The two major scouting organisations voted for a historic merger yesterday despite opposition from the Catholic bishops, a letter from whom expressing grave misgivings was read out at the meeting of Scouting Ireland (CSI).
The Catholic bishops will consider the implications at their summer meeting in Maynooth next month.
Father Martin Clarke, spokesman for the Irish Episcopal Conference, said last night the issues involved were "not dissimilar to those surrounding denominational education." The bishops had felt other models of reorganisation, respecting denominational ethos, might have been explored, he said.
A letter from the bishops expressing "serious misgivings" about the proposals to merge with Scouting Ireland (SAI) was read to 447 delegates at yesterday's meeting of Scouting Ireland's (CSI) national council. It was founded in 1927 and has operated under the auspices of the Catholic bishops since.
Following lengthy debate on the merger proposals at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght yesterday, 301 CSI delegates voted to support a motion in favour of the merger proposals, with 146 voting against, - just three more than the required 298 two-thirds majority necessary for the required constitutional change to go through.
At an earlier meeting in UCD, an estimated 92 per cent of Scouting Ireland (SAI) delegates voted for the merger proposals. In a letter on behalf of the bishops and addressed to the national secretary of Scouting Ireland (CSI), Mr Brendan McNicholas, the Bishop of Cloyne, Dr John Magee, pointed out that the merger proposals had been discussed at the spring meeting of the Episcopal Conference last March, at which they "articulated serious misgivings".
They decided that bishops should meet local scout leaders in their dioceses to discuss their concerns and that, at a national level, representatives from the Episcopal Conference should meet national representatives of Scouting Ireland (CSI) "to highlight the conference's disquiet at the current proposals and to assist your organisation in considering alternative models to what is currently being proposed."
Bishop Magee concluded he was aware yesterday's meeting was taking place and he "would be grateful if you could bring this letter to the attention of delegates attending that meeting."
The constitution of Scouting Ireland (CSI) states that "recognising the responsibility of the Irish Episcopal Conference, amendments to the constitution considered by it as having a spiritual or moral dimension shall require its approval."
Father Clarke said "proposals to form a new organisation involving the transfer of membership and everything else and meaning the winding-up of a Catholic youth association of 76 years' standing was a matter of concern."
He said that following their meeting with representatives of Scouting Ireland (CSI) last March, the bishops "didn't give an endorsement to the (merger) proposals". There was "considerable concern" expressed about the local situation, the ethos implications as well as issues of patronage, chaplaincy, and premises at parish level, he said. But Scouting Ireland (CSI) had "a measure of independence and autonomy and the bishops were certainly not telling people how to vote," he said.