Madam, - Cardinal Brady's address to the Céifin conference rightly emphasises the traditional marriage relationship as the foundation of society (The Irish Times, November 5th). However, other deep interpersonal relationships have finally emerged into our open and pluralist society and most Irish people wish to give these relationships overdue recognition. The people involved in these relationships are our own brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, Irish citizens who are pursuing their own particular human right to happiness. Indeed, the proposed legislation seems to give them only minimal recognition under Irish law and the Irish Constitution.
The Cardinal believes that any legal recognition will "promote cohabitation" and that the children of cohabiting unmarried couples "do worse at school, suffer poorer health, and are more likely to face problems of unemployment, drugs and crime". These are very dire predictions and I'm sure that cohabiting couples will be up in arms at the suggestion their will cause havoc in Irish society.
Cardinal Brady is right to call attention to his fears but Irish society has irrevocably moved on from being one where the Catholic Church's teachings on morality and social issues were inscribed in law. The presence of those laws did not succeed in maintaining a traditional Catholic society as the Church failed to instill the values underlining its morality; it wrongly assumed that law would enforce it. The past thankfully with all its repressive legislation is slowly disappearing and the new Ireland is emerging. It must be a civil society where all its people are treated equally as citizens and given the protection of the law. - Yours, etc,
Madam, - How gracious of acting Seanad leader Dan Boyle to allow Cardinal Sean Brady "every right to express his views in terms of what he saw as ideals in society" (Seanad Report, November 5th). No doubt the Green Party has ideals but when they cost money, as in education, they fly out the window. If the Civil Partnership legislation cost €9.7 million euro (the same as the cervical cancer vaccine plan), the Bill would not see the light of day. — Yours, etc,