Catholic bishops whose dioceses are wholly or partly in Northern Ireland have warned of the “potentially destabilising” impact of Brexit and urged the next Westminster Government to be “sensitive” to the impact negotiations may have on the lives of citizens in the north.
In a pre-election statement, the bishops said people should vote on 8 June, while acknowledging that the experience of prolonged political instability often diminishes trust and confidence in politics, especially among young people.
But, they added, it would be “regrettable” if people did not use their ballot.
The statement lists a series of questions Catholics should ask parliamentary candidates on specific topics: they include the demand for employment opportunities and good housing, the value of human life from conception until natural death, the environment and the need to “ensure that Ireland, North and South remains an outwards looking country within the community of nations.”
While the bishops set out some of their key concerns, they focus on broad policy issues rather than commenting on specific issues in any great detail.
But they highlight the fact that more than 100,000 children live in poverty while schools are experiencing “unprecedented financial pressure,” with a number planning significant redundancies in September.
On the economy, the bishops said Northern Ireland continues to have significant levels of unemployment and low-wage employment. These issues are directly related to funding and other policies that are set at Westminster, they added, although administered by politicians in the power-sharing executive at Stormont.
“It is important that this election gives voice to the particular needs and concerns of this region which for too long has been among the poorest on these islands,” the statement said.
The bishops concerned are the Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin, Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor, Bishop of Dromore John McAreavey, Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown and Mgr Joseph McGuinness Diocesan Administrator, Clogher.
PICTURE: Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin
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