Bishop Sherrington weak response to the Carla Foster case

I have blogged before about the CBEW "lead bishop for life" John Sherrington and his feeble approach to life issues, constantly he seems to say as little as possible and usually late.

First of all, ALL our bishops should be bishops for life, why do we just have one who speaks on life issues? Does this mean that the rest can simply delegate their responsibilities to Sherrington? (Because that certainly seems to be, broadly, the case). 

We are facing an growing epidemic of child murder. Between January and June 2022, there were 123,219 abortions performed on residents of England and Wales. This compares with 105,488 over the same period in 2021 according to the latest government statistics.

The Catholic Church's stance on abortion is a deeply held and consistent teaching, guided by its understanding of human dignity and the principles of natural law. The basic key aspects are:

• Sanctity of Human Life: The Catholic Church believes that human life is sacred and begins at conception. From the moment of conception, a unique and individual human being with inherent dignity and worth is formed.

• Right to Life: The Church teaches that every human being has an inherent and inviolable right to life, which must be respected and protected from conception to natural death.

• Abortion as a Grave Sin: The deliberate termination of a pregnancy through abortion is considered a grave moral evil because it involves the direct and intentional killing of an innocent human life. This teaching is based on the belief that all human life, including life in the womb, is precious and should be protected.

• Excommunication: The Catholic Church considers procuring or performing an abortion a grave sin, and those who participate in this act, including the person undergoing the abortion and the medical personnel involved, can incur automatic excommunication (latae sententiae). Excommunication is a severe penalty that excludes a person from receiving the sacraments and participating in the life of the Church until they repent and seek reconciliation through the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession).

• Support for Life: Alongside its opposition to abortion, the Catholic Church emphasizes the importance of supporting pregnant women and families facing difficult situations. The Church encourages alternatives to abortion, such as adoption, and provides support through various programs and organizations that help women facing unplanned pregnancies.

Speaking about the tragic case of  Carla Foster who was sent to prison after taking abortion inducing drugs between the 32nd and 34th weeks of her pregnancy.

Bishop Sherrington said: 

“I reiterate the consistent teaching of the Church that both the mother and the unborn child should be afforded the protection of the law and that abortion is always a tragedy for all concerned.

“It is important that the law which protects the life of the unborn child is upheld.

“In this case I welcome the court’s decision to show mercy and compassion so that Carla Foster is reunited with her children and her family life can continue.”

He added: “I raise again the concern that telemedicine (pills by post), which allows the home termination of pregnancies of up to 10 weeks, is dangerous for the health of women.”

It really worries me that Bishop Sherrington does not take these opportunities to say very much of any meaning. Yes it is right that we should be compassionate, but an objectively evil act was committed here - the murder of an innocent child. Sherrington, the only "Bishop of Life" apparently, consistently says too little too late. As successors of the Apostles, surely we should expect as bare minimum that our bishops should clearly teach in continuity with the Gospel & the Magisterium, especially if they are the specialist bishop for a particular subject they are speaking on!

In 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 St Paul teaches that the Christian community should confront &, if necessary, separate from those who persist in unrepentant sin. The goal of such disciplinary actions is not merely punitive but aims to promote repentance, restoration, & a commitment to living a life aligned with Christ. This specific case seems to offer clear opportunities for teaching missed by
Bishop Sherrington - especially the direction society is going when it constantly affirms forced medical abortion as a woman's right. Indeed, British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said afterwards that Foster was jailed under a “cruel and antiquated” law.
“Now is the time to reform abortion law so that no more women are unjustly criminalised for taking desperate actions at a desperate time in their lives,” said Clare Murphy, the chief executive. It is clear that BPAS and the host of politicians speaking on this issue in this way completely ignore the humanity of and inherent value of the  child. Where can we go as a society if we no longer value our unborn children? If we see them as disposable commodities?

There are clearly huge implications for this case for society, none of which are mentioned by Bishop Sherrington. It is precisely the failure to engage with the secular argument that has led us to a position where most Christians agree with the secular position to a greater or lesser extent and fail to understand the seriousness of abortion and what it is doing to our society.

I mean, just juxtapose what Bishop Sherrington says with Right To Life UK 's comments in the Catholic Herald article:

The pro-life campaign group Right To Life UK called for the reinstatement of in-person appointments before all abortions take place to ensure that the gestation of babies can accurately be assessed.

Spokeswoman Catherine Robinson, said: “We are also calling for a full inquiry into the abortion provider, BPAS, for sending out abortion pills to a woman whose baby, Lily, was 22 weeks beyond the legal limit for at-home abortions.

“The Government must firmly reject changing legislation to make abortion legal right up to birth, as is proposed by abortion campaigners, led by BPAS, who are using this tragic case to call for the removal of more abortion safeguards and to build momentum for their campaign to introduce abortion up to birth across the United Kingdom.”

“At at least 32 weeks or around 8 months gestation, Baby Lily was a fully formed human child. If her mother had been given an in-person appointment by BPAS, she would still be alive.”

“Rather than take responsibility for sending out abortion pills 22 weeks beyond the legal limit for at-home abortions and risking the health of the mother as well as her unborn child, this same abortion provider, BPAS, is now cynically exploiting this woman’s tragic experience of using its abortion service to lobby the Government to give in to demands from the campaign they are leading in order to introduce abortion up to birth.”

I think that this is a far better statement and I think it shows that 

The fact that, in our society, life itself has become disposable, in the form of abortion and euthanasia, is a clear result of our loss of faith, our loss of connection with the God who created the Universe and us and provides us with clear moral boundaries. The fall narrative in the book of Genesis serves as a foundational story in our theology, illustrating the concept of human free will, the consequences of sin, and the need for an external moral arbiter to guide and direct human behaviour. It shows how God provides a moral framework to help humanity navigate moral decisions and lead a life in alignment with His will.

What was unthinkable when we believed this as a society is now, suddenly, strangely, appearing increasingly reasonable. Relativism and individual convenience dominate moral reasoning. These are the growing problems our bishops need to address. A failure to do so in any meaningful way only diminishes their moral and therefore societal relevance.