Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Ceann Comhairle as an deis labhartha seo a thabhairt dom. Gabhaim buíochas freisin leis an Aire as an reachtaíocht seo a chur os ár gcomhair. Beimid ag tacú leis an mBille ós rud é go bhfuil sé ciallmhar, réasúnta agus ag luí leis an tsochaí atá againn sa lá atá inniu ann.

I welcome the opportunity to speak to the Bill which deals with the removal of the offence of blasphemy from the Constitution. It is an outdated piece of the Constitution. This is an important step forward in a society where the fundamental belief in freedom of speech must be a central tenet and valued by all. The removal of the offence of blasphemy is welcome. I am confident that the people will wholeheartedly endorse this come referendum day with a strong majority, recognising that it belongs to a time and an Ireland long since gone and completely out of place in the Constitution of a modern state.

Unfortunately, partition created two conservative and reactionary states on this island, both dominated in different ways by an attitude which saw a particular religious affiliation or faith privileged. In many instances, it was an extreme interpretation of those faiths. The closeness of the church and the state in both jurisdictions led to the dominant religions abusing their privileged position to the detriment, in particular, of those who failed to conform to the theocratic ideals championed by both the church and the state.

The place of the church in the 1937 Constitution further enshrined the power of the Catholic Church as it filled a power vacuum that existed in the aftermath of the Civil War. It was no doubt held high in the esteem of the people, and their belief in it and its utterances were strong. It was a different Ireland where the church and the State moved hand in hand, and it is difficult to say which had more sway. Unfortunately, it was also a time of book bans, censorship and control and it is clear that blasphemy fits in with this censorious attitude and philosophy.

Tá an sochaí ina bhfuileamar inár gcónaí inniu difriúil go maith. Níl an bhéim chéanna, nó an t-ardú stádas céanna, ag creideamh amháin thar creideamh eile, nó ag daoine le creideamh thar daoine nach bhfuil aon chreideamh acu. Tá sochaí níos oscailte, níos réasúnta agus níos measartha againn faoi láthair.

The society we live in today is much more diverse and more open in its thinking, analysis and beliefs. The need for a referendum is reflective of that and is something that could and possibly should have happened decades ago. Deputy O'Callaghan made points regarding the choices faced by a former Minister, Dermot Ahern, and his belief that he considered legislation was required. It would have been open to him, in the same way as it is open to the current Minister, to bring forward a constitutional amendment, and he should have done so.

That this motion is before us is in part down to what we have seen emerge in the past few decades in the form of scandals concerning mother and baby homes, Magdalen laundries, industrial schools and the significant number of public cases of child sexual abuse which were covered up by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. It was the hand-in-glove relationship that allowed such abuses to prevail and blurred the line between the public and private sphere, between church and State and between right and wrong.

However, this is a step towards recognition of a new Ireland, one that is diverse, culturally, spiritually and otherwise, and one that is accepting of all within it, from all faiths and none.

The recent visit by Pope Francis happened in a very different atmosphere from the previous papal visit. The church establishment was challenged and criticised in a way that would have been unthinkable in 1979, much less long before that. This is a healthy development. No institution or body should be immune from challenge or criticism. However, it is important that this does never extend to religious intolerance or prejudice against any particular faith or creed. If there was intolerance by those of religious faith against those without any in the past, and doubtless there was, that by no means should lead to the reverse taking place now.

I want to be clear in stating I have no problem whatsoever in anyone holding religious beliefs. An inclusive Ireland must recognise the entitlement to everyone’s own beliefs. Religion is deep and personal to many, and plays a huge role in people’s daily lives. It is something in which people find much solace and strength. It can often motivate many to selfless acts of charity and sacrifice in service of the common good. However, what it cannot do is define the laws of our land, something which I believe is wrong and ill-fitting in a modern society. It is in that context that this provision must be deleted from our Constitution.

The next steps in defining a new and better relationship between church and State should ensure decoupling of the State and church from the areas of health, education and public services. The focus should be on developing systems that represent modern Ireland as a whole in all its parts, moving away from an overwhelming religious ethos informing all services towards one which embodies an ethos that is accepting of all creeds and institutions that gives people options and choice.

This is also an important question in terms of the future of this country, not only the country that we are but that we want to become. It is a fact that the issue of Irish unity has become much more widely discussed in recent times. It is my view that in any united Ireland, any new republic, no religious faith could be privileged over any other. An important statement that the State and political parties should make is that this must be the case in any constitutional change and in a united Ireland.

I am a republican; my party is a republican party. We want to build a real republic, representative of all, regardless of religion or any other factor. We want to see a republic, as envisaged by Wolfe Tone, for Protestant, Catholic and dissenter.

This referendum is representative of an intention to move forward and embrace an ever-changing Ireland. I hope the people endorse this important step but we must also build on it and continue to move in the direction of building a modern, secular, republican State that respects people of all religions and none.

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