Rónán Mullen (Independent)

Apart from the fact that her comments were not on a point of order, as Senator Bacik well knows, I am not taking issue with her right to express certain concerns from a constitutional perspective or otherwise about the Bill. I am about to address some of those concerns. I will restate what I fear is present in some quarters, namely, a Pavlovian response. That is where people automatically react against measures that may act in the interests of people or groups of faith. One can then produce arguments against it.

To take the core of Senator Bacik's two arguments, her first dealt with the question of the rights of the accused. I can best address that by referring to my own personal experience. I raised this issue long ago in consultation with religious bodies and I wrote about it in a journalistic capacity. It would be useful and of assistance to Members to make a few points on the matter.

As I understand it, the Catholic church does not believe in the sale of masses as it is regarded as simony in canon law. It would certainly not be the business of the State to inquire into that. The practice within the Catholic — Roman Catholic as some call it — tradition is that people ask for the saying of masses, as is their entitlement as members of the Catholic faith. In that context they offer a donation or stipend to the priest in question on the basis that the labourer deserves his wages and it is a contribution.

If a person has no money to offer, her or she is entitled to have a mass said, be it for the repose of a loved one's soul or any other mass intention. Most politicians in this House send out mass cards very frequently to the bereaved or mass bouquets to those who are ill or for all sorts of other reasons. I suspect it is not just practising Catholics who engage in this as it is seen as a gesture of solidarity and as such it is very noble.

Under the rules of the Catholic church, which again are not necessarily any business of the State, a priest is entitled to accept one stipend per mass per day. It may be of particular interest to Senator Bacik that the common practice is——