The Vatican has been urged to step in to block the transfer of land from a religious order to the State because abortions will be carried out in the new hospital.
Rome-based moral theologian Fr Kevin O’Reilly OP told The Irish Catholic this week that that Holy See has an obligation to block plans by the Religious Sisters of Charity to facilitate the building of a new National Maternity Hospital where the Government has said that abortions will take place.
Fr Kane – parish priest of Booterstown – added that he thinks that “a scenario like that will hurry us towards a place where we’re dealing with Catholics who want to be Catholic rather than being default providers for everyone”.
Under canon law, Irish religious bodies cannot sell or give away property worth over €3.5 million without permission from the Vatican. The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life must vet all such disposals of assets, typically not approving of them without at least receiving confirmation from the local bishop – in this case, Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.
In a statement, the Religious Sisters of Charity said that “the archbishop has approved and recommended our decision to the Vatican for formal sign off”. The sisters said, “we are confident of a positive outcome shortly”, quoted the IrishCatolic.
