The traditionalist Catholic group Cóir has challenged Ireland’s Catholic bishops on their understanding of the Lisbon Treaty. In a strong attack on Bishop Noel Treanor of Down and Connor, they advise him that “the days of belting Irish citizens with the crozier are thankfully long gone”.
Cóir spokeswoman Niamh Uí Bhriain said in a statement yesterday: “The articles of the Lisbon Treaty make it very clear that, if the treaty is passed, the Irish people will lose the right to decide on abortion and a whole range of social issues.”
Noting that the Irish Bishops Conference had said on Monday that the treaty did not undermine existing legal protections in Ireland for unborn children, she said “current legal protections were not at issue in the debate”.
“The treaty will give the EU courts the right to decide on abortion and a great many other social issues in the future”.
It “gives the EU court the right to decide our human rights law – including our laws on issues like abortion and euthanasia – in the future”.