New bishop reaches out, but others in the Church exhibit a mean spirit

We would like to congratulate the new Catholic Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Alphonsus Cullinan, for his encouraging statement on lapsed Catholics and his wish to “reach out to those who have turned away from the practice of the faith, many of whom are in our own families and parish communities”.

On the same day that Bishop Cullinan was extending a welcome to celebrate marriage in church, his fellow bishops issued a threat that they may disallow the signing of the civil marriage register on church premises.

This is an unnecessary and mean-spirited over-reaction to the marriage referendum, should it permit same-sex couples to have a civil marriage ceremony at a registry office.

If the Catholic bishops decide not to facilitate the signing of the civil marriage register by Catholic couples, these couples would only have to do what is the norm in many European states, including in the historically Catholic countries of Belgium and France, i.e. sign it on a separate occasion.

If the Catholic bishops wish to initiate such a development, there are positive arguments for doing so.

However, if the bishops decide to withdraw the facility, they should not lay the blame on same-sex couples being allowed to have a civil marriage ceremony at a registry office.

Dr Richard O’Leary

Faith in Marriage Equality

Francis Street

Dublin 8