Ireland: Bishops speak out on same-sex marriage referendum

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This past weekend, Bishops across Ireland issued pastoral letters and preached about the forthcoming referendum on same-sex marriage which is due to take place on 22 May. A motion calling for the redefinition of marriage was defeated in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the fourth time in three years on 27 April. MLAs rejected calls to introduce same-sex marriage by 49 votes to 47. Statements from three Bishops from the Dioceses of Limerick, Clonfert and Kilmore follow below:

LIMERICK · Bishop Brendan Leahy

The fundamental meaning of marriage has been commonly understood down the ages and across cultures and faiths as a man-woman relationship open to life. God has given a great gift to humanity with the creation of man and woman and with the sacrament of marriage. Legal systems the world over have viewed marriage as a fundamental institution upon which family life is built. Do we really want to tamper with such a fundamental institution in society?

· It has been rightly said that what we do in the ballot box on 22 May will have a profound impact on the public life and the personal lives of the citizens of our country. Redefining marriage has major implications. It is far too early to presume we know the full extent of them. The experience of those states that have introduced similar changes is so recent that we cannot really know the full range of the developments and challenges ahead of us with a radical redefinition of marriage. Is it wise to take such a major step on the basis of so little evidence?

· A major development in our modern age has been the recognition that men and women are not the same, not just biologically, but on so many other levels. Men and women are not interchangeable. Is it right to unhinge marriage from its original grounding in our biological life? In recognising the value of the loving care of individual-single parents, we can still acknowledge that mothers and fathers bring different, yet complementary gifts and strengths into a child's life. Is it right to insert into our Constitution an option for adult rights at the expense of children's rights, such as the right, except when this is not possible, to be raised by a mother and father?

· The issue before us is not a specifically Catholic question. Marriage and family existed before the Church and before the State. Based on faith and reason, the Bishops' Conference has said that it cannot support an amendment which redefines marriage and effectively places the union of two men, or two women, on a par with the marriage relationship between a husband and wife which is open to the procreation of children. The Irish State should be able to find a way to protect the civil rights of gay people without undermining the meaning of marriage that is as old as the hills.

· The issue of equality has been raised. But is the amendment actually about equality? Is it not really about making same-sex unions identical to traditional marriages of one man and one woman? While respecting the equality of everyone as a citizen, there is a legitimate distinction to be made between same-sex unions and that of the union of one man and one woman in marriage. If the amendment is passed, is it not reasonable to say that traditional marriage will lose its unique identity, that the Constitutional and Irish case-law understanding of family will change radically?

· In their statement in March, the Bishops expressed their concern that 'should the amendment be passed, it will become increasingly difficult to speak any longer in public about marriage as being between a man and a woman. Will those who sincerely continue to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman be forced to act against their conscience?' It has already been said that there will be no provisions for exceptions based on conscience. Is that fair?

· When we look to international experience, as well as much legislation, there have been 37 referenda on the issue of same-sex marriage, from what we are aware. Three of the referenda were in Europe and 34 in the United States. Only four, all in the US, were carried but the other 33 were defeated.

· Should the amendment be passed, more questions will arise: "what will we be expected to teach children in school about marriage?" Many implications will arise from this. One example, however small, might be possible legal challenges around school text books that do not equally present depictions of same-sex couples and male-female couples as images for parents. And this is just one example.

· The Children and Family Relationships Act that was signed into law recently has removed mention of mothers and fathers from a whole raft of previous legislation. It is unfortunate there was very little public debate on this major piece of law. This referendum, if passed, will copper-fasten it. But don't words matter, especially words like mother and father, which have existed for millennia and for a reason? Why should we run the risk of wiping those identities out of public discourse? They have real depth and meaning. Can other functional terms really convey what fathers and mothers each bring as male and female to the important task of generating, rearing and educating their sons and daughters?

+Bishop Brendan Leahy Bishop of Limerick

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CLONFERT - Pastoral letter Bishop John Kirby

God created humankind in his image, male and female he created them. (Gen 1:27)

By this, you are probably getting a bit tired of talk on the coming referendum on same sex marriage. However, this referendum is coming upon us and it is important that I outline the position of the Catholic Church on Christian marriage for the people of Clonfert.

The Catholic Church, and indeed all Christians, regard the family based on marriage as the single most important institution in any society. To seek to redefine marriage is to undermine it as a fundamental building block of society. Marriage should be reserved for the unique and complementary relationship between a man and a woman from which the generation and upbringing of children is uniquely possible.

I am conscious that gay and lesbian people have for long felt discriminated against in Ireland, as elsewhere. Serious anti-gay bullying is still a factor in many aspects of life including in schools and in workplaces. There should be zero tolerance for any form of conduct or intimidation of this sort. It is totally opposed to the message of Jesus Christ: "Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Lk 6:31). We respect the dignity of every human person, as demanded by the primary commandment laid down by Jesus Christ "You shall love your neighbour as yourself" (Matt 19:19). However, it is not lacking in sensitivity to point out that same sex relationships are fundamentally different from opposite sex relationships. Society values the complementary roles of mothers and fathers in the generation and upbringing of children.

The coming referendum is not about equality. The differences between a man and a woman are not accidental to marriage but are fundamentally part of it. Children have a natural right to a mother and a father and this is the best environment for them when it is possible. Clearly there are situations when this is not possible, but that does not change the idea

l. Male-female complementarity is intrinsic to marriage. It is naturally ordered to sexual union in a faithful committed relationship as a basis for new life. Some people have stated that this referendum is about civil marriage and not about church or "faith-based" marriages. Does this mean that Church people have no right to speak or to offer opinions on the subject? Catholic weddings have civil effect when the standard civil document is signed. Currently, 70% of weddings are performed in a church and we have genuine interests in the whole understanding of marriage. Any changes in this will have huge implications for everyone. As well as being Church people, we are citizens of the Irish State and we rightly play our part in the democratic decision-making process. Marriage is too precious a component of society to allow it to be changed without a clear understanding of what we are doing.

Pope Francis has shown great sensitivity to gay and lesbian people. Very early on in his ministry as Pope, he asked the question, "Who am I to judge?" However, he is very clear on the importance of marriage and the union of one man and one woman in a permanent exclusive relationship. Recently Pope Francis spoke about marriage, "The maternity of women and the paternity of men should be recognised as a richness that remains valid especially for the benefit of children" (Gen Audience 22 April 2015).

The official teaching of the Catholic Church was reiterated at the special synod in Rome last October, "There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and the family". Please make it an important priority to cast your vote in this referendum on 22 May. I am not saying which way you should cast it. As the pastoral statem ent published by the Irish Bishops at our Spring General Meeting stated: "Marriage is Important - Reflect before you change it."

Bishop John Kirby Diocese of Clonfert

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KILMORE Bishop Leo O'Reilly's pastoral statement

Marriage is Important - Think before you vote

My Dear People,

In a few days we will be asked to vote in a referendum to change the meaning of marriage in the section of the Constitution of Ireland dealing with 'The Family'. I am aware that this referendum is a very sensitive issue. I hope that my words will not give offence to anybody and that is certainly not my wish or my intention. I respect the views of people who think differently than I do, and I trust that the views that I express, which are grounded in my faith as a Catholic, will also be heard and respected. My hope is that you will give this very important decision the attention it deserves and that you will think carefully about the issues involved:

• I ask you to think about the issue of equality which has been put forward as the reason for the referendum. Pope Francis faced a similar referendum in Argentina when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. This was his advice on the matter: "A marriage (made up of man and woman) is not the same as the union of two people of the same sex. To distinguish is not to discriminate but to respect differences ... At a time when we place emphasis on the richness of pluralism and social and cultural diversity, it is a contradiction to minimize human differences. A father is not the same as a mother."

• I ask you to think about children. We have recently passed a referendum on children's rights. The first paragraph of the new text says: "The State recognises and affirms the natural and imprescriptible rights of all children and shall, as far as practicable, by its laws protect and vindicate those rights." Now every child has a natural mother and father. It is surely a fundamental right of a child that he or she should have the right to know and enjoy the companionship of its natural mother and father, where that is possible. Sometimes, through death or for other reasons this is not possible, and that is always painful and regrettable. This referendum, if passed, taken together with the provisions of the Children and Family Relationships Act, will deny the fundamental right of some children to a mother and a father - in plain contradiction of the recent children's referendum. The referendum on same-sex marriage would put the wishes of adults ahead of the rights of children.

As Pope Francis, then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, put it: "Let us also be aware that, in seeking to advance a supposed claim on behalf of the rights of adults, we may be setting aside the far greater right of children (who are the only ones who should be privileged in this situation) to rely on models of father and mother, mum and dad."

• I ask you to think of the wider consequences of this referendum passing. I have serious concerns about the blunt refusal to give any real guarantees regarding freedom of religion in relation to the referendum.

To give but a few examples:

- Will teachers be obliged, against their conscience, to teach the new understanding of marriage in schools?

- Will marriage counsellors and others who offer couples Catholic marriage care be required to provide services to those who are manifestly at variance with our ethos?

- Will priests, who are now generally registered as official solemnisers of marriage on behalf of the State, be obliged to marry same-sex couples who request it? If a baker can be brought before the courts in Northern Ireland on such a trivial matter as refusing a request from a same-sex couple to supply a cake with a gay slogan, we can be sure that a priest will soon find himself in the same position here.

I ask everyone to pray to the Holy Spirit for a renewal of those gifts of wisdom, understanding, courage and right judgement that we received at Confirmation as we think about these issues in preparation for voting on May 22nd. May is a month of special devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and I ask you to pray also to her for all our families and for the renewal and strengthening of family life as we prepare for the Synod on the Family in October.

+Leo O'Reilly Bishop of Kilmore

See also ICN 6 May 2015 Ireland: Statement from Archbishop Eamon Martin on same-sex marriage referendum www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=27372