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Dangerous tunnel
Some 75 per cent of the floodlights in the tunnel under The Point have burnt out and need to be replaced immediately. The few remaining functi
Science and life’s inviolability
Chris Barbara, from Doctors for Choice (May 6), attacks the claim that a fertilised embryo is a human person, saying this cannot be scientifically proved. He even states the opposite: “It would be more helpful to consider embryos for what they are: a precursor to a human person.”
Is it a ‘scientific fact’ that they are not a human person, such that one should feel no qualms about aborting them?
While it is an obvious (‘scientific’?) fact that embryos normally grow to behave as persons, there is no obvious ‘scientific’ marker of the point when personhood sets in. Personhood remains mysterious to ‘science’ but, in law and ethics, we give it great weight. For Barbara, too, the taking of personal life seems to be a red line.
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The restoration work on the shrine of St Amphibalus took more than a year to complete and numerous delays were caused along the way by the Covid-19 situation. With the exception of the face mask carving, the end result is exceptional and brings new life to the medieval shrine.
Dr David Carrington, director of Skillington Workshop, which carried out the work, said: The preservation of the surviving 14th Century carvings, the setting-out to allow restoration of missing sections and the interpretation and carving of these missing bits in the original spirit and style all presented unique challenges (via BBC).
The Reverend Canon Abi Thompson, Acting Dean of the cathedral, said that the newly restored shrine “creates a fresh focus for prayer, and is a beautiful way to tell part of the story of this extraordinary place to visitors”, who will have an opportunity to view the restored shrine when the cathedral reopens on May 17.
BBC News
Published
image captionA masked figure has appeared on the shrine to mark the Covid-19 pandemic
The restoration of a rare medieval shrine means a cathedral now features a figure wearing a face-mask.
The shrine of St Amphibalus, at St Albans Cathedral in Hertfordshire will be on display when it reopens for visitors on 17 May.
The figure reminds us the history of St Albans stretches forwards as well as backwards , a cathedral spokesman said.
The work, which took more than a year to complete, was funded by a grant and more than a thousand other donors.
It was due to be unveiled in June last year, but work was delayed due to the pandemic.