Fr. Timothy Bartlett:

Amid such eloquent contributions, I would have been happy to have remained silent. However, I will take up the bishop's last point. I thank the members for taking an interest in the matter and holding this hearing. As well as raising the issue among our people, all the groups present are feeding back directly to people on the ground who are encouraged, supported and helped by the knowledge that this is taking place in the Irish Parliament today. The members must not undervalue such events, familiar as they and the issues may be. They are tremendous and important acts of solidarity and support.

I will focus on an issue Deputy Maureen O’Sullivan raised that has not yet been examined, namely, the question of what is happening in our culture. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks identified the issue as "one of the crimes against humanity of our time" and said he was "appalled at the lack of protest it has evoked" in many western Christian societies. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan mentioned political correctness. Ms Smith mentioned the cultural freeze or squeeze on Christianity in many allegedly secular countries.

To be very positive about that, in terms of a challenge to us all, for far too long the issue of the right to religious freedom and conscience in a diverse, pluralist, modern democracy, such as our own, has been a second-class right and has never really been given the exposure or consideration it deserves and yet it is fundamental to the effective operation of a genuinely diverse society. We could make a tremendous contribution, particularly the members, as political and public representatives, to lift the public debate into a more mature, calm, respectful, and considered debate about the calibration of that, even in our own society.

There are some Christians who would say there are signals emerging in our country, North and South, that they are being told not to take up a particular post or not to follow a particular line of business which might bring their conscience on certain matters into conflict with the services they will be expected to provide under our laws. Without taking a position on that issue, it is a real issue. It concerns the interface between religious freedom, secularity and what is a genuinely diverse pluralist society and how we calibrate these as fellow citizens in the interest of our common humanity and our shared interest in a peaceful, stable society and from that to the world because this issue will continue to grow in our global society and global institutions.

I disagree with the Vice Chairman when he suggests things have not changed. They have changed. We now have a humanitarian principle and concept in human rights law. The fundamental values of Christianity are implicit in all those things. Many would argue they stem from a Christian influence on the development of civilisation. That is not the relevant point. Pope Benedict XVI emeritus talked about the future of the world depending on a shared humanistic synthesis where we can all gather around common values. There also needs to be an honest, constructive discussion about the right to be different and the space to be that in an appropriate way that is still consistent with the common good. There will never be a Christian crusade again, other than in defence of the right to life but there will never be any proactive taking of anybody’s life by Christians today. I could not foresee that in any circumstance. I hope our common humanity has progressed. That is why we are here expressing concern about these issues. I thank the committee and encourage it in its work.