Minister of State Tim O'Malley said last night he would be "a little slower than some" to demand that the Catholic Church "withdraw from every forum of decision-making" in the State.
In a speech at UCD's Literary and Historical debating society last night, Mr O'Malley set out a different attitude to the Catholic Church than that recently put forward by his Progressive Democrat party colleague Liz O'Donnell. In the wake of the Ferns report into clerical sex abuse, Ms O'Donnell called for an end to the "cosy relationship" between church and State and said there should be no more special consultation with the church on a whole range of issues.
Mr O'Malley said there were good reasons why the Catholic Church had withstood the "slings, arrows and moral dilemmas" of some 2,000 years. It had conferred meaning and dignity on generations of our forefathers.
In a debate on euthanasia, he said his rejection of it was formed by his faith in Catholicism. It was his faith which, first and foremost, told him that it was an absolute wrong to take a human life.
"If such a religious code has conferred meaning and dignity on the lives of 20 generations of our forefathers, I personally would be a little slower than some to dismiss it and demand that it withdraw from every forum of decision-making."
As a practising pharmacist for nearly 30 years, he would have grave concerns if medical professionals assisted in the ending of life rather than its preservation.
Under Irish law, assisted suicide is a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison. In the EU, the Netherlands and Belgium allow for conditional euthanasia.