Liverpool archbishop wades into embryo row

Mar 24 2008

Archbishop of Liverpool Patrick Kelly (158)

THE ARCHBISHOP of Liverpool has backed two of the country’s most senior Roman Catholic clergymen in the debate over the Embryology Bill.

In his Easter Day sermon, broadcast live on BBC1 at 11am, the Most Reverend Patrick Kelly spoke of his support for senior English Catholic Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor and Scottish counterpart Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who have both appealed to Gordon Brown to allow MPs a free vote on the Bill.

The Bill will allow the creation of hybrid animal human embryos that will be used to seek medical breakthroughs for conditions such as Parkinson’s, diabetes and motor neurone illness.

Speaking at the Solemn Mass of Easter Day in the Metropolitan Cathedral, in front of a congrega-tion of 1,000, the archbishop said: “That freedom we now proclaim by renewing those promises, that echo the day when in the waters of baptism we were born again to become children of God.

“A yes to life; a yes to life fittingly spelt out by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor and Cardinal Keith O'Brien this Easter; a yes to the Holy Spirit in our hearts; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Cardinal O’Connor referred to the creation of animal human em-bryos as “hideous” and “gro-tesque” in his Easter sermon at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh.

He added: “One might say that in our country we are about to have a public government endorsement of experiments of Frankenstein proportion – without many people really being aware of what is going on.”

In his monthly message on his website, the Archbishop of Liverpool said he had written to his local MP Louise Ellman and to Gordon Brown expressing his concerns about the Bill.

He writes: “I have put one request to the Prime Minister: that members have a free vote on all matters brought up in this bill and if such freedom of conscience be denied to be told on what principle such a denial is based.

“Please miss no opportunity to become well informed in all this debate and act: letters to members of parliament make a difference, the more personal the better.”