Blow to 'Yes' bid as Church refuses to take sides
THE Catholic Church last night dealt a blow to Government hopes of its outright support for the Lisbon Treaty.
The hierarchy has decided not to align themselves for or against the treaty, but assured Catholics that they are free in conscience to vote 'Yes' or 'No'.
This neutrality was expressed in a brief statement issued last night after a meeting in Maynooth of the standing committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference.
While condemning "misleading and incorrect claims" in the referendum campaign, the bishops resisted growing public pressure to censure by name the monthly Catholic freesheet newspaper 'Alive' which has promoted rabidly anti-Lisbon views at church porches.
Nor did the bishops issue a forthright condemnation by name of the extreme Catholic lay group Coir, which has persisted in claiming that the Lisbon Treaty will introduce abortion in Ireland.
But they warned that "any material which misinforms voters is an interference with the exercise of a fundamental right and has no place in church buildings or grounds".
The statement falls far short of a declaration made last week to the Oireachtas Europe committee by the Bishop of Down and Connor, Noel Treanor, in which he strongly advocated approval for the Lisbon Treaty.
Bishop Treanor stated unequivocally that a Catholic could, without reserve and in good conscience, vote 'Yes' for the treaty. He went as far as saying that there were no grounds to justify a 'No' vote on the basis of specifically religious or ethical concerns.
Last November Cardinal Sean Brady made it clear to the same Oireachtas committee that "a committed Catholic, even before the current legal guarantees had been secured, could vote in favour of the Lisbon Treaty".
These comments, as well as strong pro-European addresses by the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, had raised expectations in political and business circles that the bishops would come out in support of the treaty, rather than reaffirm their neutrality in the first referendum last year.
Importance
In the new statement, 'Values Matter', the bishops recognise that the Lisbon Treaty is of the greatest importance, not only for Ireland but also for the future of the European project.
But they say that although the situation has changed since the June 2008 referendum with the addition of legal assurances on abortion and other ethical issues in response to the worries expressed at that time, their 2008 pastoral reflection, 'Fostering a Community of Values', remains relevant.
"In it we highlighted the distinctive roles of politics and religion," the bishops said.
"While we do not seek to align ourselves with either side of the referendum debate, we wish to make it clear that a Catholic can, in good conscience, vote 'Yes' or 'No'."
- John Cooney
