Irish society needs a proper debate over the importance and nature of marriage before considering a referendum on the issue of same-sex marriage, the Catholic Bishops have said in their submission to the Constitutional Convention on the matter.

The Convention is set to discuss same-sex marriage on the weekend of the 13th and 14th of this month.

In their submission, the Bishops ask for “sufficient time be given for a society-wide discussion of the fundamental importance of the family based on marriage……..before any action is taken by the Convention or by Government that would alter the existing Constitutional understanding of marriage and the protection of it.  

“Of all the articles of the Constitution, Article 4.1.3.1 places one of the most strongly expressed duties on the State to protect the particular values enshrined in the Article and related clauses. It specifically requires the State to guard the institution of marriage with ‘special care’ and ‘protect it against attack’.  

“It is therefore essential that sufficient time is given to evaluate not only the ethical and legal probity of any change to the existing Constitutional definition of marriage but also the potential impact it will have on the relationship between the family and the State, notably in relation to the rights of children.”

The submission also notes that marriage “provides a stable and nurturirg environment for children”.  

It says that it is within marriage that children “receive the most important and lasting education of all”.  

“Marriage is not merely a private institution. It is the intimate cradle of life and love where children learn the values and actions that will make then good citizens,” the submission adds.

The submission also notes that, under the European Convention of Human Rights, States are free “to make differing arrangements for marriage and alternative legal provisions for same-sex unions”.

Marriage, the submission says, “does not exist solely for the good of an individual and cannot be adequately understood in terms of the pursuit of individual rights”.