The Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland have urged members to inform themselves on the contents of the Lisbon Treaty before deciding how to vote in next month's referendum.
In a pastoral document entitled Fostering a Community of Values, the Irish Bishops” Conference of the Catholic Church said the referendum should not be used to register a “protest vote”.
The bishops also said that those who seek to “influence the outcome of the referendum either by offering misleading or patently incorrect advice or by introducing extraneous factors into the debate, ought to be condemned”.
“In deciding how to vote, recognition needs to be given to the distinctive roles of politics and religion and the legitimate autonomy of the political order,” the bishops stated.
They said the referendum should be about values and that a community that is founded “purely on economic self interest will not last”.
“Europe is a civilisation and at all levels needs to promote an ethic of global solidarity.”
The bishops acknowledged the “Christian humanist” values at the heart of the Lisbon Treaty but said it was “regrettable that there is no explicit recognition of the Christian heritage of Europe in the treaty”.
Separately, Church of Ireland leaders also urged Irish voters to study and reflect on the contents of the Treaty and to form their own judgment in deciding how to vote on June 12th.
In a joint statement, the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland said they acknowledged the Treaty is a “considered effort” to respond to challenges faced by the EU.
The church groups noted that the development of the EU had been accompanied by “significant economic growth”.
“We would however stress that prosperity has a purpose, and therefore regard it as important that the union, as it develops, should be seen to promote social development as well as economic progress,” the statement said.
The churches said they recognised that the enlargement of the union had brought “new challenges” to its structures and that some reform is necessary to enable the union respond to major challenges, including climate change and rising food prices internationally.
“We acknowledge that the Treaty of Lisbon is a considered effort to respond to these challenges.”
“It falls to the Irish people to evaluate this effort and to form their own judgement as to whether or not the treaty effectively addresses the issues facing Europe, its citizens and the world."
The churches said they would “particularly commend” the Referendum Commission”s explanatory leaflet on the treaty and the National Forum on Europe”s summary guide.
“This treaty relates to the future of the union and Ireland”s role in it, and we would urge members of our churches to judge it on its merits and not for reasons unconnected with it.”
The groups singled out Article 2, section 30 of the treaty, which recognises the role that churches and religious associations can play under the new structures.
They said the “welcome the fact that the Irish government has already provided for structured dialogue between government officials and the churches on issues of shared importance”.
In their statement, the churches also urged members to vote, which they said was “their right and privilege”.