_WORLD WATCH______________________________
________________Ireland_______________
Hiding policies from citizens
Catholic paper charges deceptive practices
According to the largest Catholic newspaper in Ireland, the recent UN Conference on HIV/AIDS illustrates how the Irish government must deceive its own citizens in order to mask its involvement in what many Irish see as the radical social agenda of the European Union.
At the conference, the EU—including member-state Ireland—led an unsuccessful effort to adopt a document that called for worldwide recognition of homosexual marriage, the legalization of prostitution, and “safe and legal” abortions—all of which are illegal in Ireland.
When the Irish Catholic newspaper investigated the Irish government’s position on this effort, the response was “disingenuous at best,” according to Irish Catholic editor David Quinn. A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs, told the paper, “We weren’t endorsing the guidelines. There were elements of the guidelines Ireland might have problems with.” He added, however, that Ireland would not be obliged to follow every element of the EU policy.
However, the Irish Catholic observed, the EU speaks with one voice at all UN conferences, and when EU leaders sought approval of the proposed guidelines, the Irish government did not lodge any objection. Editor Quinn also notes that a UN document could provide the basis for a legal challenge against Irish laws. Quinn expressed concern that the Irish government’s strategy was an effort to gain judicial approval, through the EU, for proposals that would not be accepted by the majority of Irish citizens.
Back to Catholic World Report October 2001 Table of Contents