“This isn’t an issue about Church law at all.”
In response to the comments that Bishop Doran from Elphin made on Sean O’Rourke’s show, Fr. Brian D’Arcy has said that any attempt from a member of the Order to try and sway a vote is an “insult to people”.
As you may remember, Bishop Doran said any Catholic that “voted Yes, knowing and intending that abortion would be the outcome, then you should consider coming to confession, where you would be received with the same compassion that is shown to any other penitent”.
In an interview with Sarah McInerney on Drivetime, Fr. D’Arcy addressed these remarks and said that Bishop Doran has used “the wrong language”.
“I wouldn’t like to attribute sin in this matter, at all,” D’Arcy said.
“It’s the wrong language for this because this isn’t an issue about Church law at all. This is an issue about how the state is attempting to treat all its people.”
Fr. D’Arcy went on to say that the people of Ireland must always follow their conscience and vote conscientiously, whether it was to vote yes or no.
“Each of us has to struggle – that’s exactly what a Christian conscience has to do – to find a way of accepting what is right for yourself. You also must allow what you couldn’t allow for yourself, to be allowed for others who might view life, ethics and morality in a different way. That’s very important.”
Fr. D’Arcy also said that any priest of the Order does not have the right to tell people how to vote and that such behaviour is an”insult to people (which) is quite incredible”.
He added: “It’s not a good idea by anybody to tell anybody how to vote. A priest from the Order has no right to tell anybody how to vote.”
You can listen to the interview in full here.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
