Bishop Alan McGuckian Bishop of Down and Connor Alan McGuckian has appealed to Belfast City Hall to remain a civic space that should “unite rather than divide” in a letter to all 60 members of Belfast City Council. The letter, written personally by Bishop McGuckian, comes ahead of the decision by the City Council to illuminate City Hall in support for safe abortions on September 28.
In the letter Bishop McGuckian urged City Councillors to consider the impact the gesture on September 28 will have on those who are pro-life. “For them, the use of a cherished civic building to promote support for abortion is not a neutral gesture. It is deeply divisive and upsetting,” the letter reads.
“Our shared civic building should unite rather than divide, reassure rather than distress, and affirm rather than diminish the dignity and rights of every person.”
The bishop cited his responsibility as a pastoral and spiritual leader to “speak up for those whom powerful and popular ideologies often chose to reject, especially when those rejected are among the most vulnerable.”
Ending his letter, Bishop McGuckian welcomed the City Councillors to respond to his concerns.