Madam, – Why is it that as a gay man, in a stable relationship for nearly 11 years, I feel disappointed and betrayed once again, by a system that is legally and morally obliged to protect me? I so want to celebrate. To dance in the street. To yell at the top of my voice, “I’m getting married!” But I still can’t. I feel like I’m banging this drum forever, but Bunreacht na hÉireann does not define marriage as one between a man and a woman. I have read and re-read this.
I am grateful that the Civil Partnership Bill was passed without a vote. A bit like the decriminalisation, in 1993, of the sodomy laws we inherited from the Victorians. And oh look, the country hasn’t fallen apart. Well, not with our help anyway. But seeing as the legislation is about 98 per cent the same as civil marriage law, why not just throw the extra 2 per cent in and call it marriage? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – According to the Pontifical Yearbook 2010 the number of Roman Catholics in the world continues to increase both in number and as a percentage of global population.
There are now over 1.166 billion Catholics in the world out of a global population of 6.7 billion, representing 17.4 per cent of the global population. The number of priests and bishops continues to rise to its highest level in history. The number of men entering seminaries has also continued to increase globally.
It is reasonable to expect in a democracy that the opinions of the leader of such a large body of people should be listened to, particularly in a democracy where over 50 per cent of the population are followers of that faith group.
On March 28th, 2003, Pope John Paul II approved a document prepared by the congregation for the doctrine of the faith entitled “Considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons”.
I quote from it: “In those situations where homosexual unions have been legally recognised or have been given the legal status and rights belonging to marriage, clear and emphatic opposition is a duty.
. . . When legislation in favour of the recognition of homosexual unions is proposed for the first time in a legislative assembly, the Catholic law-maker has a moral duty to express his opposition clearly and publicly and to vote against it. To vote in favour of a law so harmful to the common good is gravely immoral.
“The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behaviour or to legal recognition of homosexual unions.”
I am a Roman Catholic. It seems I may soon have a criminal record. Is this just? – Yours, etc,