‘We cannot refuse people’ – Accord opens its counselling services to same-sex couples
THE Catholic Marriage Care Service is opening its counselling services to same-sex couples.
The President of Accord, Bishop Denis Nulty, said the agency “can’t refuse people” and counsellors will “accompany anyone who comes”.
Earlier this year, the Government threatened to remove State funding from counselling services that did not comply with the child and family agency Tusla’s new 2018 service level agreement (SLA).
Accord, the largest counselling agency in Ireland, receives almost €1.6m a year in State funding for its 55 counselling centres in the Republic and Northern Ireland.
Up until now its focus has been only on heterosexual couples.
By signing the SLA, Accord agreed to accept same-sex couples.
The agency also agreed not to discriminate on grounds outlined in the Equal Status Act – like gender, civil or family status, age, race or religion.
“We can’t refuse people because there is the law of the land,” Bishop Nulty told the Irish Independent.
While the “generous” funding was important, said Bishop Nulty, following Pope Francis’s lead in Amoris Laetitia, the Joy of Love, the Church was trying to “help each person find his or her proper way of participating in the ecclesial community and also to experience being touched by an unmerited, unconditional, gratuitous mercy”.
“Accord is very much about that,” he said.
“We’ve been supporting sacramental marriage for over 50 years and our counsellors accompany anyone who comes, with respect, compassion and sensitivity but we’ve got to be careful – some of the intrusion into the counselling, it starts to put people on edge.”
A spokeswoman for Tusla said that Accord, along with other service providers, would be monitored to ensure that they complied with the terms of their SLA.
“If any service repudiates the terms of its contractual obligation with Tusla, we will have to take action to ensure compliance, including the possibility of withdrawing funding and commencing a decommissioning of that service,” the spokeswoman said.
Accord’s Dublin service received €408,000 in 2018, while Accord CLG received €1,814,500 this year.
When asked if Tusla had any concerns about discrimination among Accord’s service in relation to same-sex couples, a spokeswoman said that Accord had ensured compliance.
“Accord Catholic Marriage Care Service CLG has assured Tusla they will provide counselling services regardless of sexual orientation and comply with the service level agreement,” the spokeswoman said.