"Something that you feel will find its own form"

Oireachtas votes on Civil Partnership Bill today

Fr Vincent Twomey (Opinion, The Irish Times, June 29) argues that the absence of a free vote over the Civil Partnership Bill in the Oireachtas is a violation of individual conscience. He goes on to state that, should the Bill become law, it will force citizens to collude in what they believe in good conscience to be morally wrong. He decries the criticism that greeted the statement issued by the Irish Bishops’ Conference which, he claims, “effectively claimed that the church – in particular in the wake of the Ferns, the Ryan and the Murphy reports – should remain silent”. These charges, and the manner in which he presents them, demand a response.

Bemoaning the oppressive forces of the Party Whip and the ‘liberal-progressive media’, Fr Twomey wheels out the tired example of Nazi Germany which ‘crushed the consciences’ of its citizens as being somehow analogous. Resorting to such hyperbolic rhetoric serves little purpose other than to undermine Fr Twomey’s argument.

Politicians, journalists and clergy alike are citizens of this State and members of their communities. Each carry out important social functions in ensuring the health of our democracy and the quality of life of its people. Irish people enjoy the important liberty of being able to decide which politicians to vote for (if any), which media to listen to (if any) and which churches to attend (if any). Continue reading →