is the biggest threat we’ve faced since the Marris Bill in 2015. We defeated it then, and we can do so now, but we need a huge effort to lobby MPs. Over half of MPs are new to Parliament and have not voted on this issue before. Please play your part in lobbying your MPs to vote NO.
Dignity of Human Life
Pope St. John Paul II affirmed in a meeting for people living with various limitations or disabilities that the dignity of every human being can be understood as “infinite.” He said this to show how human dignity transcends all outward appearances and specific aspects of people’s lives. As we have seen from other countries which have introduced assisted suicide, human dignity has not been safeguarded, despite initial assurances. Please contact your MP and express your concerns about assisted suicide proposals using this tool: https://www.spuc.org.uk/assistedsuicideuk
Intrinsic Worth vs Expendability
According to Pope Francis: “the dignity of others is to be respected in all circumstances, not because that dignity is something we have invented or imagined, but because human beings possess an intrinsic worth superior to that of material objects and contingent situations. This requires that they be treated differently.” Countries that have introduced assisted suicide identify ‘conditions’ as being expendable, not acknowledging the “intrinsic worth” of the person. To protect our NHS from assisted suicide, please contact your MP: https://www.spuc.org.uk/assistedsuicideuk
Let us pray for all those who are struggling with life and in pain that the mercy of God and the protection of his blessed Mother will be with them in their time of need. As a priest I have seen many courageous parishioners carry their painful cross to the end, with joy, courage and hope in the joy of the Resurrection!
Our Lady Lourdes, pray for us.
If you want to make your voice heard, and stand up for the right to life of the vulnerable and dying, then go to https://righttolife.org.uk/ASthreat. Here you will be able to write to your MP, so that they hear the voices of their constituents and stand up for those who deserve our care.
For more information and further resources, see https://www.dioceseofnottingham.uk/news/the-call-to-oppose-assisted-suicide