Fianna Fáil Senator Mark Daly has accused the leader of the Labour party in the Senate, Ivana Bacik (pictured),  of exploiting the publication of the Cloyne Report for political gain, after she called for an end to the saying of a prayer at the commencement of proceedings in the Seanad.

Her call came days after her party colleague, Aodhan O’Riordan, had made the same call in the Dáil.

She said that she made the call “in the context of a debate on the Church and the State”.

A prayer to begin the day is also said in the British House of Commons and the US House of Representatives, among others.

Senator Bacik said: “The saying of a prayer each day was also raised in the Dáil last week by Deputy Ó Riordáin of the Labour Party. He and I have both ensured that this matter is on the agendas of the Committees of Procedure and Privileges of the Dáil and the Seanad.”

However, Senator Daly said that “revelations arising from the investigation into events in the Catholic diocese of Cloyne are being used as an opportunity to raise this matter”.
 
He asked whether it was Labour Party policy that the daily prayer be discontinued and asked whether the issue had been discussed internally by the Labour Party.

He said: “The Progressive Democrats Party once tried to take God out of the Constitution; now the Labour Party wants to remove the morning prayer.

“I realise it is a republic but in America official Government documents contain the phrase “In God we trust”. In that republic, they have not gotten rid of God.”

Senator Daly added that what had happened Cloyne was “an abomination beyond reckoning but that is no excuse for political pointscoring in this House”. 

“That is a disgrace and the leader of the Labour Party group should reflect with Senators opposite,” he said.

Independent Senator Ronan Mullen said that it was “sadly opportunistic for people to be connecting legitimate criticism of the Church with an attack on the tradition of Christian prayer”. 

He added: “When discussions have taken place in the past in respect of the broadcasting of the Angelus on RTE, I have often noted the generosity of members of the Church of Ireland community who made sure it was understood that they did not believe the Angelus to be in any way sectarian.

“That is the type of generosity for which we must strive when discussing some of the cherished traditions we have in this country.”

Both Senator Bacik and Mr O’Riordán have placed this issue on the agenda of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges (CPP) in both Houses of the Oireachtas.

The Seanad CPP will consider the issue at today’s meeting.

Senator David Norris also suggested that it might not be appropriate “to include a Christian prayer at the commencement of parliamentary business”. 

Last year, the then Roscommon County Mayor and now TD Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan caused controversy when he refused to personally say a prayer before council meetings saying it would be hypocritical to do so as he was an agnostic. 

A recent meeting of Castlebar Town Council voted narrowly to retain its prayer before proceedings by 4 votes to 3.