Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 9, 1972, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnie Pocsi thursday March 9, 1972 w. German catholics oppose Brandt on abortion Law changes j. J. O by Boris Kidel Bonn special owns West Germany s roman Catho Lic Bishops have launched a major offensive against Chan cellar Willy Brandt s socialist w special rings 24 offer expires mar. 12 at participating Winnipeg drive ins and Coffee shop led coalition government. Ostensibly the Church leaders have opened hostilities As a protest against the govern ment s planned Bill to liberalize West Germany s abortion Laws. In fact the Church is trying to use the abortion Issue to mobilize Catholic voters against the social democratic party spa in preparation for next year s i general election. During the 1950s the roman Catholic Church acted overtly As an official ally of the Chris Tian democratic party cd and its Leader the late Konrad Adenauer. The Church made no pretence of being Neutral in politics. Pastoral letters were read from pulpits urging catholics who form 44 per cent of the West German population to vote cd. Gradually during the 1960s, the Catholic Hierarchy adopted a More restrained attitude. However it reacted with in tense misgivings three years ago when or. Brandt became Germany s first socialist Chan cellar since 1930. From the Start the highly conservative change pornography Laws. Maintaining Liaison with the i but it is Only now on the eve Eparchy. Of the parliamentary debate on until last year or. Leber was abortion that the has opened with episcopate big guns against the government. The archbishop of Cologne Cardina Josef Hoeffner warned bluntly that catholics would not Vot for politicians who support a b o r t i o n in anticipation o Catholic protests Chancellor Brandt s government had Al ready considerably Wateree Down the original proposals. What most German women s organizations As Well As spa doctors and lawyers demand is Ali at abortion should be freely available during the first three months of a pregnancy. Over Riding the views of its own Back benches in parliament the government finally decided on a Bill which authorizes Abor Tion during the three month period Only on specific medical and social grounds. Even this conciliatory gesture has failed to mute the attack of the Only spa politician to be a member of the Central commit the Bishops. Cardinal Lorenz episcopate was critical of the social changes introduced by the new government. It objected particularly to the liberalization of divorce legislation and the government s attempts to save rent a 6 passenger g.m., for Dor Chrysler car rent a car i 0 n a i 0 8 i h c i i v 942-3366 offering the Best accommodations in _ Thompson the North Rainbow inn 104 Hemlock Crescent meals Art included with Low daily weekly or monthly rafts Chris fir Jenny Yoannou for reservations phone 778-8646, 778-7325, 778-7326 Jaeger the archbishop of a Derbone takes the View that catholics could not support a party whose political program was in contradiction with roman Catholic principles. Speaking at the conclusion of the episcopate s Spring Assem Bly the Cardinal solemnly pro claimed that no Mother had a right of decision about the life of her unborn child. The German Bishops found an eager ally in the official Vati can newspaper l Osse Vatore Romano. The change in abortion Laws which includes provision for voluntary sterilization As a Means of birth control was compared to euthanasia under the Hitler regime and nazi kill Ings of chronically sick people. Naturally the Brandt govern ment Felt obliged to protest against this interference in West Germany s internal affairs. Two Days after the papal Nuncio had been summoned to the foreign ministry in Bonn the Vatican newspaper published a correction. It had not intended to cast doubts on the democratic convictions of the politicians responsible for the Reform of the abortion Law. This minor tactical Retreat has done nothing to reduce ten Sion Between the government and the Catholic Church. Chan cellar Brandt has been particularly careful to maintain Cor rect relations with Church Lead ers despite their hostility to wards the spa. 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He simply cannot find two members willing to propose this admission what also irks he government is the fact that the episcopate s official repro tentative in Bonn Wilhelm Wooster tries his Best to avoid Contact with ministers and party officials. Even the spa s request that the Church should assign a qualified theologian to party Headquarters As an and a revealing example is the Paderborn Wiede Brueck con s t i t u e n c y in North Rhine Westphalia one of the great roman Catholic strongholds. Here the cd vote has dropped from 70.2 per cent in 1961 to 65.1 per cent in 1969 while the spa vote Rose from 19.4 per cent to 27.8 per cent during the same period. Similar social Democrat Progress has been registered in other predominantly Catholic constituencies such As Aachen Fulda and re Gensburg. A National Survey conducted by the incas Institute shows that Catholic churchgoers still vote overwhelmingly for the cd. In the last election 66 per cent of churchgoers voted Christian Democrat and Only 20 per cent supported the spa. But the picture is entirely Dif Ferent with non practising Cath Olics. Here 49 per cent voted in 1969 for Chancellor Brandt s party and Only 34 per Cei backed the cd. These figures indicate tha the steady decline in Church at Tendance can help the Socia democrats to make gain among Catholic voters. Between 1965 and 1969 the percentage b practising catholics from 63 to 58 per cent. The episcopate s Campaign against the spa and its Reform program is an unpleasant irritant for the government but nothing indicates at present that it will Stop the party s Progress among West Ger Many s catholics. 7 out of 10 insured York nearly 140 million individual policyholders or almost seven out of 10 people n the country were insured with life insurance companies at the Start of 1971., Viser on Catholic affairs has remained unanswered. 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