The Government has defended the presidential oath’s mention of God as those taking a court case against it are not victimised by it.

In submissions to the European Court of Human Rights seen by The Irish Times, the Government said the case taken by Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall and four co-litigants should be dismissed because their rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion were not breached.

Directly citing the European Convention on Human Rights, the Government also made the claim that the declarations were “necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others”.