Getting close to Christmas

Last Saturday morning

Last Sunday afternoon

Got back from London last Friday , one day late, as the gales in Scotland on Wednesday evening closed down all the trains on Thursday.

On Saturday morning I got roped into setting up for a fellowship lunch , see how neatly I set all the tables.

Then on Sunday everyone pounced on their free meal and did not notice the nicely laid out tables.

Such is life !

A good result at the UN

The Archbishop earlier in the meeting with Fr. Wylie behind him

Under the inspired leadership of the Holy See's Nuncio, Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the culture of death took a significant stumble at the Third Committee of the UN in New York last week.

There are around forty resolutions crafted by this UN committee in October and November each year. The worst resolution this year was on “Protecting Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD)” . Now to the uninitiated this resolution sounds like a fine thing. However it is just a smoke screen used by those promoting both a right to abortion and the radical homosexual agenda.

To see what the opposition said about this resolution please see a quote from the “The international Coalition of Women Human Rights Defenders” own website  :

“Also contentious were important references in the initial draft acknowledging the risks faced by those working on issues of sexual and reproductive health, reproductive rights and matters related to sexuality. [Such words are always used as a euphemism for abortion and birth control.] These references were excluded in later drafts of the resolution as a result of the opposition voiced by a number of States from Africa, Asia and the Holy See. It is regrettable and disappointing that the main sponsors and others were not able to secure specific language related to women human rights defenders working on these critical issues in the final text of the resolution.”

Ref: http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/un_landmark_resolution_WHRD.php

The African group stood very strongly together , and  introduced L-docs , which are amendments that are tabled just before the resolution is accepted. These were then accepted by the sponsor Norway as they did not want a vote , but a resolution accepted by consensus. This unusual step was taken because Norway and the EU  were not willing to accept changes of any significance during the long and protracted negotiations. So the resolution was accepted but all the bad anti-life / anti-family wording was removed.

This very good result, was obtained for many reasons. Myself and my colleague Patrick Buckley, were there at the negotiations helping out as we usually do. Sharon Slater ( Family Watch International ) and Marie Smith ( Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues ) both did a fine job even though not in New York. The African Group held together as I heard the South African president had upset some African leaders and as a penance agreed not the split this group at the UN. Another very clever tactic of Archbishop Chullikatt was to have several Africans on the Holy See delegation. They also helped keep the African Group on side. There was  help given by Muslim countries and Russia as well.

So the pro-aborts and LGBT advocates got no advancement of their agenda at this session of the Third committee. As I have said many times before, the Holy See at the United Nations is the conscience of the world on issues of life and the family as well as many other things.

Thank you

Well I am just about to head out to the airport at Newark to fly back to Scotland , landing at 7.30am not a very enjoyable red eye special.

Things have gone quite well at the UN, will post some details when they come to hand.
Many thanks for the prayer support on this.

On Thirsday 28 Nov. I will be preaching in a Church in Costock , near Loughborough ,England.
Friday afternoon shall be attending a medical ethis conference in London.
Have a SPUC Evangelicals committee meeting to Chair on 4 Dec,
Will travel back home to Scotland on 5 Dec.

Hanging about at the UN - President of Indonesia ?

This morning I was lurking in the basement of the UN and this chap , shown opposite appeared with a large entourage of assitants. I asked one of the followers who it was and they said the President. So I got the photo taken as I thought it was the President of Indonesia.

I was wrong , but he was still a fairly big shot , being Dr Hadi Poernomo , the Chairman of the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia. They were my neighbors when I was in Australia. It never hurts to say hello.

Good news

This morning in Scotland , a baby girl was born to Louise. Baby Ava weighed 6lbs 11oz , or 3.04kg.

Mother and baby doing fine. Thank you for your prayers.

Immediate prayer request - protecting women human rights defenders.

At 1pm New York time negotiations restarted on the resolution , " Protecting Women Human Rights Defenders".

This is a nasty little resolution which is trying to give special rights to those promoting a " right to abortion " and special treatment for LBGTQI people.

Please pray for Fr Wylie , shown opposite sitting behind his boss.

Pray that this resolution would be scrapped or neutralized.

I am sitting at the door where delegates go in and out . I am banned from being in the meeting.

A further prayer request

Please pray for Loise , she should be delivered of a baby tonight. She has very high blood pressure , per-eclamsia etc. She was a matron of honour at my Daught Vistoria's wedding 3 months ago.

Please pray for a safe outcome for mother and child.