<div dir="ltr"><div class=""><h1 class="">Laurie Penny’s attack on Pope Francis over abortion spectacularly misses his point</h1>
<div class=""><p><a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2014/01/15/laurie-pennys-attack-on-pope-francis-over-abortion-spectacularly-misses-his-point/">http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2014/01/15/laurie-pennys-attack-on-pope-francis-over-abortion-spectacularly-misses-his-point/</a><br>
</p><p>The Pontiff’s comments in his ‘state of
the world’ address gave socialists and humanists a chance to engage
with his criticism of our throwaway culture</p>
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<p class="">By <span class=""><a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/author/madeleine-teahan/" title="Posts by Madeleine Teahan" rel="author">Madeleine Teahan</a></span> on Wednesday, 15 January 2014</p>
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<span class=""><a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/tag/abortion/" rel="tag">abortion</a>, <a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/tag/benedict-xvi/" rel="tag">Benedict XVI</a>, <a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/tag/gendercide/" rel="tag">Gendercide</a>, <a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/tag/laurie-penny/" rel="tag">Laurie Penny</a>, <a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/tag/pope-francis/" rel="tag">Pope Francis</a></span>
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<h2><span>About the author</span></h2>
<h3><a href="http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/author/madeleine-teahan/" title="Posts by Madeleine Teahan" rel="author">Madeleine Teahan</a></h3>
<p>Madeleine Teahan is Associate Editor at the Catholic Herald and chairs the
Catholic Herald Podcast Debates. Her special interests include euthanasia
and assisted suicide. She is on Twitter as @MadeleineTeahan <br style="clear:both"></p>
<p class=""><a href="mailto:aljbeg@catholicherald.co.uk">Contact the author</a></p>
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<img src="http://d2jkk5z9de9jwi.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PA-18670665.jpg" class="" alt="Pope Francis giving his 'state of the world' address on Monday (CNS)" height="293" width="440"><p class="">
Pope Francis giving his 'state of the world' address on Monday (CNS)</p> </div>
<div class=""><p>It must have been an incredible relief to
Pope Francis this morning to learn that New Statesman columnist Laurie
Penny has issued the following edict: <a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/laurie-penny/2014/01/popes-beliefs-about-abortion-will-become-relevant-day-pope-becomes-pregnant">“The
Pope, like all human beings of every faith and none, has a right to his
opinion. The Pope is free to believe that abortion is wrong.”</a></p>
<p>But Laurie issues one very important caveat: “I have no problem with
that, right up to the point where his beliefs start to influence the
autonomy of others, so the Pope’s beliefs about abortion will become
relevant the day the Pope gets pregnant.”</p>
<p>Just to remind ourselves, during his ‘state of the world’ address to
the Vatican diplomatic corps on Monday, Pope Francis denounced abortion
in the broader context of a throw away culture: “It is horrific even to
think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see
the light of day,” he said in part of the speech that addressed the
rights of children around the world.</p>
<p>“Unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable
objects, but often human beings themselves, who are discarded as
unnecessary.”</p>
<p>Only today <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-lost-girls-illegal-abortion-widely-used-by-some-uk-ethnic-groups-to-avoid-daughters-has-reduced-female-population-by-between-1500-and-4700-9059790.html">the issue of gendercide has made headlines again</a>
but Laurie who is rightly reputed for her defence of women is mute here
on the issue of throwing away baby girls, simply because they’re girls.</p>
<p>She simply issues standard pro-choice mantras, without seriously
engaging with the Pope’s point, while suggesting that Francis should not
express an opinion in case “his beliefs start to influence the autonomy
of others.” Namely, the Pope should only speak when he is certain that
no one will take any notice.</p>
<p>Laurie also confesses that she misses the Pope Emeritus with “his
snazzy red shoes and squinty evil grin.” I’m confident that Laurie’s
knowledge of the papacy of Benedict XVI is exhaustive so it’s a pity
that she had to resort to such a low blow. Attacking an octogenarian’s
appearance is surely a bit beneath her.</p>
<p>Rather confusingly Laurie goes on to lament: “We wanted to believe
that this Pope was different. In these anxious times, it hasn’t just
been Catholics who got overexcited by the idea of a spiritual leader who
could inspire the world to be better.”</p>
<p>So essentially it is fine for Pope Francis to inspire the world to do
better as long as he fits in with one’s personal definition of doing
better. And when this definition of “better” fails to glorify abortion
rights he suddenly becomes one big whopping disappointment.</p>
<p>Sadly, Francis’s words are a real opportunity for socialists and
humanists to engage and probably agree with the Pope’s wider point about
the throwaway culture we encounter daily. But a man in authority dared
to say the word “abortion” while discussing this point, so rather than
calmly engaging on a wider level, the cardinals of the commentariat will
scream “emergency!” instead.</p>
<p>The bottom line, according to Laurie, is that the Pope’s views on
abortion are irrelevant until he gets pregnant. And I suppose, to follow
Laurie’s own tired logic, anyone’s opinions on Catholicism are
irrelevant until they convert. </p>
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