PROTESTANT CHURCHES:THE EUROPEAN Union is "a remarkable experiment" in peaceful co-operation and the Lisbon Treaty "a considered effort" to respond to global challenges, the three main Protestant churches have said.
Stopping short of calling for a Yes vote, the Church of Ireland, Presbyterians and Methodists urged people to study the treaty and to vote, but also to make their decision on the treaty's contents and not on outside issues.
Accepting that rules designed for a Union of six are no longer suitable for a 27-strong club, the three churches said they recognised that enlargement had brought "new challenges" and that "some reform is necessary".
Today, the Union has to act effectively against "external challenges" on the global stage, including climate change, higher food costs and energy costs, that "can best be faced on a multinational basis", they said, in a joint statement yesterday.
It was issued by the Church of Ireland European Affairs Working Group, the Church and Society committee of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the Council on Social Responsibility of the Methodist Church in Ireland,
"We acknowledge that the Treaty of Lisbon is a considered effort to respond to these challenges. It falls to the Irish people to evaluate this effort and to form their own judgment as to whether or not the treaty effectively addresses the issues facing Europe, its citizens and the world.
"This treaty relates to the future of the Union and Ireland's role in it, and we would urge members of our churches to judge it on its merits and not for reasons unconnected with it," their statement said.
The 27-strong EU is "founded on principles of democracy and subsidiarity" and has "been a remarkable experiment in peaceful co-operation in the aftermath of the untold suffering of the second World War, throughout the divisive period of the Cold War and through to the present day, they noted.
"We rejoice in the fact that the Union is expanding and bringing new opportunities to countries formerly cut off from the European mainstream by the political realities of the Cold War."
The churches said they wanted to "particularly commend" to voters the importance of Article 2, Section 30 of the treaty which "recognises the role that churches and religious associations can play under the new structures".
The Bishop of Cashel, Michael Burrows, told Synod members: "I have always been a Europhile and I hope when the vote comes people will vote and will vote generously." However, he also said the concerns and anger of farmers must be taken seriously, but he cautioned against a protest vote.
However, the Church of Ireland's weekly newspaper, the Gazette, urged voters to reject the treaty if they do not understand it.
"As far as possible, every eligible citizen should participate in the referendum, but not adequately understanding the treaty would, indeed, be a sufficient reason for cautiously voting No.
"People cannot be expected to give their assent to something they do not properly understand. While a Yes vote would, in effect, be irreversible, a No vote would still leave options open," it says.
"The Irish people should not allow themselves to feel intimidated by the fact that they are the only ones due to be voting in a referendum."