Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With reference to Pat Leahy's description of the Order of Business as "windbagging" on any topic and looking for a debate on it, the same could be said of editorials in the The Irish Times.

I echo the call by my colleague, Senator Horkan, for a debate on Ireland's EU membership, which has been enormously positive for this country in terms of both the contribution the EU has made to Ireland and the contribution we have made to the EU. I was fortunate to attend the launch by the Tánaiste in the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Royal Irish Academy's EU50 exhibition. It shows how far Ireland has come. A debate in this Chamber on the future of the EU would be welcome.

I welcome the statement yesterday by Pope Francis in which he called for an end to anti-gay laws globally. He made very clear that the Catholic Church does not regard homosexuality as a crime and that those who are LGBTQ+ should be welcome within the church. He said: "We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity." This is a very important statement by the leader of the Catholic Church. The church has done damage to many people who identify as LGBTQ+ but this is a positive step forward. We should remember there are still 67 jurisdictions globally that criminalise consensual same-sex activity. In 11 of those countries, the death penalty can be imposed. Pope Francis's statement is very welcome. As a House and a democracy, it is something we should applaud.