Catholic archbishop's comments probed

Herald Sun ^ | 7 June 2006

[Aussie Dasher]

A STATE parliamentary committee will investigate Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey's remarks that Catholic politicians supporting stem cell research could be refused holy communion and may face excommunication from the church.

Archbishop Hickey came under fire yesterday after he reportedly said Catholics who did not condemn the cloning of human embryos for medical research were acting against the teachings of the Catholic faith.

Archbishop Hickey said such people should not go to communion and he may consider excommunication, but he would rather the issue be resolved voluntarily by the politicians themselves.

His threat mirrored that of Cardinal George Pell in Sydney, who warned of consequences from the church if Catholic politicians supported a Bill overturning a NSW ban on therapeutic cloning.

Members of the NSW lower house are expected to take a conscience vote on the Bill today.

Western Australia's parliamentary speaker Fred Riebeling said today that Archbishop Hickey's comments would be referred to the state parliamentary privileges committee for investigation

[Aussie Dasher]

If only we had more religious leaders of strength and conviction!!!!

[fatima]

Thanks Aussie Dasher.

[livius]

I don’t see how the legislature can have any reason for “probing” Hickey’s remarks. Is the Parliament in charge of deciding who goes to Communion in a Catholic church nowadays?

[rbosque]

This is a baby-step in the direction of persecution of the church. Secularist bemoan when the Church stands up against hedonistic evils such as abortion and gays, and now THEY interfere in Catholic teaching? None of their business.

[hershey]

Saw on Foxnews a few minutes ago that 3 independent researchers using skin cells, had made a breakthrough in stem cell therapy with mice. I think this means they won’t be demanding fetuses be sacrificed...if they can manipulate ordinary skin cells. Thank you, God.

[Esther Ruth]

Yep, we are peddling backwards quickly. World courts will decide what religions will and will not be allowed to do, say, teach etc.

Time is short, tell as many as you can, especially children, that they must put their faith, trust, hope in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for them - that this is their ONLY hope and salvation, that HIS name is the only name that can be called on for salvation, there is NO other way to the Father but through Jesus Christ - and that once they are secure in Him and have come to faith - tell them nothing will separate them from Him.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Romans 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[George W. Bush]

Nature's excellent piece:

news @ nature.com - Simple switch turns cells embryonic - Technique removes need for eggs or embryos.

Slashdot's summary:

"Nature is reporting a major breakthrough in embryonic stem cell research. A straightforward procedure using mouse fibroblasts harvested from the skin can be used to produce pluripotent stem cells that can potentially become any other cell in the body. Not only can Yamanaka's method use the most basic cells, it can be accomplished with simple lab techniques. Possible applications of this breakthrough are to check molecular changes in cells as certain conditions develop. Stem cells produced using this procedure, however, can not be use to safely to make genetically matched cells for transplant."

[George W. Bush]

Sorry, previous was intended for another thread!

[Mrs. Don-o]

This blows my mind. The Catholic Church is the Church! It's not the Licensed Liturgy Task Force of New South Wales, or the Department of Jesusy Platitudes for the Government of Australia.

There's nothing in your Constitution that makes churches departments of the State, is there?

Whether the Church wants to excommunicate people for wearing the wrong colored socks or for committing mass murder, it's really none of the government's business.

Please, Aussie Dasher, please tell me that your esteemed countrymen would see it that way.

[CholeraJoe]

I take it the lawmakers viewed the statement as a threat?

[NeoCaveman]

Archbishop Hickey
Cardinal Pell
PM John Howard

Why is it that Australia has so many real men?

[little jeremiah]

Later pingout.