Dublin Gay Pride

How Did the Catholic Church Lose Ireland’s Gay Marriage Vote?

Dublin Gay Pride

Despite the Catholic Church’s stance against same-sex marriage and Ireland’s majority Catholic population, Ireland voted to legalize gay marriage.

In a turn events that has shocked many, but was obvious to others, 62% of voters in Ireland decided to approve full rights for same-sex couples through a popular referendum. The streets were filled with people celebrating the victory for homosexuals. However, the victory runs much deeper than that given the Catholic Church’s history in Ireland.

85% of Ireland is Catholic

The Catholic Church has made it clear that they oppose the legalization of same-sex marriage. The Church has concerns about the way it will impact “freedom of religion and freedom of conscience.” However, Dublin’s current Archbishop, Diarmuid Martin, thinks they need a “huge reality check”. The current generation of youths were raised by parents who fought for women’s rights in the 70’s and 80’s. Tony Flannery said those years were “the first time that Irish Catholics first questioned church teaching.” Even Bono, lead singer of Ireland’s most famous rock band, U2, who openly sings about his Christian faith, supported the decision. At the band’s Pheonix performance he changed the lyrics to his song “Pride” to “Free at last, they took your life, they could not take your gay pride” and introduced “Beautiful Day” saying “Putting the gay into Gaelic!”

post-Phoenix flight to LA and #voteYES celebration #U2ieTour

A photo posted by U2 Official (@u2) on

'Putting the gay into Gaelic…' On Ireland voting YES to marriage equality.http://www.u2.com/tour/date/id/45561317

Posted by U2 on Sunday, May 24, 2015

How Did the Catholic Church Lose Its Moral Standing in Ireland?

As the years continued, the past activists had children, who were raised with a different vein of thought, one that the Catholic Church is likely to lose. After the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandals surfaced, it lost much of its sexual morality credibility. Who are the clergy to tell anyone what is right or wrong in regards to sexual morality issues like gay marriage when they turn around and do one of the worst things a person can do to a child? As Christina Breen, a 54-year-old mother who came to find out the vote in support of her son, said her and many others’ relationship with the Church had changed “because they’ve been disappointed and let down.”

Father Paul Morrissey, with USAToday, wrote a piece about what he feels the Church needs to do if they want to survive rejections like the loss in this gay marriage decision. He discussed the underlying problem: the Church needs to address the sexual abuse cover up honestly. They need to open a dialogue about the moral issues with the abuse that occurred, and be honest about it all. Only then can the moral commentary of the Catholic Church have the impact many thought it would have on the predominantly Catholic Ireland.

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