It’s a truism to say that the News, as typically presented by the media, is depressing. After the euphoria of the papal election, it was particularly bad last week.
Early in the week, on Sky News I saw news coming through of the Scottish Parliament voting in favour of ‘assisted dying’, just like the Parliament in Westminster did for England. As in the latter case this is only at the early stages of the legislation, but the signs are not good, if you’re not in favour of state-approved killing. By the end of the week the English bill was being discussed again in Parliament, with reports on Press Preview (Sky News, Wednesday) suggesting that bill may be in difficulty, as MPs who once supported it have second thoughts. On that show journalist Adam Boulton thought some would change their minds in the other direction. On Times Radio Breakfast (Friday) we heard from both sides and learned that prominent medical bodies like Royal College of Psychiatrists were not prepared to support the move. In the UK the issue is being debated much more thoroughly and intelligently than over here. This debate was teed up on the Monday night by the documentary Assisted Dying – The Final Choice (BBC Two). It was a well-balanced programme, with articulate contributions from both sides of the argument. In California the regime was much like what is being proposed for England and Wales – i.e. only for terminally ill people. In Canada, we saw what we always see – a system with safeguards being loosened and eroded over time. Canada now proposes to extend assisted suicide to the mentally ill. The ‘slippery slope’ image was used a few times, but one Canadian doctor thought Canada had fallen over a cliff. The most disconcerting thing about the programme was that it included the death by suicide, with medical assistance, of a Californian man, chatting and joking up to the moment he took the fatal potion. It was morally questionable to even show this – it would be horrendous to show such a thing in any other context.
The other depressing issue of the week is the awful situation in Gaza. On Today with Claire Byrne (RTE Radio 1, Friday) James Elder of UNICEF outlined ‘levels of starvation’ being ‘normalised’ – children starving in an ‘inflicted’ famine, with Israel’s blockade preventing food supplies at the border from getting through while people were sitting in comfortable restaurants 30 miles away. He wasn’t impressed by Israel’s plan for private aid distribution – too slow, not enough centres and too dangerous without a ceasefire. Thankfully he was also critical of ‘abhorrent’ holding of hostages by Hamas, though I thought he could have stressed hostage release on his list of vitally urgent actions at the end of the item – a ceasefire and removal of the blockade. I realise the whole story is riddled with propaganda and it’s hard to discern the truth. Much of the information from Gaza comes from Hamas bodies, so one has to be careful. But you can only judge from what you hear and see, listening to all sides and to those, if any, who are neutral and then making tentative judgements.
And so, it was interesting to hear on Peston (ITV, Thursday) from former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert. He described what was happening in Gaza as ‘intolerable’ and ‘unforgiveable’, and had no trust in the Netanyahu government. On the same show there were awful statistics for what percentages of the population were faced with stress, malnutrition and catastrophe. Projections for September were even worse, though News programmes last Sunday were reporting that Israel was going to allow some ‘basic’ supplies through.
In better news, Pope Leo XIV continues to impress and his talk to the diplomats in the Vatican bears serious consideration. His key strands were peace, justice and truth, topped with a helping of hope
for the Jubilee Year. There was extensive coverage last Sunday, from mainstream as well as secular outlets, of the Inauguration Mass. I watched live on RTE One and once again the coverage was excellent, with fine commentary by Fiona Mitchell and Fr Michael Collins.
The same day I hear on Times Radio about how he had offered the Vatican as a centre for negotiations to end the current Russia-Ukraine war. Let’s hope his encounters with President Zelenskyy and Vice President J.D. Vance will lead to positive developments for peace.
PICK OF THE WEEK
Sunday Sequence
BBC Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle Sunday May 25, 8:05am
Audrey Carville and guests debate the week’s religious and ethical news and explore the world of culture and ideas. Note new time.
The Reformation
EWTN Sunday May 25, 9pm
This 90-minute special chronicles the tumultuous religious upheaval in the 16th century by Martin Luther. With expert commentary from world-renowned theologians and historians and dramatisations filmed throughout Europe.
White Man Walking
BBC 4 Tuesday May 27, 10pm
A Storyville documentary that traces the 1,500-mile walk that film-maker Rob Bliss embarked on through America’s southern states while wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.
