CATHOLIC BISHOPS:THE LISBON referendum should not be used to register a protest vote and those who sought to introduce "extraneous factors" into the debate were to be condemned, the Catholic bishops said yesterday in a statement on the treaty.
The advice is contained in a document entitled Fostering a Community of Values published by the Irish Bishops' Conference. Although the tone of the document is broadly favourable to the treaty, the Bishops do not explicitly urge a Yes vote.
However, the Yes side will take comfort from the hierarchy's admonition against voting in a particular way for reasons unconnected with the treaty.
"A protest vote would not be addressing the real nature of the referendum," the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, told a press conference at the Mater Dei Institute in Clonliffe College.
Indicating that, whatever views the hierarchy might have about aspects of the EU's development, the Lisbon proposals were not a source of major concern, Dr Martin said: "The treaty basically codifies existing realities, so therefore the areas in which you could say that this treaty represents substantial change rather than codification are marginal."
Asked why the bishops had not explicitly called for a Yes vote, given their broadly favourable tone, Dr Martin said this would be "reverse clericalism".
"It's a referendum about facts, rather than directly about faith and morals. The responsibility to interpret the facts is the responsibility of the political community. There are people who want us to carry out the role which is the responsibility of the political community. That's a type of reverse clericalism."
In an implicit criticism of the debate on the treaty, he said: "I would like to see a stronger leadership from a political community explaining and ensuring that the citizens have the knowledge in a balanced and clear way which will enable them to decide in favour of the common good of Europe."
The document "unreservedly" condemns unnamed campaigners or groups for seeking to influence voters "either by offering misleading or even patently incorrect advice or by introducing extraneous factors into the debate".
Asked if he would include raising fears about abortion as the introduction of extraneous matter, Dr Martin said the treaty did not change the current position in Ireland, although he noted the possibility of "surprises" in today's legal climate.
"I do not believe that this treaty changes the current position with regard to Ireland's position on abortion within the EU," he said. However . . . in today's world of legal positivism, courts and judicial interpretations can bring many surprises and we appeal to our political leaders and public representatives to be attentive in their responsibility to defend the position which represents the Irish Constitution, for the future."
Dr Martin noted a section of the document which "indicates some of the concerns that I think people who would be thinking of voting No would be looking at, and again indicating that, if these matters are not addressed, then we would be unhappy with the type of Europe that would come forward."
The document cites Pope Benedict's statement in Vienna last year which stressed that a united Europe must be built on a solid cultural and moral foundation and in which he added, "Europe cannot and must not deny her Christian roots".
The bishops' document comments that "it is regrettable that there is no explicit recognition of the Christian heritage of Europe in the treaty". The Bishop of Meath, Dr Michael Smith, said a similar point was made by the pope as Cardinal Ratzinger but that he had qualified it by reference to "the enormous contribution Europe has made to peace".