SPUC president appointed bishop

London, 16 July 2003--The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has congratulated SPUC president Reverend Professor Anthony Fisher O.P. on his appointment as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia.

SPUC chairman Robin Haig commented: "Bishop-elect Anthony Fisher is undisputedly one of the world's leading bioethicists. I warmly congratulate Professor Fisher upon his appointment and, together with all members of SPUC, thank and applaud Pope John Paul II for choosing Professor Fisher for the episcopate. Both the Church and the world sorely need such dynamic advocates for the culture of life and his appointment will be a tremendous encouragement to all pro-lifers, Catholic and non-Catholic alike."

Bishop-Elect Anthony Fisher O.P., B.A. (Hons.), LL.B., B.Theol. (Hons.), D.Phil. (Oxon.) qualified and practised as a lawyer in Sydney before joining the Order of Preachers (O.P.) or "Dominicans". He is the foundation director and a Professor of Bioethics and Moral Theology at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Melbourne. He is also a corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. He has been a member of various working parties of the British & Irish Catholic Bishops' Joint Committee on Bioethical Issues. He was appointed President of SPUC in 1994.