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THE BISHOP OF Derry has said churchgoers can vote Yes in this week’s referendum on same-sex marriage ‘in good conscience’.
Donal McKeown was representing the No side this morning in a debate on Highland Radio’s Shaun Doherty Show.
He said it will be up to Irish citizens to “make up their own mind” on Friday, and “in obedience to their conscience”.
“I don’t doubt that there are many people who are practising churchgoers of whatever church background who will in conscience vote Yes, and that’s entirely up them. I’m not going to say they’re wrong.”
The Catholic Church is arguing in favour of a No vote, with letters from bishops being read out at mass across the country.
The Bishop said that “two gay men or two gay women are capable and very able to raise a child in a loving environment”, but said legalising same-sex marriage could be a “dangerous experiment”, citing concerns for the impacts on children in future.
However, McKeown stressed the public should be as informed as possible before voting either way:
People have to make their own mature decision, be it yes or be it no. I would hate for people to be voting no for bad reasons, for bigoted reasons, for nasty reasons, for bullying reasons. People have to make up their own minds and I’m quite happy that people can do that in front of God, be it yes or be it no.
Representing the Yes side in the debate was Noel Sharkey from Doctors For Yes, said he and the Bishop were not there to telling people how to vote, but to make the case for their side of the debate.
He said some priests had been in touch with him to say they would not be reading out letters by bishops on the referendum, instead believing it to be a matter of conscience for Catholics.
Sharkey said that a Yes vote is a “big ask” of the people of Ireland, but called for the “real faces” behind the issues to be considered.
“These are real people’s lives,” he said.
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Double whammy. Rainy days and Mondays always get me down! Bummer…
Dirty rotten orange bast…
We need it after such a dry spell. Good for the grass and crops.
@Mark: can’t say we are short on water
The rain here in Limerick for the last hour has been biblical!
@FoxyBoiiYT: Doncha knoah it.
@FoxyBoiiYT: That’s Angela’s Ashes weather. It piddled through that movie.
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: I say that all the time! It’s Angela Ashes weather out there
@FoxyBoiiYT: Angela lashes
@CP: That’s extra
@FoxyBoiiYT: Divine punishment!
@FoxyBoiiYT: You’re always going on about how much of a kip Dublin is and you’re from limerick?
I wouldn’t worry unduly. There was a red alert in Tipperary at around a quarter past four yesterday but by five o clock the forecast had been downgraded to that of a gentle breeze.
Hang on we get rain every day what’s the difference. Orange yellow.red .
@k owens: different severities .
Good night now
@k owens: Every day?! Red, yellow, green. It’s a ‘traffic-light system’ used to categorise severities, rash management, decision-making, communication etc. Ask a family member or trusted adult for more information on this if required.
@Jack Hayes: all my family drowned in a flood . They were on Noah’s ark with yours.
@k owens: so they won’t be at croaker in two weeks for the football?
@Jack Hayes: it’s red,orange,yellow,green,blue,indigo,violet weather. All the colours of the rainbow weather. Pride,in the Name of Floods. What,more? In the name of floods
@Larry Betts: Primary colours:Red, Yellow and Blue. Orange between Red and Yellow. Green between Yellow and Blue and Violet (purple) between Blue and Red. Where did Indigo come from?? Who uses ‘indigo’? Newton put in Indigo to get 7 colours, the same as the 7 notes in the musical scale. Along with being a scientific and mathematical genius he was a bit of a nut-job and believed 7 was a mystical number. But the time has come……. let’s drop indigo!!
@Me Me: What about Ultra Violet?
God help us all
Landscapers wet dream
What did ye think of the summer?
@p gert: it was an Indian summer, gave a bit of sun and then took it back.!!!
@p gert: National hosepipe ban incoming
Is westmeath not beside
After two weeks good weather in may I sai it was our summer this year and nobody listens
@Mickstawowy: and the 32 degrees on two days just little more than a week ago?
Dunno why we’re not world leaders in coverings from the rain. We seem to prefer just being wet.
have your say