Bishops fear ‘yes’ impact on families..
Clerics urge voters reject referenda proposals
THREE in five voters will vote Yes in the referendum on women and carers – but bishops claim the amendments will dilute the importance of marriage and motherhood.
On March 8, the public will be asked if the reference in the Constitution to a mother’s duties in the home should be replaced with an article recognising the role of family carers.
The latest Red C poll in Sunday’s Business Post revealed 58% of those asked intend to vote Yes in the Carer’s referendum, which aims to widen the definition of the family.
In a statement read out at Masses nationwide on behalf of bishops yesterday, they said: “The family, based on the exclusive, life-long and life-giving public commitment of marriage, is the foundational cell of society and essential to the common good.
“This reality of the family corresponds to the unchanging plan of God for humanity and the importance of the family continues to be acknowledged by people of good will, whether they be persons of faith or not.
“The family is acknowledged as the place where generosity, tenderness, forgiveness, stability, care, love and truth can best be taught and learned by children.
“We recognise, of course, that there are families in all our communities which are not founded on marriage.
“They form part of the reality of family life, which Pope Francis described as a challenging mosaic made up of many realities, with all their joys, hopes and problems.”
The clerics said they believe the commitment of marriage contributes to the common good in a unique way, by bringing stability to the family and to society, and that it consequently deserves the protection of the State. The statement added: “The Constitution rightly qualifies the family as a ‘moral institution’ and one that enjoys ‘inalienable and imprescriptible rights, antecedent and superior to all positive law’.
“We are concerned the proposed family amendment diminishes the unique importance of the relationship between marriage and family in the eyes of society and State and is likely to lead to a weakening of the incentive for young people to marry.
“It is reasonable to ask what benefit is it to Irish society to delete the terms ‘woman’ and ‘mother’ from the Constitution of Ireland?
“The amendment would have the effect of abolishing all reference to motherhood in the Constitution and leave unacknowledged the particular and incalculable societal contribution that mothers in the home have made and continue to make.”