A priest in the west of Ireland has broken ranks with the Catholic church's anti-gay agenda by announcing that he will vote in favor of May's marriage equality referendum
A priest in the west of Ireland has broken ranks with the Catholic church's anti-gay agenda by announcing that he will vote in favor of May's marriage equality referendum, reports IrishCentral.
Limerick-based Iggy O'Donovan (right) wrote in the Irish Times that he will vote on the grounds of “respect for the freedom of others who differ from us.”
O'Donovan explained that churches “have views, ideals and laws about the family, and they quite properly teach their members about those views… But when we become legislators, as we do when we vote in referendums, we legislate as citizens for all our fellow citizens.”
He continued:
“It is possible to have deep and passionately-held convictions without seeking to have those convictions imposed by the state on fellow citizens who do not share them….Respect for the freedom of others who differ from us is part and parcel of the faith we profess. For these and for other reasons I will be voting Yes.”
The priest's comments came the day after the homophobic Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran told broadcaster Chris O'Donoghue that gay couples with children “are not parents." In the same interview, Doran compared homosexuality with down syndrome and spina bifida.
You can listen to the full interview with Doran or read a transcript.
Watch Irish grandparents Brighid and Paddy join the #VoteWithUs campaign in support of same-sex marriage, AFTER THE JUMP…
If you watch one thing today… This entire community got together to make this incredible video http://t.co/A5Tk8FKLqA #MarRef #VoteWithUs
— YesEqualityRoscommon (@YesEquality_RN) March 10, 2015
