Priests back gay marriage
DUBLIN: Father Peter McVerry is a Dublin priest whose charity work has earned him a Pride of Ireland Lifetime Achievement Award. A respected pillar of Irish society, he is also one of several high-profile Catholics backing a Yes vote in today’s referendum on same-sex marriage.
The nationwide poll has been billed as a battle between the Catholic Church and the state, but now a growing minority of priests and nuns are speaking out in favour of equal marriage rights.
“For me it is a matter of equality,” Father McVerry said. “I think we ought to recognise the love that exists between two people of the same sex; that’s not a problem for me. It’s essentially a civil matter that marriage is being regulated by the state and I don’t think the church should impose its own moral code on people who may not believe it.”
Ireland’s primate, Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin, has been vociferous in his opposition to same-sex unions, however. He says they are not “similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family”.
But not even receiving hate mail has convinced McVerry that his leader’s position is right. “I’ve had some correspondence from right-wing Catholics telling me I’m going against the word of God.
“I don’t accept that. If this referendum fails, I think it would send an appallingly negative message to people that are lesbian or gay. It would say that they’re not equal in the eyes of society.”
Brian Sheehan, co-founder of the Yes Equality campaign, said: “We’ve had the hierarchy in the church coming out strongly against marriage and having letters sent to churches to be read out at mass.
“But what we do know is that a large number of priests and religious figures have now come out and said they’re voting Yes. The opinion polls show gay marriage has the support of the majority of the population, and the majority of the population is Catholic.”
Sister Stanislaus Kennedy is one of Dublin’s best-known nuns. The 75-year-old has also come out in favour of the Yes camp. “I am going to vote Yes in recognition of the gay community as full members of society,” she said. “They should have an entitlement to marry. It is a civil right and a human right. I have a big commitment to equality for all members of society.”
Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said that while, personally, he would be voting “no”, he did not want to tell people how to vote. Instead, he simply said: “I encourage everyone to vote and to reflect carefully.”
The latest polling suggests that the Yes campaign will win around 58 percent of the vote.
I think we ought to recognise the love that exists between two people of the same sex