The Irish government has announced plans for a referendum to take place in 2015, asking the public to vote on the issue of same sex ‘marriage’.
A government spokesman said it would be "actively supporting" the introduction of civil marriage for same sex couples in the referendum.
Defending marriage
“The Church regards the family based on marriage between a woman and a man as the single most important institution in any society,” said the Catholic Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin, Denis Nulty.
He said the Catholic Church in Ireland is campaigning against the introduction of same sex 'marriage' in the referendum.
The Bishop added: “To change the nature of marriage would be to undermine it as the fundamental building block of our society.”
Parenting
Meanwhile Dr John Murray, spokesman for the Iona Institute, commented: “This debate is really about the value we attach to a child having a mother and a father as distinct from two fathers or two mothers.
“Do we think having the love of a mother and a father confers any special advantage on children or not?
“Do we think the natural ties between children and their parents matter at all?”
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