Vatican: Irish Gay Marriage Referendum a ‘Defeat for Humanity’

[Rob H.]

An excerpt follows. The full article is here.

Vatican: Irish Gay Marriage Referendum a ‘Defeat for Humanity’
By Elias Groll
May 26, 2015 - 6:00 pm

It was probably too much to expect that the Vatican would react positively to the news that Irish voters cast their ballots by overwhelming margins to legalize gay marriage, or that it would simply say nothing at all. But when the church, which had until now remained silent on Saturday’s results, finally did comment on the issue on Tuesday, Cardinal Pietro Parolin really did not mince his words.

“I believe that we are talking here not just about a defeat for Christian principles but also about a defeat for humanity,” Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Rome.

The referendum in Ireland, in which voters approved gay marriage by a 62.1 to 37.9 percent margin, was the first time such a right has been granted by popular national vote (in America, it has been legalized in some individual states by both referendum and court decision). It’s a huge defeat for the Catholic Church in a country where some 84 percent of the country is at least in theory an adherent to the faith, though the church has grown markedly less popular because of its handling of child sexual abuse by its priests and its hardline anti-abortion and anti-gay rights positions.

Following the vote, Irish church officials said its outcome should prompt a round of soul searching. “This is a social revolution,” the archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, told RTE Television. “The church has a huge task in front of it get its message across to young people … The church needs to do a reality check.”

...

So far, however, Francis has failed to gain approval of more liberal church doctrine on a series of social and sexual issues, including abortion and same-sex marriage. The gulf between Francis’s rhetoric and official church policy has been particularly striking at the United Nations, where the Holy See’s diplomats at the United Nations continue to work hard to block progressive policies on sexual and reproductive right that they see as being in conflict with traditional church teachings.

[deucemagnet]

1. On the contrary,

it was a great victory for humanity in general and human rights in particular.

[uriel1972]

2. Hmmm, what will the wonderpope doooooooo? nt

[mr blur]

3. Well, a defeat for the Catholic Church at least.

[PeaceNikki]

4. But but but Pope Awesome said something nice once!!!

[skepticscott]

5. Of course the article is very misleading in the sense that

Francis has not pushed for liberalization of any church doctrine. The Vatican PR machine has had him spewing fuzzy-wuzzy rhetoric by the boatload, but neither he nor the church have done anything but stand fast on current doctrine. But the PR game is apparently working, since the media is swallowing it and regurgitating.

[Rob H.]

6. Exactly

It's all just a bunch of talk at this point to make him (and the church) seem warm 'n' fuzzy but the reality is that nothing has really changed, no matter how much some people wish otherwise.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. Hey c'mon they are making a saint out of Romero

which is a big step seeing as how their initial reaction was to kick the liberation theologists out of the church.

[truebrit71]

7. Fuck. The. Catholic. Church.

How anyone, ANYONE can still be a part of this organization, never mind defend it like some do in that other group, is beyond me.

The cognitive dissonance that requires simply beggars belief...

[PeaceNikki]

8. mmm hmm. The existence of the RCC is a ‘Defeat for Humanity’.

[Rob H.]

10. I love how now the argument has shifted to "But 62% of voters voted for it!"

That does absolutely nothing to change the fact that the RCC opposed it and not only said what they said, their spokesperson clarified to say that the RCC absolutely believes the referendum was a "defeat for humanity." But no, the church isn't bigoted because reasons.

[Major Nikon]

13. But, but the pope said "who am I to judge?"

Albeit between other statements claiming the gay agenda is the work of the devil.

[nil desperandum]

11. The RCC

has been on the wrong side of most historically important social decisions. I am reminded of a quote from Oliver Ellsworth (at least I think it was his quote if memory serves):

"Systems of religious error have been adopted, in times of ignorance. It has been the interest of tyrannical kings, popes, and prelates, to maintain these errors. When the clouds of ignorance began to vanish, and the people grew more enlightened, there was no other way to keep them in error, but to prohibit their altering their religious opinions by severe persecuting laws. In this way persecution became general throughout Europe.”

[Curmudgeoness]

12. As with all religions,

following them would mean that there would never be any social or political change for the better.

[AlbertCat]

14. where the Holy See’s diplomats at the United Nations continue to work hard to block progressive...

The Holy See's diplomats can just go away. Why should some sect of some religion get a seat at the UN table? There are plenty of Catholic countries there already.

[mountain grammy]

15. Throughout my lifetime I have known good, devout, believing Catholics

who felt strongly that they were following the teachings of their Lord and Savior. They practiced birth control, were pro choice, embraced their gay friends and worked for marriage equality. In short, they believed in their faith and in humanity. If they were Irish, they would have voted with the majority. The Catholic hierarchy has always been out of touch with the flock.