‘A better future: towards a culture of life, care and hope for all’ –

A Pastoral Reflection by the Catholic Bishops in Northern Ireland on 5 May elections to the Legislative Assembly

Summary of the document for easy printing: NI Bishops’ Pastoral Armagh Archdiocese

• Voting for those who will govern our society is a moral act. Each vote cast, or not cast, potentially influences the values that will shape future law and policy
• We appeal for a new and more constructive political culture, one based on a shared commitment to the common good and the priorities of citizens rather than on traditional constitutional issues
• We call on all parties to address, in the next Programme for Government,the disturbing levels of childhood poverty and the systemic issues of social need … One practical appeal is for funding to schools so that no pupil begins the day without a nutritional breakfast
• The social and moral teaching of the Church is clear, that it is never morally acceptable to support any policy that undermines the sacred inviolability of the right to life of an innocent person in any circumstances
• As Pope Francis has recently said, there are “no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family”
• We call on all politicians to respect the positive contribution to peace and good relations made by all school sectors and to ensure that all school sectors are treated equally in terms of funding and policy
• See appendix below: Ten questions which Catholics are encouraged to ask candidates who are standing in the Assembly elections

Outline of content:

• Introduction (n. 1-3)
• Political participation and the moral duty to vote (n.4-5)
• The failure of the Assembly to address childhood poverty and social need (n.6-9)
• A call to a new political culture (n.10-14)
• Building a pervasive culture of life, care and hope (n.15-19)
• Considering the moral consequences of casting a vote (n.20-22)
• Encouraging a culture of welcome and hope for all (n.23-25)
• Respect for Religious Freedom and concern for persecuted Christians (n. 26-30)
• Respect for the Right to Faith-based Education in a genuinely pluralist society (n.31-37)
• On caring for our Common Home (n.38-41)
• Support for the family based on marriage between one man and one woman (n.42-44)
• Conclusion: A culture of life, care and hope for all (n.45-46)
• Appendix for Parishes: ‘Ten questions based on Catholic Social Teaching for Catholics to ask candidates standing in the Assembly elections’

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Introduction.

1. As Christians, our encounter with the risen Jesus, living and among us, is a decisive event that has consequences for every aspect of our lives. This includes our lives as citizens. Renewed by the Spirit, Christ calls us to be artisans of a new creation, the leaven in society of ‘a new social, economic and political order, founded on the dignity and freedom of every human person, to be brought about in peace, justice and solidarity.’ (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, n.19)

2. Far from separating us from concern about society and its development, the Gospel commandment to love one’s neighbor as oneself commits us ‘to work for the good of all people and of each person, because we are all really responsible for all’. This is what Catholic social teaching calls our duty to the ‘Common Good’.

3. In this pastoral reflection, we consider what some key principles of Catholic Social teaching offer by way of direction and priorities in the search for the common good in Northern Ireland at this particular time. In doing so, we have no desire to interfere in the legitimate autonomy of politics, or to support one political party or candidate over another. This is a matter of conscience for each Catholic voter to determine after careful consideration of all the issues, in light of the Gospel and the teaching of the Church. Our sole concern here is to present the universal values of the Gospel, in the tradition of Catholic Social teaching, as an aid to the formation of conscience, in the run-up to the forthcoming Assembly election. We do so with humility, as pastoral leaders in a Church community where, as pilgrims with others, we often fall short of our own ideals and depend completely on the strength and mercy of God. The reflection we offer, therefore, is offered as part of our pastoral responsibility within the community of the Church, and as an expression of the cherished freedom that all enjoy in a democratic society.

Political participation and the moral duty to vote.

4. Fundamental to our duty as citizens is the exercise of the precious freedom we enjoy to elect those who govern our society. Catholic Social Teaching affirms the moral duty to vote in free and just elections (CCCn.2240). It values the democratic system and considers politics a noble vocation, insofar as they both serve objective moral truth and affirm the inviolable dignity of every person, reflected in respect for their inalienable right to life and care from conception to natural death.

5. We therefore call on Catholics and all citizens to participate in the forthcoming elections in an informed, reflective and respectful way. Recalling the tradition of our Church to include prayers in the liturgy for those who serve in the civil and political sphere, we encourage all people of faith to pray for those who have the courage and generosity to stand for elected office. Our particular prayer is that they will be motivated and sustained by a genuine desire to serve the common good, with an abiding concern for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society.

The failure of the last Assembly to reduce childhood poverty and social need.

6. Consistent with our prayer that politicians will have an abiding concern for the most vulnerable, we make as our first appeal a call to all parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly to address, as the foremost priority in the next Programme for Government,the disturbing levels of childhood poverty here, and the systemic issues of social need that fracture so many homes and communities. Pope Francis reminds us that, ‘Just as the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say “thou shalt not” to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills’, he says (EG, 53). Quoting one of the leading Christians of the early Church, Pope Francis also reminds us that ‘Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs.’ (EG, 57).

7. It is an indictment on the priorities and preoccupations of the last Assembly that Northern Ireland was the only region in the UK where levels of childhood poverty actually increased,with over 101,000 children in Northern Ireland now living below the poverty line. This is in spite of the fact that child poverty levels here were already more than twice those of other UK regions, and the highest across the island of Ireland, at the time of the Good Friday [Belfast] Agreement. If the Gospel values of Christianity mean anything in our society, if our societal commitment to the welfare of children is real, then this cannot be allowed to continue. It is a salutary reminder to all of us, including every politician who bears the name Christian, that how we will be judged by the Lord at the end of time will be determined by how we fed the poor, gave water to the thirsty, clothed the naked, welcomed the stranger, responded to those in captivity and cared for those who are sick (Mt. 25: 34-36).

8. Northern Ireland also has some of the highest levels of fuel poverty, of working poor, of those on disability related benefits and other forms of welfare support on these islands and is expected to be the last to benefit from any wider economic recovery.The last Assembly failed to address the issues of poverty, social need and economic recovery in any systemic or long term way. In an environment of excessive and even morally questionable austerity policies imposed by Westminster, it is understandable that it was difficult for politicians in Northern Ireland to achieve all they had hoped for in terms of the ‘peace dividends’ of the Good Friday Agreement. Individual politicians and parties will also be able to point to some important improvements they have made to the quality of life and financial support available to help those in need, including important mitigations of the Westminster welfare reforms. However, it is morally and politically inexcusable that some twenty years after the Agreement, Northern Ireland still experiences the widest gap on these islands between the haves and the have nots, and that this gap is widening further.

9. In this pastoral statement, therefore, we appeal to Catholics and all who believe in a more just and equitable society, to make the systemic and comprehensive eradication of childhood poverty and social need the key priority of the next Assembly. One practical appeal we make is for funding to be made available to schools so that no pupil begins the day without a nutritional breakfast. The benefits that flow from such a policy in terms of health, concentration, behavior and outcomes are well established in research and represent, in purely economic terms, an excellent return for the relatively small financial investment this requires in the future of our young people. We are particularly proud that some of our Catholic schools, working in some of the most disadvantaged communities in Northern Ireland are taking the lead even in the context of enormous pressures on their school budgets.

A call to a new political culture.

10. The poor and most vulnerable have paid the greatest price in Northern Ireland for a political culture that has too often been dominated by constitutional rivalries, a preoccupation with “tribal issues” and party point-scoring. This has contributed in turn to a discernible alienation from politics on the part of many, particularly the young.

11. Following the Good Friday Agreement, almost two decades ago, many had hoped for a new political culture in Northern Ireland, one that would open up the space to address, as a shared priority, the urgent issues of social need and disadvantage, the healing of the legacy of hurt and pain created by violence, and the building of a social and economic infrastructure that would give grounds for hope to current and future generations. By committing all political parties to ‘partnership, equality and mutual respect’ (art. 2), and assigning the question of the constitutional future of Northern Ireland to a separate referendum (art. 1.ii), an exciting opportunity was created to move away from traditional tribal politics and an adversarial political culture dominated by the constitutional question.

12. As the Assembly elections approach, we make an appeal for a new and more constructive political culture, one based on a shared commitment to the common good and the priorities of citizens rather than on traditional constitutional issues. This will require the Assembly to look beyond its own resources and preoccupations to widen the social and civic base of politics. The loss of the ‘Civic Forum’, for example, committed to in the Agreement but quietly shelved in subsequent years, is only one symptom of a political culture that has become more and more detached from the wider interests, experience and expertise of civic society, including of Churches and faith groups. We urge the next Assembly to establish new mechanisms of regular and transparent dialogue between the political institutions in Northern Ireland and the wider sources of social and political capital in our society, such as business organisations, agricultural organisations, universities and educational groups, voluntary organisations and NGO’s, as well as Churches and faith organisations.

13. Something important is lost when the enterprise of politics becomes detached from these vital and positive sources of the common good, which make a significant contribution to the life and well-being of citizens and society. We also appeal for a new culture of political discourse, one that is able to argue and differ respectfully, to build constructive consensus around areas of common concern and to set aside differences when issues fundamental to the common good are at stake. This call to a new and more constructive civil discourse extends also to those who are involved in the world of social, print and broadcast media, who have a vital role to play in enriching public debate and improving the quality of life of citizens.

14. We make this call mindful that as a Church we too must play our part in creating a new and positive civic and religious culture, one focused on working together with others for reconciliation and an end to sectarianism in all its forms.

Building a pervasive culture of life, care and hope.

15. The Gospel of love, and from it the ideal of the ‘civilisation of love’ that Catholic Social Teaching proposes to the world, calls on all of us to build a pervasive culture of care for others, especially for the most vulnerable. Building such a culture of care demands that we prioritise those policies in health, welfare, employment and economic distribution that improve the life and dignity of every citizen, irrespective of their stage of life or state of life. It calls us to become active citizens in what Pope Francis calls the ‘revolution of tenderness’, a revolution by which our ‘hardness of heart’, that gives rise to so much inhumanity and cruelty in the world, is replaced by a sensitivity and active concern to protect all and care for all, including the earth itself, our common home.

16. One of the great contradictions of our age, is that at the same time as society is developing a more urgent sense of the need to care for our planet and other creatures, many seem determined to treat some of our fellow human beings as something ‘disposable’, to be ‘thrown away’, as part of what Pope Francis calls our pervasive ‘throw-away’ culture. This is particularly true with respect to both ends of the spectrum of human life.

17. Central to the good news that the Church proclaims is that the life of every person is sacred and inviolable, irrespective of the stage or state of that life. It is regrettable that some choose to caricature the Church’s promotion of the inviolability of human life, from conception to natural death, as a mere ‘religious doctrine’, and therefore to be dismissed in the name of a free and secular society. Secularism is not a neutral philosophy of life among others, uniquely capable of facilitating pluralism in society, and the grounds upon which the Church upholds the inviolability are both rational and human, as much as they are religious. The principle of the inviolability of innocent human life is the most fundamental of all moral principles. It is the basis upon which every human right we enjoy as persons is predicated. This is not only a religious doctrine, but a universal human value upon which our very freedom and dignity as a person rests. It admits of no exceptions. To deliberately and intentionally take the life of an innocent person, whatever their state or stage of life, is always gravely morally wrong. To co-operate in such an act, by supporting it directly or indirectly, as an individual act or as a social policy, is also gravely wrong.

18. In situations of human crisis and need, our humanity is deepened and ennobled when we respond from our endless capacity for compassion and care. As a Church, motivated by the Gospel of love, and inspired by the call to the ‘revolution of tenderness’ proposed by Pope Francis, we call on all those who believe in a better future for humanity to preserve the dignity and sanctity of human life, in all its stages and conditions, as an affirmation of our human capacity to love, support and care for those faced with the most challenging circumstances. We call on our politicians to provide every possible service and support to women, parents and families who are faced with severe difficulties and crises in pregnancy. The services and care provided at the moment are far from adequate. We make a particular appeal, with others, for the next Assembly to commit to the provision of comprehensive peri-natal hospice services for women and their families responding to a diagnosis of life-limiting disability for their unborn child. These unborn children are in every human, medical and moral sense living human beings who, especially in their vulnerability, and with their mother, deserve the utmost love, care and support we can give them as a society. Taking the life of an unborn child with severe life-limiting conditions cannot be the most compassionate and humane response we have to offer to a mother in crisis pregnancy in the twenty-first century.

19. In the often emotionally charged and adversarial debates that take place on these issues, it can be difficult to convey the sensitive and hope-filled vision for humanity at the core of the Church’s belief in our noble capacity as humans to care, and to work for life-affirming solutions to challenging human problems. What is needed is a calm, rational discussion about these sensitive issues marked by a common concern to ensure that all those facing difficult situations in pregnancy, or at the end of life, receive a compassionate response based on the greatest degrees of love, understanding and care as a society we can provide, a response that affirms rather than undermines the universal moral principle that the right to life of every innocent and vulnerable person is inviolable.

Considering the moral consequences of casting a vote.

20. Voting for those who will govern our society is a moral act. Each vote cast, or not cast, potentially influences the values that will shape future law and policy, by endorsing the values and policies of a particular candidate or party. Voting for a particular candidate is an expression of one’s own ideals and moral vision for society. At the heart of Catholic Social teaching is the moral vision of a society worthy of the human person, marked by a culture of justice and care for all, especially the most vulnerable, and built upon respect for the inherent right to life of every person, from conception to natural death.

21. In recent years, it is striking how many Catholics and others in Northern Ireland have indicated to us, and to many priests, that they find it increasingly difficult to find a political party for whom they can vote in good conscience. While respecting the right of any citizen not to vote, where there is no clear alternative in an election, Catholic social teaching encourages us to maximize the good in the political choices that we make, and to limit any potential harm. What this means in any given election, requires careful moral discernment and a decision based on a sincere and informed conscience which has the pursuit of the good, and the avoidance of what is morally wrong, as its principal motivation.

22. The next Assembly term will see further pressures being brought to bear on politicians to introduce abortion to Northern Ireland. The moral issue here is not whether what is proposed is abortion ‘on demand’ or some form of so-called ‘limited’ abortion. From a moral point of view, there is no such things as ‘limited’ abortion. Abortion is always the deliberate and intentional taking of an innocent, vulnerable human life, and a direct breach of the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’. All forms of direct and intentional abortion contravene this fundamental sacred and human moral principle. The medical prognosis for the life of a child in the womb, or the extent of that child’s disabilities, is no more morally relevant than it is when considering an adult who faces the diagnosis of a life-limiting condition. This is why the social and moral teaching of the Church is clear, that it is never morally acceptable to support any policy that undermines the sacred inviolability of the right to life of an innocent person in any circumstances. A society worthy of our dignity as human persons, is one that calls us to respond from our noble capacity as human beings to care for and support someone in crisis, thereby valuing equally the life of a mother and her unborn child, rather than diminish our humanity by destroying another human life.

Encouraging a culture of welcome and hope for all.  

23. An authentic and pervasive culture of care also involves commitment to a culture of welcome and support for the stranger and those fleeing from persecution, war or natural disaster. Many local communities, schools, parishes, voluntary and charitable organisations across Northern Ireland have been outstanding in their response to those refugees and asylum seekers who arrive daily to our shores. This includes those coming through the official Westminster scheme to assist people fleeing war and persecution in Syria. The numbers provided for through this scheme, however, remain tiny in proportion to the actual need. Others tell us of asylum seekers from Syria and other parts of the world who no-longer receive support from the State and live among us in the most precarious conditions. We ask those elected to the new Assembly to lobby the Westminster Government to increase the overall number of refugees accepted through the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme, and to increase the numbers being resettled in Northern Ireland. We also ask that a comprehensive review of the care that is being provided to asylum seekers who arrive in Northern Ireland and to ensure adequate resources for the excellent NGO’s already providing vital support in this area.

24. It is also disturbing that Northern Ireland continues to be a destination for persons who have been trafficked and are now subjected to various forms of exploitation on our streets and local workplaces. The legislation passed on Human Trafficking by the current Assembly marked a welcome and important step in expressing our societal opposition to such exploitation and put it place various measures that will help on Human Trafficking. It is vital that the PSNI and relevant statutory care services are provided with adequate resources to respond to the scale of human trafficking taking place in our very midst. We also appeal to anyone who knows of persons who have been trafficked and are being exploited as workers or in any other way to report this to the PSNI as a matter of urgency.

25. In addressing the need for a culture of welcome and care for those fleeing their homeland, as so many from our own land had to do over the centuries, it is important to also acknowledge the disturbing levels of homelessness that exist among us. The tragic deaths of an unprecedented number of homeless people on our streets in recent months highlights the complexity of responding to the individual circumstances and needs of those who find themselves in this situation. There are many outstanding groups and services already working in this area. It is vital that the next Assembly undertakes a rigorous review of the nature, extent and causes of homelessness in Northern Ireland as a matter of priority and provides the maximum possible support to those agencies and groups that are responding to those in need of housing on a daily basis.

Respect for Religious Freedom and concern for persecuted Christians.

26. International surveys show that Christians are now the most persecuted group across the world. The Centre for the Study of Global Christianity in the United States estimates that 100,000 Christians now die every year, targeted because of their faith – that is 11 every hour. The Pew Research Center says that hostility to religion reached a new high in 2012, when Christians faced some form of discrimination in 139 countries, that is almost three-quarters of the nations of the world.

27. The lack of public outcry and political response to such persecution is in stark contrast to the media attention given to many other issues. The former Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks told the House of Lords recently that the suffering of Middle East Christians is “one of the crimes against humanity of our time” and said he was “appalled at the lack of protest it has evoked”.

28. Research also shows that in addition to violent persecution, Christians have become subject to subtle forms of exclusion and discrimination in various western democracies. This is sometimes experienced as a cultural ‘chill factor’, where expressions of Christian belief and conscience are no longer tolerated in the public square, while secular or other philosophical-ethical views, are incorrectly considered ‘neutral’ and given a certain primacy in decisions about public policy and law. Many local Christians now speak of a growing ‘chill factor’ in public policy and law here in Northern Ireland. This includes examples of exclusion of Church and faith groups from access to public funding for services because of their religious ethos and values, or of being caricatured in public debate as ‘archaic’ for promoting perennial human values such as the importance to society of traditional marriage and the family, or the preciousness of human life in the womb.

29. The right to religious freedom is a fundamental right universally recognized as foundational to a genuinely pluralist and tolerant society. It is not limited to the right to worship. The question of how freedom of religious conscience can be most appropriately accommodated and expressed in law is a matter we believe the next Assembly should address. The failure of the Northern Ireland Assembly to protect the rights of a Catholic Church-sponsored adoption agency to provide services in a manner consistent with its religious ethos was a siren call to all who uphold respect for religious freedom as an essential hallmark of an authentically free and pluralist society.

30. We encourage the next Assembly to set up a joint-working party on freedom of religion that would explore these issues in consultation with other relevant groups and to make recommendations for future policy and law. We also encourage the next Assembly and its politicians to highlight the issue of the violent persecution of Christians in the Middle East and other parts of the world, as well as the plight of other persecuted groups, by hosting debates and passing appropriate resolutions on these issues.

Respect for the Right to Faith-based Education in a genuinely pluralist society.

31. Closely related to respect for religious freedom is respect for the right of parents to have their children educated in conformity with their religious convictions. This right is explicitly recognized in the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Respect for this right implies a duty on the State to facilitate a plurality of types of schools where parental demand and public resources reasonably allow for it.

32. This is consistent with a society that believes in genuine pluralism and tolerance. Yet the impression is often given in political and public debate about education in Northern Ireland, as well as in certain policy decisions, that the very existence of faith-based schools, and Catholic schools in particular, is something to be regretted and discouraged, rather than celebrated and encouraged as part of a genuinely tolerant society that respects diversity and parental choice.

33. Suggestions that only one model of integration of schools can contribute positively to reconciliation, understanding and tolerance is not only offensive to the positive contribution that all other school sectors in Northern Ireland make to peace and reconciliation but is monistic rather than pluralist, is inimical to parental rights and sometimes cloaks a deep-seated hostility to the Catholic faith itself. This is reflected in the suggestion sometimes made that those parents who want a faith-based education for their children should have to pay for it. This is to ignore the fact that all parents have the same rights in this regard and that all parents are tax-payers. Those who are not tax-payers have the same rights as those who are not to a faith-based education for their children.

34. The requirement in the Good Friday Agreement to promote integrated education was not intended to create a hierarchy of schools in terms of the rights of parents or recognition of the positive social role that all schools in our society play in terms of promoting peace, understanding and good relations. Yet this is the impression sometimes given, not least by some politicians and others who claim to espouse respect for difference as the very motivation for insisting that ALL children be educated together, irrespective of parental choice.

35. Catholic schools, by their very nature promote a pervasive Christian ethos that is inclusive, welcoming and tolerant. As well as in academic outcomes, they often lead the way in terms of pastoral care, welcome for new-comer children to Northern Ireland, inclusion of a diversity of religious and ethnic minorities, support for the disadvantaged, engagement in shared activities with schools from others sectors as well social outreach to local and international communities.

36. As a Church we welcome the opportunity to move towards the advent of jointly managed Church-schools in Northern Ireland, similar to those we share with other Churches in England, Wales and Scotland. Through our negotiations with the Transferors and the Department of Education, this is now possible for the first time in law. We continue to encourage all our Catholic schools to be at the forefront of sharing and inclusion. We also call on all politicians to respect the positive contribution to peace and good relations made by all school sectors and to ensure that all school sectors are treated equally in terms of funding and policy.

37. A key priority for the next Assembly has to be the need to address educational under-achievement, across all sectors. This includes the need to address the problems of post-primary transfer including, by aligning the curriculum, educational policy and resources more closely to the needs of the real economy.

On caring for our common home.

38. In his most recent encyclical letter, Laudato sí: On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis reminds us that the planet we share, our common home, faces an urgent and fundamental challenge that affects us all. This is the challenge of environmental degradation and the increasingly dramatic consequences of climate change.

39. Whatever the causes of climate change, to care for our common home in a responsible and sustainable way is a good in its own right and something we owe to future generations. The recent Paris summit set challenging but achievable targets for carbon emissions and for the transition to more sustainable forms of renewable energy. Northern Ireland is already a world-leader in the development of such renewable technologies and has enormous natural, educational and other resources to allow this vital aspect of our local economy to grow even further.

40. We encourage the next Assembly to invest in research and training to ensure the Northern Ireland economy is well placed to take full advantage of the developing market for new renewable technologies. We also call on the next Executive to support the rapid implementation of the recently approved Environmental Better Regulation Billand to supplement this bill with well-funded measures to secure the environmental integrity of our precious natural waterways, landscapes, seas, fisheries and other resources, as well as supporting all citizens in living in a more environmentally sustainable way, for the sake of future generations.

41. As Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato sí,those who will suffer most from any failure to act now to protect our common home will be the poorest around the world. Catholic Social Teaching highlights the essentially global nature of the common good and emphasizes the universal destination of the goods of the earth, as a gift of God, for the benefit of all. This highlights the importance of the local Assembly having a global as well as a regional and national perspective on what constitutes the common good. We encourage the next Assembly and Executive to play their part in contributing to those UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 that are ethically consistent and to support the many local individuals and organisations that provide international outreach and outstanding development work in some of the most disadvantaged regions of the world.

Support for the family based on marriage between one man and one woman.

42. In Laudato sí, Pope Francis also reminds us that natural ecology and human ecology are inextricably linked. Echoing the words of his predecessor, Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, he reminds us that, ‘The book of nature is one and indivisible; it includes not only the environment but also individual, family and social ethics’ (CV, 12). In respect of the ethics of marriage and the family, religious and non-religious people alike have long acknowledged and know from their experience that the family, based on the natural institution of marriage between a woman and a man, is the best and ideal place for children. When legislation is proposed that equates other forms of relationship to the marriage between a man and a woman it effectively says to parents, children and society that the State should not, and will not, promote any normative or ideal family environment for raising children. Such legislation implies that the biological bond and natural ties between a child and its mother and father have no intrinsic value for the child or for society.

43. As Pope Francis has stated, ‘we must reaffirm the right of children to grow up in a family with a father and a mother capable of creating a suitable environment for the child’s development and emotional maturity’ (16 April 2014). It is also important to reiterate the objective moral truth, affirmed by the recent post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia(The Joy of Love), that ‘as for proposals to place unions between homosexual persons on the same level as marriage, there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family’ (n. 251).

44. The truth about marriage derives from its intrinsic nature as a relationship based on the complementarity of a man and woman and the unique capacity of this relationship alone to generate new life. This truth does not change with the shifting tides of historical custom or popular opinion. In this context we make a special appeal to those standing for election to the next Assembly to reflect on the importance of the family based on marriage between one man and one woman, as the foundation and cornerstone of society and therefore deserving of special recognition and protection in policy and law. This includes an appeal to protect those institutions and services that provide essential supports to family and marriage such as marriage preparation, relationship counselling, parenting support and other services in a manner consistent with the religious ethos and conviction of the organizations concerned. We call on members of the next Assembly to recognize in law and policy that freedom of religion means more than freedom to worship. It also involves the freedom to live and engage in society in a manner that is consistent with one’s own religious identity and deeply held beliefs.

Conclusion: A culture of life, care and hope for all.

45. In conclusion, we recall the fundamental Christian conviction that underlies this pastoral reflection in advance of the Assembly elections. It is this, that the future of humanity lies in the choice between a culture of life and care, or a ‘throwaway’ culture of destruction and death. The greatest hope for our local community and for our common home can only be built on a new and constructive culture of civil dialogue and wider participation in the processes of politics. A new and better future is possible, if it is built on a culture of life, care and hope for all.

46. In encouraging all citizens to fulfill their moral duty to vote in the forthcoming Assembly elections, we ask all who do so to inform their conscience in advance about the important moral, social and economic issues that are at stake. In expressing our good wishes to all who are standing for election, and acknowledging the spirit of public service that motivates the noble calling of politics, we assure every candidate of our prayers and encourage potential voters in a respectful and constructive manner to ask the following questions of any candidate to whom they are considering giving their vote.

Ten questions based on Catholic Social Teaching for Catholics to ask candidates standing in the Assembly elections 

1. What will you do to address the unacceptable levels of childhood poverty in Northern Ireland and the widening gap between rich and poor?
2. What will you do to uphold the right to life of unborn children and adults with severe life-limiting disabilities, as well as children conceived through sexual crime, if the next Assembly seeks to introduce legislation that removes the fundamental right to life from them?
3. Do you support abortion, the direct and intentional taking of an innocent human life in any circumstances?
4. What will you do to protect and support family and marriage and in particular the natural institution of marriage between one man and one woman as the fundamental building block of society?
5. Will you support the right of religious organisations to provide services in a manner consistent with their religious ethos and beliefs?
6. Will you support the right of parents to have Catholic schools as part of a diverse system of educational provision, based on parental choice?
7. What will you do to highlight the persecution of Christians and other persecuted groups across the world?
8. What will you do to address human trafficking in Northern Ireland and to help improve services for refugees, asylum seekers and the homeless?
9. What will you do to help achieve those UN Sustainable Development goals that are ethically consistent and ensure proper care and respect for the natural environment?
10. What will you do to create a more constructive and inclusive political culture in the next Assembly, one that gives hope to all in our society for a better future?

ENDS

For media contact: Spokespersons are available for interview and please contact the Catholic Communications Office, Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444

Subsequent to the Sunday recitation of the Regina Coeli, Pope Francis has requested the Church in Europe to hold a special collection to provide humanitarian assistance to the people in Ukraine.

Background info

Caritas Ukraine Response

Ideally this collection should be held on Sunday, 24 April 2016 in parishes throughout our diocese.

Pictures taken at St Joseph’s Young Priests Society Provincial celebrations in Armagh on Saturday 16^th March. The principal celebrant at the Mass was Archbishop Eamon Martin assisted by Rev Peter McAnenly and Rev Thomas McHugh. The Deacons were Rev Damien Quigley and Rev David Durrigan. The keynote speaker at the afternoon gathering was Sr Martina Purdy, Sister of Adoration, Belfast.

“We shared our conviction that the best possible future for humanity lies in building a culture of life and care in which the dignity of our beginning and end as persons is reverenced and respected” – Dr Nicola Brady

Today Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland, led delegations from the Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs (NICCOSA) to two official meetings with political parties in Northern Ireland.  The first meeting was in Belfast, with members of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), led by First Minister Arlene Foster MLA.  The second meeting, with members of Sinn Féin, led by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA, took place in Armagh.

Speaking after the meetings, Archbishop Martin said that the Church delegation welcomed the opportunity to discuss a range of issues with each party, including, “the shocking increase in levels of childhood poverty during the mandate of the last Assembly.  We are asking all of the political parties in our meetings to make tackling childhood poverty and other forms of social need a top priority in the next Programme for Government”.

Archbishop Martin continued, “It was most encouraging that both parties recognised the vital contribution of Churches and faith groups in providing a range of services that support some of the most vulnerable in our society.  We highlighted the need to respect the right of faith-based groups to provide these services in accordance with their particular religious ethos and values.  We also asked both parties to consider how Churches and wider civic society could engage in a more structured dialogue with the next Assembly, mindful that the model of a civic forum was an important component of the Belfast Agreement.”

Dr Nicola Brady, a member of NICCOSA, said, “As we did last week in our meeting with the SDLP, we emphasised to both parties the importance of consistent support for a culture of life, beginning with the commitment to the protection of the life of the unborn child, including those with life-limiting conditions.  We encouraged the parties to work for the establishment of a perinatal hospice facility for Northern Ireland and to recognise the need to provide the best possible care for mothers and unborn children in cases of difficult or crisis pregnancy.  We shared our conviction that the best possible future for humanity lies in building a culture of life and care in which the dignity of our beginning and end as persons is reverenced and respected, rather than in a culture where the value of life is diminished and destroyed.”

Bishop Donal McKeown, chair of the Northern Ireland Commission for Catholic Education, said, “It is vital that the next Assembly works with all the stakeholders in education to raise standards and aspirations among young people and their families, from all backgrounds, and to enhance the opportunities to achieve their full potential.”  The Church delegation highlighted the importance of a strong ethos in raising standards in schools and the right of parents to choose a faith-based education for their children.  Bishop McKeown said, “We explained that this does not contradict the commitment of our schools, precisely because of their Catholic ethos, to work for a shared and reconciled society by promoting inclusion and respect for diversity.”

ENDS

Notes for editors

• Today’s meetings with the DUP and Sinn Féin are part of a series of meetings scheduled to take place during April 2016 between, Archbishop Eamon Martin and members of NICCOSA, with the main political parties in Northern Ireland.  NICCOSA operates as a sub-committee of the Council for Justice and Peace of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.  The objectives of NICCOSA are to:

–          Support the Northern Catholic Bishops in the area of social affairs;

–          Assist in coordinating and enhancing the existing work of the Northern Bishops on social, legal, moral and political issues;

–          Represent the Northern Catholic Bishops at relevant meetings and fora;

–          Help promote and develop meaningful and constructive liaison with relevant groups and agencies.

• Today’s delegations from the Catholic Church, led by Archbishop Eamon Martin, included:

–          Bishop Donal McKeown, Bishop of Derry; both Father Timothy Bartlett and Dr Nicola Brady of NICCOSA for the meeting with the DUP.

–          Bishop John McAreavey, Bishop of Dromore; Ms Deirdre O’Rawe of Accord NI; Father Timothy Bartlett and Dr Nicola Brady, for the meeting with Sinn Féin.

For media contact: Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444

Vocations Sunday Newsletter Resource 2016

PARISH BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS 

For use Sunday, April 10, 2016 

Do you believe that God calls all people to spread the Good News? How are you responding

to the call? Do you want some help? Next week is World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Come,

join with the parish in prayer for vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life in our Diocese.

For use Sunday, April 17, 2016 

Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter or Good Shepherd Sunday is a special day for everyone

in our parish and our Diocese. We celebrate World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

We ask that we may be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit as we carry on the mission of Jesus, our Good Shepherd. We pray in thanksgiving to day for our Bishop, Priests, Religious and Deacons and for an increase in vocations in the Church.  May our youth listen to God’s call and be encouraged to respond generously.

Homily for Vocations Sunday 2016.

In a talk to the priests of Rome Pope Francis reminisced about a priest whom he knew in Buenos Aires.

This priest had been the provincial of his religious community and also had been a university professor, but he was most well known as a confessor. Pope Francis related that many of the priests of Buenos Aires went to this priest for confession.

The priest died in his mid-90s, just before the Easter Vigil. The body of the priest lay in state in the crypt of one of the churches where he had served. The future Holy Father went to pay his respects and discovered there was not a single flower adorning the area around his casket.

Pope Francis said: “I thought, but this man, who forgave the sins of all the clergy of Buenos Aires, including mine, not even a flower. I went up and went to a florist — because in Buenos Aires there are flower shops at the crossroads, on the streets, where there are people — and I bought flowers, roses . . . and I returned and began to decorate the coffin with flowers.

“And I looked at the rosary in his hands. . . . And immediately it came to mind — the thief that we all have inside of us, don’t we? — And while I was arranging the flowers, I took the cross off the rosary, and with a little effort, I detached it. At that moment I looked at him and said: ‘Give me half of your mercy.’ I felt something powerful that gave me the courage to do this and say this prayer!

“I put the cross here, in my pocket. But the pope’s shirts don’t have pockets, but I always carry it with me in a little cloth bag, and that cross has been with me from that moment until today. And when an uncharitable thought against someone comes to mind, my hand always touches it here, always. And I feel the grace! I feel its benefit. What good the example of a merciful priest does, of a priest who draws close to wounds.”

What a beautiful illustration of the impact of the ministry of one priest!

At the recent ordination of priests, Pope Francis returned to the theme of the importance of mercy in the ministry of priests. He counselled those to be ordained: “For the love of Jesus Christ: Never tire of being merciful! And if you have scruples about being too forgiving, think of that holy priest about whom I have told you, who went before the tabernacle and said: ‘Lord, pardon me if I have forgiven too much, but it is you who have set me a bad example!’ The good shepherd enters through the door, and the doors of mercy are the wounds of the Lord; if you do not enter into your ministry through the Lord’s wounds, you will not be good shepherds.”

Mercy is at the heart of the priesthood. Good confessors are always first good penitents. It is the priest’s own experience of God’s mercy that guides and motivates him in trying to communicate the Lord’s mercy to others.

Despite all of its challenges, our lives as priests are incredibly blessed. We are given the privilege to witness the miracles that God is constantly performing for his people. Pray that many young men may be open to a priestly vocation. Pray that they may have the courage to go to the front lines of the struggle against good and evil.

Ultimately, a vocation is not defined by “doing” but rather by “being.” We are called to live our lives in a generous response of mercy to the One who gave us life. Being in the presence of the Father, sharing in the mission of Christ, being men and women of mercy and witnessing in the power of the Holy Spirit is what being a follower of the Good Shepherd is all about.

On this Good Shepherd Sunday let us pray for vocations in our Church. We need committed men and women who believe that their call to ordained or consecrated life is from God.

On a personal note, I thank God for the gift of your vocations as I thank God for the gift of my own vocation in serving you as a priest. Thank you for the many ways you witness God’s love to me.

The Good Shepherd calls each of us by name. May we respond to that call with the familiarity of truly knowing, loving and serving the One who calls us?

There are two powerful words that Jesus often used in relation with his disciples. Those words are “come” and “go.” Living one’s vocation is knowing how to do both.

A good vocation is simply a firm and constant will in which the called person has to serve God in the way and in the places to which Almighty God has called him. (St. Francis de Sales)

GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY – 4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER 2016 GENERAL INTERCESSIONS

Presider: Let us seek the loving care of our Good Shepherd as we present the needs of

our Church and world.

• That our Holy Father Pope Francis and all Church leaders will be filled with the Holy Spirit as they guide us,

Lord Hear Us

• That leaders of nations may work together to bring about greater justice

and lasting peace, Lord Hear us:

• That we, the People of God, may listen intently to the call of the Good

Shepherd and have the courage to be witnesses of the Gospel as we live out

our baptismal commitment, Lord Hear Us:

• That those who are suffering may find comfort and encouragement so they

may know joy, Lord Hear Us:

• That our youth may find direction in their lives as they discern God’s call

to priesthood, consecrated life, married life, single life, or the diaconate,

Lord Hear Us:

• For those who have died (especially . . .) may they be filled with the joy of

everlasting life, Lord Hear Us:

Presider: Loving God, we know of your gentle care for us.

We trust that you will give us what we need.

Shepherd us to follow in your ways now and forever. Amen.

ROSARY RESOURCE FOR PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

The Luminous Mysteries for Vocations

1st Luminous Mystery:  The Baptism of Jesus

The mystery of our Lord’s Baptism is the mystery of Jesus taking upon Himself the mission of the Messiah.  Thus begins His public ministry.  Let us offer this decade for those called to the priesthood and religious life but are afraid to answer because of what others may say or think.  Grant them courage, O Lord, to accept the mission You are giving them.

2nd Luminous Mystery:  The Wedding Feast of Cana

Through the intercession of Mary, Jesus transforms ordinary water into extraordinary wine.  What incredible things God’s grace can do in our lives!  Let us offer this decade for those who are being called but doubt that they have much to offer.  May they trust in the power of God to bring all things into completion and like Mary say “yes” to His call.

3rd Luminous Mystery:  The Proclamation of the Kingdom

Our Lord begins His public ministry by announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of God.  What joyous news this is for all humanity to hear!  Let us offer this decade for an increase in vocations that there might be many more priests and religious who will proclaim this truth and bear witness to it with their lives.

4th Luminous Mystery:  The Transfiguration

Jesus strengthened the faith of His Apostles by allowing His Divinity to be momentarily perceived.  He wished them to gain a supernatural perspective on His forthcoming Passion and Death.  Let us offer this decade for all those who are being called as priests and religious that they may have the grace to recognize God’s call in the midst of life and courageously accept carrying the Cross.

5th Luminous Mystery:  The Institution of the Holy Eucharist

The gift of the Most Holy Eucharist is a mystery going beyond our ability to fully comprehend.  Our Lord’s abiding Presence in the Blessed Sacrament, the saving mystery of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass — the world would suffer a great loss without these miracles.  Jesus gives Himself in the Holy Eucharist through the ministry of His priests.  Let us offer this decade for more priests for our country.  May God call many more men to share in the Priesthood and may they respond generously.

VOCATIONS AWARENESS FAMILY TAKE-HOME PAGE

Call to Prayer

Leader: We gather

All: “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Leader: God calls each of us by name. As a sign of our willingness to listen to God’s

call let us each respond “Here I am, Lord!” when you hear your name called.

(Leader says each person’s name aloud and the person responds.)

Prayer Jesus, we want to follow you. Help us to listen to your Word and to hear your

voice in our hearts and in each other. We want to be near you forever. Amen.

Reading A Reading from the Gospel of John (John 10:27–30)

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

I give them eternal life, and no one can ever take them from me or the Father.

The Father and I are one.” The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

Sharing Take time to share about the ways Jesus talks to us and how we listen.

What helps us follow Jesus more closely?

Prayers (Offer personal intentions)

The Lord’s Prayer

Sign of Peace (Share a sign of peace with each person.)

Closing Prayer Dear God, You made everyone special in their own way.

Please help us to find our vocation in life.

Guide us to choose the right path in serving you. Amen.

—Taken from Dear God, Open My Heart

(A collection of children’s vocation prayers), p. 29

Closing Song “Connected,” (Hymn for first Penance)

(Optional) “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”

“Here I am Lord”

“The Summons” (Or a song of your choosinMake Your Own Family Vocation Poster

Materials needed: Piece of plain paper, (large enough to draw your hand), crayons or

markers.

1. Discuss how Jesus depends on our hands to carry on his work

2. Share about how each of you depends on Jesus to show you the way and helps you to be his

follower.

3. Trace your hand on a piece of paper.

4. Around the hand write the saying (or something similar): Jesus, take my hand and I will

follow you.

5. Display the poster as a reminder to share your gifts.

Vocation Chain

Materials needed: strips of construction paper, glue or tape, crayons or markers.

1. Talk about the gifts/qualities of each person.

2. Write these gifts/qualities on strips of paper.

3. Join the strips to form a chain.

4. Place the chain somewhere as a sign of your willingness to join your gifts to serve God.

Thank You Card

Materials needed: paper for a homemade card or a purchased “Thank You” card, markers.

1. Create or buy a “Thank You” card for your priest who is a representative of Jesus, the Good

Shepherd.

2. Write a note about what you appreciate about him.

3. Invite him for dinner and/or give him the card.

Vocation Conversation Starters

As a family, take time to talk about the various vocation choices: married people, single

people, diocesan priest, deacon, religious priest, brother, or sister. With each vocation choice

share what attracts you about that life style, what would be hard about that life style, and then share what gifts you may have to live out that vocation choice.

On Tuesday, 15^th March 2016, hundreds of people flocked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral Armagh for the annual Armagh Diocesan Faith Award Ceremony. This event was celebrated by Archbishop Eamon Martin and Dean Colum Curry.

This year over 300 young people attended to be presented with their awards, namely the Muiredach Cross Award and the Pope John Paul II Award in an event that has been described as “a fitting celebration for the work of young people in the Diocese.”

The Muiredach Cross Award and the Pope John Paul II Award are prestigious awards in the area of faith development and to receive one is undoubtedly a thing of great honour for those who were being celebrated at this event. The Muiredach Cross Award is particularly aimed at the younger members of society throughout the schools in the Archdiocese. It is hoped that participation in this award will provide a solid foundation upon which to build in later life when a young person is eligible for the Pope John Paul II Award. There is great interest in participation in these two awards and this was highlighted by the sheer enthusiasm shown in attendance at the event on Tuesday night.

The positive thing about this awards night was that it wasn’t a passive experience for those involved. The young people and their schools/parishes were actively involved throughout the whole ceremony. This year, being a special Jubilee Year of Mercy in the Church, the Award Committee incorporative the Cathedral Walk of Mercy into the ceremony. Each participating school/parish was represented by one member of their group on this special walk, which took place throughout the ceremony.

The Armagh Diocesan Faith Awards Committee would like to thank those involved in the ceremony: award participants, award leaders, parents/guardians, clergy, and all who took part in what was clearly a successful and gratifying occasion. Also a special thank you to the choir of St. Paul’s High School, Bessbrook, who so richly enhanced the ceremony with their beautiful singing.

To hear more or to get involved in the Faith Awards please contact the Armagh Diocesan Youth Ministry Office on 028/048 3752 3084 or email: [email protected]

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Twitter – @armaghyouth

Please click here to access the new “news” website of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference www.catholicnews.ie.

“We asked that the next Assembly give focused attention to the importance of respect for freedom of religion and conscience as a fundamental pillar of a genuinely free, diverse and democratic society” – Archbishop Eamon Martin

Today Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland, led a delegation from the Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs (NICCOSA) for the first official meeting between representatives of the Catholic Church and the new leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Mr Colum Eastwood MLA. The meeting took place in Belfast.

Speaking after the meeting, Archbishop Martin said that the Church delegation welcomed the opportunity to discuss a range of issues with the party, including “the shocking increase in levels of childhood poverty during the mandate of the last Assembly and the SDLP’s positive commitment to building a culture of life and care”.

Archbishop Martin continued, “This is the first in a round of meetings our Council on Social Affairs is having with the political parties in the North over coming weeks. We want to support politicians in their noble vocation of building a better society and to explore how we as a Church, with other faith communities and civic groups, can work together with politicians in the next Assembly to address the many challenges confronting our society. We highlighted in particular the growing levels of childhood poverty in Northern Ireland and the increasing gap between rich and poor, as well as the continuing challenges of sectarianism, reconciliation and dealing with the past. Referencing the loss of the mechanisms for ongoing civic engagement promised in the Belfast [Good Friday] Agreement, we encouraged the party to look at ways of widening participation in the policy making processes of the next Assembly and in building a more positive, inclusive and outward looking civic and political culture. We also expressed our concern at the lack of attention being given to the persecution of Christians across the world, especially in the Middle East. We asked that the next Assembly do more to highlight this issue and to also give focused attention to the importance of respect for freedom of religion and conscience as a fundamental pillar of a genuinely free, diverse and democratic society.”

Ms Deirdre O’Rawe, a member of NICCOSA, said, “The delegation affirmed the Party’s consistent position throughout the Troubles of upholding the right to life as the most fundamental of all human rights. The Church delegation also welcomed the affirmation by the SDLP that it will continue to uphold its position on abortion as expressed in the most recent vote in the Assembly, in which the Party defended the right to life of severely disabled children in the womb who have life-limiting conditions”. She went on to say, “we encouraged the SDLP to stay true to its position of respecting the absolute sanctity of human life in all circumstances and for promoting a response to crisis in pregnancy that is marked by compassion, care and equal respect for the life of a mother and her unborn child. We also welcomed the Party’s interest in exploring the proposal to develop a wider range of peri-natal hospice services in Northern Ireland to provide world-class support, counselling and care to every family facing the diagnosis of a life-limiting condition in pregnancy. We shared our conviction that the best possible future for humanity lies in building a culture of life and care in which the dignity of our beginning and end as persons is reverenced and respected, rather than in a culture where the value of life is cheapened and destroyed.”

Mr Malachy McKernan, a member of NICCOSA and of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, said that the Church delegation had asked the SDLP to make addressing child poverty and the widening gap between rich and poor the first priority of the programme for Government in the next Assembly. Mr McKernan said, “The Church and church-based organisations such as the Saint Vincent De Paul are at the front-line of responding to poverty every day. The hidden tragedy is that it is getting worse, not better. It is shocking that after so many years of relative stability and peace, the number of children living in poverty in Northern Ireland is still the worst on these islands and is even increasing and that the gap between rich and poor in Northern Ireland is getting wider. Poverty has all sorts of social, health, education and employment consequences. It brings additional costs to almost every Government department. It simply doesn’t make sense morally or economically for our politicians not to address poverty as a top priority. As we said to the members of the SDLP, it is no accident that Pope Francis was recently voted the most popular leader in the world. He is showing the way. He is making the voice of the poor heard across the world and that is what the Church was doing at the meeting with the SDLP today.”

Ms Eileen Gallagher, a member of NICCOSA with wide experience of peace and reconciliation work, concluded by saying, “This was a very positive and helpful meeting with the SDLP, a sign that politicians and church organisations can both benefit from regular dialogue with one another. We look forward to similar meetings with the other parties. We spoke to the SDLP about a wide range of other issues, including the importance of caring for the environment as Pope Francis has recently asked us to do, and of addressing the needs of the victims of the Troubles – once and for all – early on in the new Assembly’s term. The Church delegation also proactively raised the issue of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry and the need to ensure adequate support for victims and survivors of abuse. The Party and the Church delegation agreed to meet again in the future.”

ENDS
Notes for editors

· Today’s meeting with the SDLP is the first in a series of meetings scheduled to take place during April 2016 between the Archbishop and lay members of NICCOSA, with the main political parties in Northern Ireland.

· The delegation from the Catholic Church, led by Archbishop Eamon Martin, included: Bishop Donal McKeown, Bishop of Derry; Ms Deirdre O’Rawe (Accord NI); Ms Eileen Gallagher (NICCOSA); Mr Malachy McKernan (SVdP) and Father Timothy Bartlett (NICCOSA).

· The delegation from the SDLP, led by Party Leader Mr Colum Eastwood MLA, included Mr Fearghal McKinney MLA (Deputy Leader and health spokesperson); Ms Nichola Mallon (Assembly candidate for North Belfast); Mr Alex Attwood MLA; and Mr Alban Maginness MLA (justice spokesperson).

For media contact: Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444