Cardinal Sean Brady (pictured) raised the issue of religious freedom at the first meeting of the “structured dialogue” between the new Government and the Churches took place yesterday. The meeting was attended by Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.

The meetings, which were initiated by then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 2007, have their basis in an article of the Lisbon Treaty which calls for “structured, open transparent and regular dialogue between Churches, Religious associations, philosophical and non-confessional organisations on the one hand and Government on the other”. No meeting took place during the administration of Brian Cowen.

Addressing yesterday’s gathering, Cardinal Sean Brady said that the Catholic Church would be “to explore the critical issue of religious freedom and how true pluralism seeks to maximise religious freedom rather than limit it”.

And he said the Church wanted to examine the implications of the recent European Court Judgement on ‘ABC vs. Ireland’ for the law regarding abortion in Ireland. The Church, he said, would want to “seek to explain why respect for the inalienable right to life from conception to natural death is a fundamental human right and essential to the common good”.

He hoped that the meeting would help Irish society avoid “becoming spiritually impoverished and culturally weakened”.

“It is a fact that our history and civilisation have been inextricably linked with religious experience down through the millennia,” Cardinal Brady said.

Referring again to the Lisbon Treaty, he said it recognised the task of building community and participation among people of different identities “cannot be achieved by economic or administrative systems alone”.

He said: “By recognising the value of ‘open, transparent and regular dialogue’ between Churches, religious associations, philosophical and non-confessional organisations and government, Article 17:3 of the Treaty tries to ensure that the home we build together is always that – a home.

“It ensures this home is certainly a place well built, organised and economically efficient. But more importantly than all of that, recognising the religious, spiritual, moral and philosophical dimension of our lives together ensures there is welcome and warmth, mystery and meaning, heart and soul in our living together, in all our diversity, in our common home.”

He added that the Church wanted to join with the Government “in the effort to give fresh hope to all our people, especially the young; a job to the unemployed, a house to the homeless, stability to the family, protection to life, and security to all”.

The meeting was also attended by Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin.

The Church of Ireland was represented by its primate, Archbishop Alan Harper, and Archbishop of Dublin Michael Jackson. Present also was the moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Rev Dr Norman Hamilton, and the president of the Methodist Church, Rev Paul Kingston.

The Muslim, Jewish, Bah’ai, Quaker and humanist communities were also represented.