Decriminalization of abortion in Monaco: Monsignor David reaffirms the position of the Diocese

For the Monegasque Church, the situation is grave. Last Thursday, the elected members of the National Council – with the exception of Brigitte Boccone-Pagès and Régis Bergonzi – voted almost unanimously in favor of Bill No. 267, which aims to decriminalize voluntary termination of pregnancy in the Principality. A bill that follows the consultation launched by the National Council, where 80% of Monegasques who responded said they were in favor of legalizing abortion.

A few weeks later in our columns, Archbishop Monsignor Dominique-Marie David recalled the Church's opposition on this social issue, before issuing a press release a month later, to describe this matter as "serious" , regretting "the pressure of consciences" .

This Sunday, in his pastoral letter distributed to the faithful – more like a 14-point pamphlet – the archbishop evokes a "point of no return" . Monsignor David is firstly surprised that the subject of abortion, which he claims "troubles the thoughts of many of you [the faithful]" , has returned to the forefront of the political and media scene.

For the Church, a particularly identity-based issue

"The debate on abortion suddenly appeared on the Monegasque political agenda, driven by a media campaign, while it did not appear in the electoral programme of the elected majority," said Mgr Dominique-Marie David, stressing that this sudden about-turn could be detrimental to the voice of elected officials.

"In 2019, during the vote on a bill lifting the criminal penalty for women who have had abortions, the national councilors affirmed in a solemn declaration that they had reached a point of balance with regard to the constitutional provisions of our Principality. Since then, several of them have changed their minds, at the risk of undermining the credibility of political speech."

This was followed by a long presentation combining biological theories and the defence of Monegasque identity, which the archbishop recalled was inseparable from the Catholic faith, to convince the faithful that this subject "could harm the maintenance of our national cohesion, which is both precious and fragile" .

"In the Principality, we are proud to defend our specificities. Among them is the confessional nature of the State. The State religion cannot be reduced to a simple tradition; it structures Monegasque law itself; it is inseparable from our national identity [...] We, inhabitants of Monaco and faithful of the Catholic Church, we love this country; we want to preserve its cultural integrity and its constitutional identity," the archbishop explained, specifying that this position "is not solely a matter of faith."

"Biology and genetics now scientifically explain that human life begins at conception. The embryo is not a simple mass of cells, nor a cell in the mother's body that would be an extension of her own body, it is a distinct entity. This new living being fully belongs to the human species," he continues. As a reminder, this bill has received broad support from obstetrician-gynecologists in the Principality.

In his speech, Bishop Dominique-Marie David did not fail to quote the late Pope Francis, referring to the "throwaway culture" . "His denunciation of abortion must be understood from a moral point of view, of course, but also as an absolute rejection of the throwaway culture, which eliminates what we do not want and which encumbers us."

"Nothing against the law" for Thomas Brezzo

For his part, Thomas Brezzo had reminded us in our columns that this proposed law was in no way contrary to Monegasque provisions. "We have conducted comparative law studies and had a study done on canon law, to find out what difficulties we could encounter between the Concordat and the Monegasque Constitution. There is nothing contrary to the laws," assured the President of the National Council, taking as an example countries with strong religious traditions that have already legislated on the issue.

"England and Greece, to name just two, are examples. In addition, countries with deep religious traditions, such as Luxembourg and Ireland, have made significant progress in women's rights."