Colin Harte

If ever a case merited assisted suicide it would have been that of my friend, Alison Davis. But her story, told by me below, also provides a compelling reason never to legalise it. #AssistedDying parliamentnews.co.uk/alison-davis-t…

@AndyBurnhamGM If you genuinely wish to be MP for Makerfield, why haven't you resigned as Mayor of Greater Manchester? Or are you not resigning as you're not confident of being elected?

I am proud and humbled to have been selected as Labour’s candidate for Makerfield. These proud working-class communities represent the very best values of our country and they deserve so much better. It would be my honour to work for them every day, if elected as their MP, to achieve that. Many people here feel Westminster isn’t working for them and they are right. I am standing to change that and get the voice of these communities heard loud and clear. I am glad that this by-election has finally put the places that make up the Makerfield constituency into the national spotlight. They have been neglected by national politics for too long. It is a good thing that all political parties are now on the hook to tell the voters here what they are going to do for them. More than anything, people need life to be more affordable again. As Mayor, I have brought in changes which are helping, such as the £2 fare cap, free bus travel for our 16-18 year-olds and removing the 9.30am restriction from older and disabled people’s bus passes. But there is only so much I can do from Greater Manchester. If elected, I will have a relentless focus on reducing people’s everyday costs and bills and well as securing the investment these communities need. I have been an elected representative in Greater Manchester for 25 years. Throughout that time, I have fought for the people of the North West of England on so many fronts. I am now ready to bring the whole weight of that experience to fighting for the communities of the Makerfield constituency and would be privileged to be given that opportunity.

A Christian is killed every 2 hours in sub-Saharan Africa. More than 70% of all Christians killed for their faith last year were Nigerian. And yet 94% of Nigerian Catholics still show up to Mass every Sunday. The highest attendance rate on the planet. Read that again.

@Scullybones038 @Casey5122dark I hope that one day you will have a better understanding of the Catholic faith and of why men and women can have different roles without it affecting their human and Christian dignity.

@Casey5122dark The Catholic Church treats women as second class citizens. The very fact women can’t even become deacons is proof of that and one of the reasons I and others left the church to join the Anglican communion where women are equal

A letter in today’s Irish Times asserts that the ordination of women is supported by “a large majority of Catholics in Ireland” and that this should be a headline issue at the National Synodal Assembly in October. It may be the case that a majority of Catholics support the ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood. It may not. Whether or which, it is sublimely irrelevant. The matter was definitely settled by Pope John Paul II over 30 years ago in Ordinatio sacerdotalis (1994) In that Apostolic Letter he wrote: “Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church's divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on womenand that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful” (n. 4, italics added). This is a solemn declaration by the Pope, exercising his Petrine ministry, on a matter of faith, to be held by all the faithful. It would be difficult to deny that this declaration appears to exhibit the characteristics required for an exercise of Papal infallibility. Nevertheless, as one might expect, doubts were raised about the binding character of this pronouncement. In response to these doubts, the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ladaria, wrote [vatican.va/roman_curia/co…]: “...the doubts raised about the definitive nature of Ordinatio sacerdotalis also have grave consequences for the manner of understanding the Magisterium of the Church. It is important to reaffirm that infallibility does not only pertain to solemn pronouncements of a Council or of the Supreme Pontiff when he speaks ex cathedra, but also to the universal and ordinary teaching of bishops dispersed throughout the world, when they propose, in communion among themselves and with the Pope, the Catholic doctrine to be held definitively. John Paul II referred to this infallibility in Ordinatio sacerdotalis. In this manner he did not declare a new dogma, but, with the authority conferred upon him as the Successor of Peter, he formally confirmed and made explicit, so as to remove all doubt, that which the Ordinary and Universal Magisterium has long considered throughout history as belonging to the deposit of faith. This manner of declaration reflects a mode of ecclesial communion, since the Pope did not want to act alone, but as a witness listening to an uninterrupted and lived tradition. On the other hand, nobody denies that the Magisterium can express itself infallibly on truths that are necessarily connected with what has been formally revealed, since only in this manner is it able to exercise its function of devoutly safeguarding and faithfully expressing the deposit of the faith." "Further proof of the commitment with which John Paul II examined the question is the prior consultation that he undertook in Rome with the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences who were seriously interested in the problem. All of them declared, with complete conviction, through obedience of the Church to the Lord, that the Church does not have the faculty to confer on women priestly ordination." [italics added] "Pope Benedict XVI also reaffirmed this teaching, recalling in the Chrism Mass of April 5, 2012, that John Paul II 'declared in an irrevocable manner' that the Church, with regard to the ordination of women, 'has received no authority from the Lord'. Benedict XVI then asked, with regard to some who do not accept this doctrine: 'But is disobedience really a way to do this? Do we sense here anything of that configuration to Christ which is the precondition for all true renewal, or do we merely sense a desperate push to do something to change the Church in accordance with one’s own preferences and ideas?''" [italics added] "Pope Francis also returned to the argument. In his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, he reaffirmed that ‘"the reservation of the priesthood to males, as a sign of Christ the Spouse who gives himself in the Eucharist”' is not a question open to discussion...' (n. 104, italics added). During the Press Conference of the return flight from the Apostolic trip to Sweden , on November 1, 2016, Pope Francis reaffirmed: “On the ordination of women in the Catholic Church, the last word was clearly given by Saint John Paul II, and this remains.”

@PeterTatchell @dignityindying Thanks to the House of Lords, Parliament did its job. Shame on those feckless MPs who supported this inhuman bill.

joined the @DignityInDying rally outside parliament today House of Lords is wrong to filibuster legislation agreed by MPs People deserve quality of death, as well as quality of life Denying people the right to end prolonged suffering from incurable disease is a form of torture

@itvnews And the sons and daughters of many people who might be victims of this terrible, if enacted, bill are delighted. The opinion of privileged people like Esther Rantzen and her daughter should not determine public policy and, thankfully, hasn’t.

Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter ‘furious’ as assisted dying bill fails itv.com/news/2026-04-2…

"La Carrerita": the Little Race The Blessed Virgin Mary rushes to greet her Risen Son Our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter morning: fast procession in Villanueva de la Serena, Spain. Happy Easter! ¡Feliz Pascua!

@holysmoke @drsjcostello I've discovered I'm blocked too, and I don't recall even hearing of him before I read your post just now.

‘Enneagram coach’ who insists on putting ‘Dr’ in his X handle asks me a question but stops me answering by blocking me. What a coward you are, @drsjcostello.

@josephnollasj @PaulGaier1 Really, I don't think anyone who knows that Jesus washed the feet of the 12 Apostles, and who takes the example of Jesus seriously, will be even slightly upset that Pope Leo is washing the feet of clergy. Liturgy is not the place for unliturgical gestures.

@PaulGaier1 Some people are upset that he washing the feet of clergy as opposed to lay people. Pope Francis made a point of washing the feet of prisoners, migrants, and others deemed outcasts. Some people wish Pope Leo would continue doing that

I understand that some people might be upset that Pope Leo will wash the feet of clergy on Holy Thursday, remembering that Pope Francis washed the feet of people largely considered outcasts. Please consider, though, that Pope Leo’s decision is meant to be a lesson for the priests. Christ washed the feet of the Apostles and told them to do likewise. Christ’s vicar now washes the feet of the priests and tells them to do likewise. This action is an exhortation to humble service. Surely we can all agree that this is a good lesson for any cleric.

@PatrickMaryOP This is as it should be. Why would anyone want it to be otherwise?

Tomorrow, on Holy Thursday, Pope Leo will wash the feet of twelve priests of the Diocese of Rome:

@sehri1278 6

What's the answer? 🤔

@sehri1278 2

Only genius can solve this . Use your brain and solve it .

Noelia's execution is the kind of incident that should in an ideal world spark a revolution, but sadly and likely won't.

@LiturgyGuy Nonsense. The Novus Ordo was promulgated with no change indicated in the reception of Holy Communion, and "the liturgical life of the Novus Ordo" in no way requires Holy Communion to be received any differently than it had been received for centuries.

Bishop Martin of Charlotte explaining that the communion rail has no place “in the liturgical life of the Novus Ordo” since the norm (in the US) is to receive Communion standing. Possibly His Excellency can cite the liturgical text or section of the GIRM stating such a ban? His Excellency also seems to be troubled by the actualization (in certain Charlotte parishes) of the mutual enrichment Pope Benedict often spoke of.

@CatholicHerald Aren't Cardinals supposed to be Catholic? How tragic to rise to such an eminent position in the Church and to so thoroughly misunderstand what the ministerial priesthood entails.

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich has said he “cannot imagine” the Church continuing to exist if women remain excluded from ordained ministry. 🔗 ow.ly/p0oo50YxWOV

@sophieRblake @GBNEWS Yes, but it is suicide, and your unwillingness to call it what it is speaks volumes.

This is a one sided narrative built on emotive language and unchallenged claims. Framing assisted dying as “suicide” or the “institutionalisation of death” distorts what this is actually about. This Bill applies only to mentally competent, terminally ill adults who are already dying, not people choosing between life and death. I don’t know a single terminally ill person, coming to the end of the most brutal treatments, who is suicidal. We endure gruelling treatments for one reason, to gain more precious time with the people we love. I absolutely love my life and I am not suicidal. That’s exactly why this language is so inflammatory and so harmful. This isn’t about choosing death over life, it’s about not being forced to endure a prolonged, harrowing death when there is no chance of recovery. It’s also misleading to suggest this replaces palliative care or would apply broadly to “old people”, the proposals are clear and eligibility strictly limited. Palliative care would go hand in hand, but tragically it doesn’t work for everyone. Over 30 jurisdictions already have assisted dying laws with safeguards in place, which 300 million people already have access to, yet that reality is absent and never referred to, replaced instead with fear based narratives, predominantly by people who would never support AD for terminally ill adults under any circumstance. This debate deserves honesty, balance and compassion.

'As soon as [assisted dying] is promoted, you are effectively saying it is good.' Author Kathleen Stock shares her opposition to assisted dying, calling it the 'institutionalisation of death'.

@LMSChairman He didn't get what he deserved, but none of us get what we deserve for our sins. We seek for ourselves not God's justice but His mercy. If we foolishly desire 'justice' for others we can only expect God's justice for ourselves, not His mercy. We reap what we sow in many ways.

He should have been hanged.

@kitmalthouse Even if Leadbeater's terrible bill were enacted it wouldn't affect that dying man, so your comment, like Paul Brand's is pure emotional manipulation.

From his death bed, a cry for choice and control…

@PaulBrandITV Yeah, pal, we know you're a big cheerleader for having people killed. It's long past time that @itvnews had a fairminded reporter to cover this issue fairly and objectively.

EXCL: 65% of people back the assisted dying bill, just 14% oppose it, as it’s held up in the Lords. One dying man pleads with peers from his hospice bed to give him a choice. ITV News is featuring stories from both sides of the debate as time runs out. itv.com/news/2026-03-1…

Remarkable speech from Pam Duncan-Glancy (Independent): “There will be countless disabled people in our constituencies who haven’t had the choice to have a shower in weeks. People who can’t choose when they go to bed. Some who will already be in bed. “People who can’t choose what to eat. People who can’t choose to go out of their house, because it isn’t accessible. People tonight who can’t choose the care or the healthcare they need, including at the end, because it simply isn’t available for them. “And crucially, there will be disabled people whose struggle is so hard that they’ve given up hope, given up fighting, and will be considering tonight taking their own lives. “I know this, because I have been all of these people I’ve described. They live in fear every single day, worrying about what new limit someone else will put on their lives, and what little power they will have to change it. They live every single day without choice at all… “In a world where so many have little or no choice, we can’t risk making death the only choice they ever have.”

First vote was 70-56 the other way. It’s becoming really clear that this kind of legislation falls apart under scrutiny. Time to move forward and confront the huge challenges facing social care, palliative care and the NHS.