CHRISTIAN GROUP:MANY "NEIGHBOURS and friends that we admire" are being "misled and manipulated" by misrepresentations of the EU and the Lisbon Treaty, the Bishop of Down and Connor said on Saturday.
Dr Noel Treanor was speaking at the launch of Christians for Europe, a group from several denominations of Christians which is urging a Yes vote in the referendum. He said dividing the No camp into three groups may help with the debate.
There were those with “seriously-grounded concerns” which were “genuinely expressed around misconceptions or fears”, such as abortion or family law. These concerns had been given guarantees but such people need to be answered and engaged with.
There were “friends and neighbours” who have been manipulated, and, thirdly, there were those “who knowingly misled and misguided the friends and citizenry we respect”, said Dr Treanor.
His comments come days after he told the Joint Committee on European Affairs that Catholics could “in good conscience” vote Yes for the treaty, and there were “no grounds” to justify a No vote for religious or ethical reasons.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/e3944ae8-c473-402a-947b-fb84932d7821.png)