Bishop Michael Router of Armagh has welcomed Government’s announcement of one-off payments aimed at addressing aspects of the cost of living and energy crisis.
However, he warned that these Budget 2023 measures were only a temporary solution and would not stop people on the lowest incomes from “falling further down the ladder”.
Speaking to The Tablet, Bishop Router said, “One in seven children in the Republic of Ireland lives in poverty. That is totally unacceptable. A lot of decisions are going to be made in households over the winter, whether to eat or to heat – that is unacceptable because children are the ones who suffer most in those sorts of situations unfortunately.
“We have 180,000 families living in poverty; they should be targeted with specific long-term measures that narrow that gap between those at the bottom and those at the top, not temporary ones that might get them through the next few months.”
He was speaking following the bishops’ appeal to the Government to extend energy-cost supports to churches and parish halls as they grapple with the prospect of “drastic closures” due to soaring heating costs.
The escalating energy costs come on the back of the 90 per cent drop in income during the pandemic when church collections ceased.
“It is possible that churches may have to close their doors except when there are services going on. A lot of parishes have parish halls and parish facilities, and they possibly won't be able to heat them and may have to close them down in order to save money,” Bishop Router warned.
According to the Irish Times, a senior Government source said that assisting churches with their energy bills will now “have to be considered in the Government’s overall package”.
Separately, a spokesperson for the Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys has said she is to meet the Minister for Public Expenditure on the issue.
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