Ireland's Bishop Thomas Finnegan, outspoken defender of life, RIP

From the Irish prolife website, Family & Life -

One of the most outspoken opponents of abortion among Ireland’s bishops has died. Bishop Thomas Finnegan, the retired bishop of Killala, died on Christmas Day at the age of 86. He led the diocese of Killala from 1987 to 2002. During that time he established the Newman Institute in Ballina, County Mayo, offering courses in the theology of marriage and family. His dream of establishing a fully-fledged Catholic university was not, however, realised.

Here is a wonderfully succinct defense of life:

In May 2001 he issued a pastoral letter calling for a referendum to restore constitutional protection to the unborn. In it, he described abortion as “the fundamental human rights issue of today.” “It is not just a private issue,” he explained. “It is an issue which touches on whether we see the unborn child as deserving of inclusion and protection in the human community; but equally importantly, it is about what kind of care we want to provide for mothers in difficult circumstances. It challenges all of us to build the kind of society where no woman feels that her only or best choice is to end the life of her child. We need to ensure that those who feel that abortion is the only way out of a difficult situation are offered a truly life-giving choice.”