Bishop O’Reilly’s issues Statement on Current Citizens’ Convention
March 2017
Dear Parishioner,
I am writing to you in relation to the Citizens’ Convention currently meeting in Dublin.
You are probably aware that the Citizens Convention was set up last year to advise the government on whether to have a referendum to remove article 40.3.3 of the Constitution which protects the lives of unborn children from abortion. The Convention is made up of 100 people from different walks of life. They have already met a number of times to deliberate on this topic and have been given input from different specialists on both sides of the argument.
They are meeting this weekend to hear the views of the many religious bodies and lobby groups who are on one or other side of this issue. The Bishops’ Conference is one of the many bodies invited to address the Convention today. Many pro-life and pro-abortion groups will address it as well. Each group is allowed only one speaker and that speaker will have to take questions after the presentation. The Bishops’ Conference presentation will be made by Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick.
The Bishops’ Conference made written a submission to the Convention before Christmas. This submission was prepared with the assistance of many lay people, mostly women who are mothers. It has been made available recently in pamphlet form, with the title Two Lives, One Love and you will find copies in the porches of the church as you leave. It is not too long and I believe it is well worth reading. It would be even better if groups could meet to read and discuss it over the next weeks and months. We all need to inform ourselves on this very serious issue which will very probably be the subject of a referendum within the next twelve months.
You will recall that we passed an amendment to the Constitution in 2012 to empower the state to protect the basic rights of children, especially vulnerable children. It would be tragic and ironic if we were now to remove article 40.3.3, the 8th Amendment, which protects the most vulnerable children of all, those yet unborn. That article guarantees the most basic right of all, the right to life. I ask you to pray that our country and our Constitution will continue to respect and defend human life at every stage of its development.
+Leo O’Reilly
Bishop of Kilmore.
