The Catholic Bishops today issued a qualified statement on the Nice Treaty saying there was a stronger case for voting in favour of it than against.
It said: "On balance there seems to be a stronger case for the Treaty than against. However, we did not express an unqualified preference as to how votes should be cast".
The statement said "The issues that face us in the Treaty of Nice are important for the future of Europe. We strongly urge everybody to be as fully informed as possible and to cast their votes in the referendum".
The Bishops also reaffirmed their support for the European Union: "We see the purpose of the European Union as serving the common good in promoting justice and harmony for all".
The statement was released following a seminar organised by the Irish Catholic, at Clonliffe College, Dublin entitled "The Church and the Modern World of Europe - Challenges and Opportunities".
The seminar was chaired by Cardinal Desmond Connell, Archbishop of Dublin.
The Nice Treaty referendum was discussed at the Bishops' Autumn Meeting in Maynooth last week before they issued the statement today. Their stance endorses the statement issued before the Nice Referendum last year by the Standing Committee of the Irish Bishops' Conference.
