A Church of Ireland bishop has called on the Government to delay the referendum to restrict citizenship rights planned for June. Fiona Tyrrell reports.
The Bishop of Cashel and Ossory has expressed his concerns about the decision to hold the referendum on June 11th, the same day as the local and European elections, and has called on the Government to postpone it.
The Right Rev Peter Barrett cited concerns about the emergence of the "race card" at local elections and the need for serious discussion of the complex issues surrounding citizenship along with the need for calm discussion about the doubts of the effect of the referendum on the Good Friday agreement.
Bishop Barrett said postponement would "end genuine concerns about the possible race card in local politics". It would also allow for "serious discussion of the complex issues concerning the nature of citizenship within the inter-cultural Ireland and indeed Europe of today".
On the issue of the impact of the referendum on the Good Friday agreement, Bishop Barrett stated: "At a time when the Good Friday agreement's authority is being questioned in some quarters by calls for its review/renegotiation, doubts being expressed concerning the 'unilateral' effect of the referendum on Article 2 of the Constitution, so important to the architecture of the agreement, can be more adequately addressed in calm and focused fashion within a more agreeable time scale."
He made his call in a letter published in the current issue of the Church of Ireland Gazette.
"The proposals to hold the forthcoming citizenship referendum in the Republic of Ireland on the same day as the local and European elections (June 11th) should not pass without comment.
"It is to be hoped that, when the members of the Dáil gather to discuss this combination of polls in the near future, the referendum will be postponed to a future date."