The cult of the Immaculate Conception and the abortion controversy : some historical re-considerations

Abstract

The Catholic rebel theologian Hans Küng attributes the current stand of the Roman Catholic Church against abortion to the Marian cult of the Immaculate Conception. In this paper, I will trace the historical development of this cult, which according to Küng has no historical or theological reference but is only a Medieval fabrication, while referring to Muslim sources and other historical sources, which are of Eastern Christian inspiration. Islam is a major source for the study of the origins of the importance of Mary, in particular, for the unique references to the Immaculate Conception of Mary. I shall then move to explore the expansion of the devotion of the Immaculate Conception in the West and show how and why it began to be associated with the debate on abortion that developed in the European Catholic South in the late 16th century and explain how this is a development of Medieval cult devotion. Reference will be made to Marina Warner’s book, Alone of All Her Sex. This book covers important historical ground, but the author’s manipulation of the facts leads to questionable historical claims. References will also be made to Hans Küng’s work, as one of the most vociferous critics of this cult. The paper proceeds to explore the contribution of Maltese theologians, as well as to Alpheran De Bussan, Bishop of Malta, concerning the Catholic Church’s view on abortion. I shall explain how this led to the rediscovery of a safe Caesarean section. Early iconographic representations of the Immaculate Conception were executed in a way to promulgate an anti-abortion message. Finally, I will explore how Victorian art and its colonial heritage shaped the representation of Our Lady in the 19th century. This 19th- century imagery helped shape the theological mindset expressed by both Warner and Küng.