Next month Ireland will be voting on the Lisbon Treaty, sometimes referred to as the Reform Treaty.
On a number of occasions I have sat down to read material on the Treaty and I have also glanced at newspaper articles on the issue.
Through my job as a press officer with Concern I have attended meetings, which discussed the Treaty.
But not for a moment would I say that I am in anyway well informed about the Treaty.
So, have I got my mind made up as to what way I am going to vote? Yes, I think I have.
Some people may be familiar with the Alive! newspaper. It is a right wing newspaper, which is edited by Fr Brian McKevitt. Brian is an Irish Dominican based in Tallaght, but the newspaper is not a publication of the Dominican Order.
Over the last few months it has run a virulent campaign against the Lisbon Treaty – it is forever opposing the EU and the institutions of the Union.
On the back page of the April edition it ran a half page advert, asking people to vote no and suggesting that if you vote no you would be voting for ‘God’.
The advertisement was signed by a priest, whom I believe is, based in Wexford.
It is an appalling ad. I had my mind made up well before reading that ad but having seen it I was convinced as never before that I would be voting yes in June.
I certainly would not want in any way whatsoever to be associated with the ad or the Alive! newspaper.The ad is really close to blasphemy and that the Irish bishops have not come out and objected to it baffles me.
When Dublin Labour TD Joe Costello complained about Alive! being available in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral he was told by a spokeswoman for the archdiocese that, “None of these publications while they use the church premises, necessarily represents the views of the priest of the parish, the diocese or the archbishop."
The spokeswoman went on to say that “several Catholic inspired publications are available in churches throughout the diocese and contain their own independent views on a variety of issues.
“Their distribution is at the discretion of the individual parishes and priests have been alerted to the necessity of being vigilant during a political campaign.”
That priests have been alerted is good to hear. But the question must be asked if Alive! were a left leaning newspaper how long would it last inside the door of any church?
Then there have been a number of scaremongering letters in the newspapers warning us that if we vote yes we will be obliged to introduce abortion.
Of course there is no link between the Lisbon Treaty and abortion legislation.
I belong to the first generation of Europeans in a long time, who have not had to go to war to fight for Kaiser or King.
People older than I all across Europe know all about the blood that has been spilt as far as the Volga in obscene wars.
The European Economic Community (EEC) or Common Market as it was originally called was set up primarily to make sure that we would never again tolerate war in Europe.
And it has succeeded not only in keeping us from killing one another but instead it is a great vehicle for bringing us closer together.
Just take the degree of participation and exchange that exists among third level students. Most students spend one or two semesters studying in another EU State. Erasmus scholarships mean that our young people get great opportunities in seeing for themselves what life is like in another EU State.
Surely the priming pump of the Celtic Tiger has been the European Union. Back in the early days of the then Region Technical Colleges (RTCs), now Institutes of Technology, for every Irish Pound the Irish Government invested in them, Europe matched it with another Irish Pound.
Of course it is not a perfect institution, it constantly needs reform, but Europe offers us amazing and extraordinary challenges.
And the idea that any organisation should have the temerity to tell me that by voting yes I am going against the wishes of God is really, in my believe, fraudulent.
I for one would much prefer to part of an open and stimulating Europe than the bigotry and fear that is portrayed in publications such as Alive!
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5 comments:
hi I was involved in a lot of start up during the early days of the celtic tiger. the eu had nothing to do with the celtic tiger. it was low tax and hard work. if the eu was responsible the howcome it was only ireland and not all the other countries experienced a boom??
maybe the church could allow left leaning media to be sold from churches but then would the labour party allow alive to be sold at labour conferences??? has to both ways.
better to vote no...
The boon in the economy was experienced by many coutries other than Ireland.
The Catholic Church is the home, the place to all those who profess its wide catholic beliefs. It is not the property of left or right.
The Labour Party professes a left-wing philosophy so it would be most odd for it to advertise right-wing material.
The Catholic Church is not a political party. Its message is the preaching of the Gospel in the tradition of the Catholic faith.
Faced to TERRORISM MEDIA in favour of 'YES', to disseminate these arguments in favour of the 'NO'. Send this link 'http://www.isfcc.org/' to your email list
I am a Catholic who loves Ireland and Christian Europe
www.isfcc.org say:
I am a Catholic.
Can I approve of the Treaty of Lisbon?
The violation of non-negotiable principles raises a grave question of conscience for
Irish Catholics in the face of this referendum.
A spectre is haunting Europe—it threatens you, the Christian future of your family, of Ireland, and of the Continent. It is a European Union without God and without moral principles.
The Treaty of Lisbon seeks to reform, for you and for all Irish Catholics, the fundamental values which govern the functioning of the European Union. These new values are in stark contrast to the non-negotiable principles given by Pope Benedict XVI.
The Pope insists that, in the construction of Europe, there are three areas in which the Church defends “non-negotiable principles”:
• “the protection of life at every stage;
• “the recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family;
• “and the protection of the right of parents to educate their children”.
To be at peace with his conscience, when casting his vote in the referendum, a Catholic has to give absolute priority to these non-negotiable principles. The moral preservation of our children and the future prosperity of Catholic Ireland and of all Europe will depend on the level of respect that the E.U. shows towards these principles.
Catholics must reject the Treaty of Lisbon
Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His justice, and everything else shall be added on to you.” In contrast to the Divine commandment, if the Treaty of Lisbon is ratified by Irish Catholics:
• The E.U. will ignore God and the Christian roots of Europe and will create a new European identity based on radical secularism and atheistic philosophies. We do not want our children to grow up in an Ireland without God!
• The E.U. will impose a relativistic and evolving idea of human rights, contrary to Catholic moral teaching. We do not want the relativisation of the principles that we will pass on to our children and grandchildren!
• The E.U. will considerably restrict the protection of human life and will facilitate abortion, euthanasia, and embryo experimentation. We do not want the mass murder of innocents being promoted throughout Europe!
• The E.U. will destroy the family by dissociating it from marriage between one man and one woman. Our children have the right to live in a normal home, in accordance with Catholic principles!
• The E.U. will impose excessive limits on the right of the parents to educate their children in accordance with their convictions. The freedom to pass on the Faith is a legacy that can never be challenged in Catholic Ireland!
• The E.U. will recognise, for the first time in the history of international treaties, “sexual orientation” as a basis for non-discrimination, opening the way for homosexual marriage and adoption of children by homosexuals. If today promiscuity and immorality already invade our homes and ruin the education of our children, what will it be like when these kinds of practices are imposed on us?
Catholics: only by uniting our voices can we be saved from this tragedy and this chastisement
To prevent Ireland and all of Europe from distancing itself even further from the Kingdom of God, Irish Society for Christian Civilisation is campaigning for a rejection of the Treaty of Lisbon in the name of the Catholic non-negotiable principles.
According to the late Pope, John Paul II, it is “the laity which by its particular vocation has the specific role of interpreting the history of the world in the light of Christ.”
If you consider it a matter of conscience to make heard the voice of Catholic Ireland in this debate, then you already are part of this campaign.
Click Here to read the study: “9 reasons why a conscientious Catholic citizen should reject the Treaty of Lisbon” (Click here for the document in .pdf format) or click here to order the printed booklet of this study, or to order flyers to distribute.
You will understand why this referendum is happening at this crucial time in our history, and why it is not right for a Catholic to abstain in this hour of need. Above all, you will be able to influence and direct others among your acquaintances, clarifying the issues for them to prevent them from voting for the Treaty of Lisbon through ignorance or because of media or peer pressure.
Participating in this campaign you will be doing your bit to alert our fellow Catholics so that, at the moment of casting their votes, they will remember what Jesus said: “He who is ashamed of Me and of My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes into His glory.” (Lk. 9:26)
For the honour and glory of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ, say no to the Treaty of Lisbon and you will be saying yes to a Catholic Ireland and yes to a Christian Europe.
WOW! This is dreadful stuff. I am a conscientious Catholic and I rject this guff out of hand. Unfortunately, this is political invective dressed up as religious argument.
The argument made here rests on
a false premise: "The Treaty of Lisbon seeks to reform, for you and for all Irish Catholics, the fundamental values which govern the functioning of the European Union". This is simply not true. All that follows is rotten fruit from a poisoned tree and can be rejected out of hand.
The tawdry rhetoric used is a mockery of the Gospel. "Participating in this campaign you will be doing your bit to alert our fellow Catholics so that, at the moment of casting their votes, they will remember what Jesus said: “He who is ashamed of Me and of My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes into His glory.” (Lk. 9:26)" Nobody casting a YES vote is necessarily ashed of Christ no more than anybody casting a NO vote is proud of Christ!
Who wrote this drivel?
I have tried in vain to find out more about COIR over the last few days but to no avail. Any group seeking to influence voters in a democracy should at least have the courage to openly identify themselves and their membership.
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