Sir, - Cardinal Hume of Westminster is thought by many, myself included, to be among the wisest and kindest of bishops. Recently, he said that the 3,300 frozen embryos destined for destruction in the UK were human being and should be allowed "to die with dignity".
Almost the entire Catholic tradition is against him, but if those early embryos were human beings, why was he content for them to melt to death? Were they not as entitled as a newborn to go to heaven?
Why, then, did he not use his influence to see they received baptism, the simplest procedure, and Christian burial? It was surely not embarrassment or an oversight. Could it be that he is not altogether sure a two, four or eight celled embryo in a test tube is really an ensouled human being? - Yours, etc.,
Ashford,
Co Wicklow.