Catholic Schools Ban Charity

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

From AOL News:

Catholics Schools Ban Comic Relief

Hundreds of pupils from Catholic schools in South Wales have been banned from raising money for Comic Relief because church officials have said money raised has been used to support abortions, it has been revealed.

Pupils from several schools in the Diocese of Menevia, which covers Catholic churches in South West Wales, will not be able to join in with Friday's charity event.

Church officials have said that a portion of money raised by the charity over the last 20 years has gone towards supporting abortions in Third World countries.

Father Michael Burke, spokesman for the Diocese of Menevia said that he had been in contact with Comic Relief about the matter.

Speaking from the Parish of The Sacred Heart in Morriston, he said: "We have advised the schools not to raise money for Comic Relief this year simply because in the past money raised has gone to agencies supporting abortion.

"And the organisation has not been able to satisfy us that no money raised by our schools would go towards acts of abortion, which is against the ethos of the Catholic Church.

"We have advised the schools not to take part in the Comic Relief fund-raising. The Catholic faith holds all life as sacred. We are anti-abortion.

"Some Catholic schools in the UK have won the assurance from Comic Relief that any money they contribute will not go to fund abortions and are supporting the cause.

"We have also asked that no money raised support abortions, but they could not give us that assurance.

"If people want to raise money we would suggest they send any money to organisations such as CAFOD instead.''

He added that not supporting comic relief had been the policy of the Diocese of Menevia for the last 15 years.

Three large schools in the Diocese will be effected. They are St Joseph's Catholic School in Port Talbot, Bishop Vaughan School in Swansea and the St John Lloyd School in Llanelli.

A spokesman for Comic Relief said: "In 2000 we opened dialogue with the Catholic bishops of England and Wales to help communicate the facts.

"They issued a statement confirming that after careful examination of our records, they were satisfied with Comic Relief's assurance that we do not fund and have never funded abortion services or the promotion of abortions.''