Press
release from The Iona Institute

Minister
Rabbitte’s comments on Church and State ‘deeply
undemocratic’

August
26, 2012 – Reacting to Cardinal Brady’s comment today that the Church
might lobby politicians on the issue of abortion, Minister Pat Rabbitte said it
would be a “retrograde” step if the Church started “dictating” to politicians
again.

However,
Minister Rabbitte’s remark is really an attempt to rob the Church of the
democratic right to lobby.

Responding to
the remarks, Dr John Murray of The Iona Institute said: “It is Minister
Rabbitte’s comment that is actually retrograde. First of all, lobbying is not
the same as dictating.

“Secondly, why
should business organisations, or farming organisations, or trades unions be
allowed to lobby politicians but the Churches cannot do this?”

He
continued: “Seeking to deny the Churches, and their members, the same right as
belongs to every other group in society is deeply undemocratic”.

Dr
Murray noted: “The Catholic Church in Ireland is actually quite unusual in not
having professional lobbyists working in parliament full-time. The Scottish
hierarchy has a full-time lobbyist, for example. The bishops of Europe jointly
have a full-time political office in Brussels”.

He
concluded: “The Catholic Church in Ireland, far from having the right to lobby
denied it, should in fact lobby far more often and more professionally than it
does.”

ENDS

Notes
to Editors

The
Iona Institute is a pro-marriage, pro-religion think tank.