Young people made the difference

Fully respecting the will of the people, the Catholic and the Anglican Churches will continue to teach and celebrate marriage as an indissoluble union between a man and a woman. But the Irish vote of May 22 leaves open a big question: why do young people, raised and educated according to Catholic tradition, no longer believe in the values proclaimed by the Church? A cold shower. Friday and Saturday were days of celebrations. People took to the streets and cheered amid cries of victory and rainbow flags. 62.1 percent of Irish people said “yes” to gay marriage. The no-votes amounted to 37.9%. This overwhelming result came as a cold shower to the Irish Catholic Church. For months, the bishops were strongly committed to explain to their faithful the reasons to vote “no”, and not to be afraid to defend the family as a union between a man and a woman. They wrote joint and individual press statements, gave interviews, dedicated to the theme of the family their Sunday homilies. But the people did not follow them and decided to approve an amendment to Article 41 of the Irish Constitution on the family which now reads as follows: “Marriage can be contracted, in accordance with the law, by two people without distinction of gender”. Discreet reaction. The reaction of the Irish episcopate was extremely discreet. The first to break the wall of silence was Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin. He said: “the referendum is clearly the affirmation of the point of view of young people; those same young people are a product of Catholic schools in Ireland. Obviously there has been a very strong cultural gap”. The Church today has “a major task in their regard”, first of all to find a suitable language to speak to young people, and not only on this issue, but in general. The archbishop spoke of a “social revolution” underway. He added: “I think really that the Church needs to do a reality check, a reality check right across the board”. After the scandals of sexual abuse which have cast a dark shadow on her credibility, the Church today is faced with another challenge: to see if her message manages to reach people wondering whether it is a “safe place to meet like-minded people all in the same way or whether the Church with Pope Francis speaks also reaching out to those who are outside”. The fatigue of the day after. On the – difficult, crucial – “day-after” the bishops pointed out that despite the outcome of the referendum the Church will not renounce teaching and spreading the fundamental values of marriage and the family. In a statement released on the website of the archdiocese of Armagh, the bishops of the Anglican Church of Ireland said they respect the people’s decision since in deciding to change the legal definition of marriage they exercised their rights. However, the bishops add: “for the Church marriage is the union of a man and a woman, and the outcome of this referendum won’t change this definition”. “Throughout history – the statement reads – the Church has often expressed views that were different from those adopted by the State and has tried to live with conviction and good relations with the civil authorities and the communities which she is integrated in. The wedding services that will take place in churches in Ireland, or will be conducted by a minister of the Church of Ireland must – in accordance with the Church’s teaching, liturgy and canon law – continue being celebrated between a man and a woman”. The fair play of those defeated. The supporters of the “no-vote” reacted with great fair play. Moreover, the bishop of Elphin, Monsignor Kevin Doran, voiced the position of those who voted against this constitutional innovation. “I want to acknowledge the generosity of so many people who worked so hard to ensure that the minority point of view was heard,” he said. “They have every reason to be proud of what they achieved with such limited resources”. “This is not the time to outline a policy or a strategy for the future. It is a time for reflection. Whether the result was a yes or a no, there are always important lessons to be learned from what happened. I hope that we can work together on this”, in “unity of the Spirit”, because we “are all called to the same hope”.