In an 8-page pamphlet released this
week, the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference called on Irish voters
to reject a referendum on whether to allow gay couples to marry.
Ireland's government announced last
month the decision to hold the national vote sometime in mid-2015 as
part of a special “constitution day.”
In the pamphlet, titled The Meaning
of Marriage, the bishops argue that legalizing such unions in
Ireland would be “a grave injustice” and hurt society.
“It is a grave injustice if the State
ignores the uniqueness of the role of husbands and wives, and the
importance of mothers and fathers in our society,” the pamphlet
states.
“The union of marriage provides for
the continuation of the human race and the development of human
society. Marriage of a woman and a man is a fundamental building
block of society which makes a unique and irreplaceable contribution
to the common good and to society as well.”
Legalizing such unions “would deprive
children of the right to a mother and father,” the bishops wrote.
In launching the pamphlet, Bishop Liam
MacDaid, chair of the conference's council for marriage, said that
allowing gay couples to marry would “be a disservice to society
rather than a service.”
A
government poll released last year found overwhelming support
(73%) for marriage equality.
(Related: Colin
Farrell makes personal appeal to Irish people on gay marriage
proposal.)