Tonight Enda Kenny called on the Catholic Church to clarify it’s position on the Lisbon Treaty.
This follows months of material being published in ALIVE! which is distributed in churches around the country and the appearance of posters and leaflets in church properties in recent weeks.
The Fine Gael leader was speaking following reports that literature had been distributed in Church’s saying voting for the treaty would result in abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage here.
Enda Kenny says Articles have also appeared in the religious “Alive” periodical calling for donations to campaign for a No vote.
These are the advertisements that Kenny was referring to. I’m happy to see him calling on the Church for clarification. A conversation today with someone in Kildare Street leads me to believe that there is a link between all things Lisbon and the lack of publication of the heads of bill on civil partnership. The posters and the ads are trying to stir homophobia and confusion about Lisbon, like we don’t have enough of both already?
It will be interesting to see if the Bishops respond to Enda’s calls! I think the answer will that they don’t have a position given the recent past and their lack of participation in public debate. But I’m sure they have a lot more to say on the issue that Louis Walsh did on Questions and Answers tonight! (What you mean you missed it!?)
However on a more general point the Church do need to clarify regarding it’s relationship with ALIVE and the contents of the paper and the hosting of it’s offices in Church property. Increasingly the utter rubbish published in this monthly title is (and should be) causing concern to those who are involved in promoting dialogue and participation and respect for religion and diversity in Ireland.
Well done Enda Kenny on this. Snake Bertie would never ever make a call like this.
While a liberal and an atheist, I think it is sinister for politicians to push religious denominations to support their political positions.
FT
It might be more of a case of rather you know what exactly you are dealing with then listening to snakes in the grass? If the Church opppose Lisbon and think it will bring armageddon then let’s hear about it rather that from groups who don’t reveal their funders or the people involved with them.
I’m a politically engaged kind of girl, I keep reasonably up to date with current affairs (even though it takes me at least a week to read a Sunday paper all through), I develop my own opinions and all of that – but the Lisbon Treaty is going way over my head, partly to do with the fact that nothing is talked about the bill but merely about others reactions to it! According to Radio 4 a couple of weeks ago though apparently the French have high hopes of the Irish “doing the right thing”. Whatever that might be eh …
I was talking to a Green councillor in Cork in Feb who was delighted to tell me that Greens were supporting a “No” vote, then a week later I heard that they’d rolled over into their customary (governmental) “yes” position! I need convincing about it all. This (from the BBC website) worries me a lot “Ireland and the UK currently have an opt-out from European policies concerning asylum, visas and immigration. Under the new treaty they will have the right to opt in or out of any policies in the entire field of justice and home affairs.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6901353.stm
Red Links 20/05/08 : Alexia Golez // May 20, 2008 at 08:24
[...] Suzy musing on Enda calling the Catholic Church to clarify it’s position re: Lisbon. Situ murky waters, methinks. [...]
FT, it is considerably more sinister for ‘religious denominations’ to act by proxy rather than coming out and saying what their position is. I’ve had a quick look at this Alive publication by means of their site and frankly the quality is childish stuff that I would expect an underfunded student union’s magazine to be embarrassed by. I have my own qualms about the treaty but some things the treaty is not about are abortion, same sex marriage, euthanasia or other herrings of a rouge complexion.
I would say that ‘Alive’ is a rather scurrilous publication with tittle-tattle about homosexuality, etc. I’m not surprised there is a current focus on Europe’s “radical agenda” [ie. abortion, euthanasia, etc.] in ‘Alive’. Mind you, strangely, for some reason, deliveries have ceased in my estate (d15) however. Perhaps it was because I gave out to someone who was pushing it in my postbox one day about the homophobic BS in the rag.
While FG is right to call the publication out on this, could Enda also do something about the Councillor in Galway who’s been trying to rustle up a storm about a certain cinema? If we’re calling a spade a shovel over morality, Enda, it’s only right to adopt a liberal approach.
Re: the FG councillor in Galway [Padraig Conneely], he rustles up a storm every week, usually just before the publishing deadline of the Galway Advertiser, thereby ensuring a half-page story of his outrage-du-jour. This week, it was porn on the Liosban Industrial Estate, last week, it was potholes in Knocknacarra. It’s got little to do with morality.
Thanks for that insight John, so it is all to do with ego and putative electoral gain. What a dimwit if he thinks its wonderful to try stigmatising people for their sexuality or sexual proclivities. I’ve since seen people’s views about this on other bulletin boards, etc. and the consensus is that he’s way off message.
My original point still stands: Enda needs to reign him in if this is “calling out the outrageous remark” week. Something about geese and ganders comes to mind…