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Cardinal recovering after surgery to fit pacemaker



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Published Date: 27 March 2008
By Craig Brown
THE head of the Catholic Church in Scotland was recovering in hospital last night following surgery to have a pacemaker fitted.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien was fitted with the device following recent heart problems.

The 70-year-old, who has suffered from a heart murmur, had experienced dizzy spells in recent weeks and fainted prior to Palm Sunday mass.

Cardinal O'Brien, who
used his Easter Sunday sermon to launch a fierce attack on the government's controversial legislation on embryo research, had the device fitted under local anaesthetic at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary yesterday afternoon.

Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, confirmed Cardinal O'Brien had been admitted to hospital.

He said: "He does suffer from a heart murmur which he has had since his twenties and, on medical advice, had a pacemaker fitted

"This was an elective admission timed to coincide with a short holiday break. The procedure was carried out under local anaesthetic and did not involve heart surgery."

The cardinal, who is Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, was last night said to be recovering well from the procedure.

Cardinal O'Brien is expected to resume a full programme of engagements in the coming weeks. He is due to attend a public meeting to campaign against the government's Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, having sparked a debate on the issue at the weekend.

In his Easter Sunday mass, the cardinal accused Gordon Brown of "an unprecedented attack on the sanctity and dignity of human life".





The full article contains 252 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 27 March 2008 12:38 AM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Roman Catholic church
 
1

eric,

27/03/2008 06:51:17
Isnt that tampering with life!Surely he would be dead if it wasnt for that Man made pacemaker!
2

S'me,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 07:24:42
Hope the research into the pacemaker wasn't using stem cell/embryo technology.
3

donald,

glasgow 27/03/2008 08:11:24
Hope he gets better and kicks the Catholic Labour Unionist MPs up the backside..
4

sam the god,

27/03/2008 08:12:32
one rule for him and another rule for other ill people if he was a man of honour he would not have gone for this procedure as it is interfering with life surely against his own teachings.
5

sam the god,

27/03/2008 08:14:34
Cardinal Keith O'Brien will be up in arms with this MSP’s views.
6

Vincent-W,

27/03/2008 08:21:12
Sam, S'me and eric - just because we have free speech it doesn't mean you have to exercise that right.

Your lack of knowledge is stunning, but does not prevent you from making anti O'Brien posts - quite sad.
7

albanman,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 08:46:57
Nos.1-2,4-5: I'm no huge fan of the institutional side of Catholicism, but these comments are from people who have little (or perhaps no) understanding of Catholic teaching regarding medical ethics.
8

sam the god,

27/03/2008 09:55:47
#6 Vincent-W

to use your thinking “just because we have free speech it doesn't mean you have to exercise that right” you could say the same about Cardinal Keith O'Brien or are you saying he has more right to comment on things than us non Catholics the question is do you think that if we disagree with Cardinal Keith O'Brien then we are bigoted.

#7 albanman
“but these comments are from people who have little (or perhaps no) understanding of Catholic teaching regarding medical ethics. “
The question you should be asking yourself is how many procedures have the Catholic church objected to in the past that are now everyday procedures you do not hear them bleating about it now.
Churches should keep out of medical advance you do not hear of the medical organisations asking for religious organisations to prove conclusively that god exists.
9

Duncan in Edinburgh,

27/03/2008 11:05:23
Ah, the Frankenstein Cardinal!

Not that having a pacemaker fitted makes someone a monster, of course; but if he is prepared to lie about what a medical procedure is about, then perhaps we should do the same.

So what's next - robotic priests?
10

Vincent-W,

27/03/2008 12:56:09
Sam - the fact is you were using your right to free speech to make a facetious and factually incorrect point.

The ethics of some aspects of genetic research are open to question by Doctors, moral philosophers an all informed people. The ethics of mainstream medical procedures which have no link to such genetic research is irrelevant.

What is the point of universal compulsory education when people like you cannot make such basic and simple distinctions?
11

Maximus,

Roberton 27/03/2008 13:28:08
#8, Please tell us how many medical procedures has the Catholic Church opposed and are now using?
12

sam the god,

27/03/2008 13:53:37
#10 Vincent-W
“The ethics of some aspects of genetic research are open to question by Doctors, moral philosophers an all informed people”. This must exclude Cardinal Keith O'Brien as he not classed in any of the people you mentioned unless you class him as a moral philosopher which then includes everyone that has a view on the subject thus making your statement irrelevant .
“The ethics of mainstream medical procedures which have no link to such genetic research “ some of these procedures have caused religious discontent in the past so are relevant.


#11 maximus

what about the animal products that are used in modern surgery heart valves, veins I seem to remember that the churches were against that at the start. There are hundreds of people who are grateful that the medical organisations/governments of the time ignored the churches
13

eric,

27/03/2008 13:57:41
6 Nothing anti in my comment,I wish the guy well and hope he is better soon,Just a little bit hypocrite what!
14

Guga II,

Rockall 27/03/2008 15:21:24
#9 Duncan.

"So what's next - robotic priests?"

That might be safer than a lot of them that are around at the moment.
15

Vincent-W,

27/03/2008 15:43:32
What an evil minded set of individuals! There's no hypocracy in having a pacemaker.

Every opportunity to have a pop, irrespective of any truth or facts.

Sam - both of the last two categories, and your credentials?

16

sam the god,

27/03/2008 15:57:01
#15 Vincent-W

Thanks for the compliment that has hade my day knowing my standards are still as good.

You stated “There's no hypocrisy in having a pacemaker” at no point have I said that what is hypocrical is Cardinal Keith O'Brien wanting to stop research into something that might in the future save life’s or make someone’s life more earlier just like fitting a pacemaker

17

Duncan in Edinburgh,

27/03/2008 16:37:23
#15 Of course there's no hypocrisy in having a pacemaker.

But isn't it the thin end of the wedge? I mean, he may be "just" having an artificial robotic appendage fitted to his vital organs today, but eventually there's no question that he'll be pushing for a bionic arm, x-ray eyes and, eventually, an army of robotic priests.

At least, the same logic which had him going from 14-day experiments with groups of cells to the creation of Frankenstein babies, would lead me to the the above conclusion.

If you're saying I'm wrong, then I'm afraid so is he.
18

Vincent-W,

27/03/2008 16:48:30
Sam - there's a massive difference and there are completely diffrent ethical considerations.

Dunc - no thin edge of any wedge - one involves using inanimate objects and the other involves serious ethical issues about creating 'life'.

I know it seems very amusing to talk about robotic priests but it's not even a starter. ha ha ha
19

Duncan in Edinburgh,

27/03/2008 17:11:04
#18 Of course there's a practical difference in the medicine, as you point out. But there's no difference at all in the logic being used. I have, ludicrously, suggested that a cardinal fitting a pacemaker will lead to bionic clergy. The cardinal has, ludicrously, suggested that a tightly controlled 14 day experiment with cells in a lab will lead to Frankenstein babies.

You're right, neither is funny. Nor reasonable. Nor fair. Nor accurate.
20

sam the god,

27/03/2008 18:10:54
#18 Vincent-W
I take it you are a devout Catholic?
If these experiments improve the quality of someone’s life then they should go ahead once the Catholic church gets its own house in order (sex scandals with priests etc) then they can interfere in other peoples life’s rather than sweep scandals under the carpet by removing the priests from the diocese or even the country.
You do not hear the Cardinal baying for blood when it is his own.
21

Sgurr,

27/03/2008 23:23:39
Hypocrit. I guess he did the math on pacemakers and decided that it was ok for him. Wonder why he wants to deny the extension of life he is enjoying to those with alzheimers, cystic fibrosis and many other ooh nasties.

Duncan in Edinburgh - as usual, incisive and witty on this topic.
22

S'me,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 23:44:00
#6 Vincent. Yes I do have the right to free speech and no I wasn't being offensive. You sound very touchy and defensive if anything mentioned isn't in praise of the cardinal. I wish him well, don't agree with much he says in public- although I am neither anti religion or anti-catholic- I agree with many religous opinions.
I simply stated a point which seems to have provoked discussion.
No I'm not an expert in catholic teaching in medical ethics, you don't have to be to have morals or think in an ethical manner- just making the point about the benefits of research and the minefields of opposing development then accepting the benefits.
23

Atheist Ian,

Airdrie 29/03/2008 23:17:19
What a Hypocrite.

Twice in as many days, this man has shown his lack of basic human decency, let alone moral fibre, yet he deigns to speak to Scientists that have spent their lives on something worthwhile rather than a fantasy about morals?

Where were his morals when priests in his charge were abusing children, and being protected by the vatican?

How dare he enjoy the benefits of modern medicine, yet use the good health that he has been given by science and medicine to prevent future cures from being developed?

O'Brien's church lies to people about the effectiveness of condoms. It is directly responsible for the needless death of many from AIDS... and now, right here in Scotland, he is openly lying about the contents of the HFE bill for his own political ends.

Time to go quietly into the night, Cardinal. Our Country (and the world in general) would be a better place without you.
24

Flower of Scotland,

Glasgow 18/04/2008 22:42:33
#23... Atheist from Airdrie. You are the hypocrite. You call yourself an atheist, then you go on an anti-Catholic rant. Oh! I forgot,the word atheist in Scotland actually means "lazy Protestant" ie would sooner say "I am an atheist" than read a bible or go to church on Sunday. The strange thing about Scottish atheists is that they hate only one church i.e. the Catholic church.(the one true church founded by Christ) Being from a dump like Airdrie is indeed a disadvantage,and if you were never in the God forsaken place then God was indeed good to you. Airdrie full of ignorant bigots and lazy layabouts,not to mention that it is the home of Buckfast wine. What a bunch of losers you Airdrieonians really are.

 

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