Catholic moral calls have not affected SF vote: Belfast ex-mayor

An ex-Sinn Fein lord mayor of Belfast has downplayed the influence of the Catholic Church over their voters, after top clerics issued advice to religious followers preparing to head to the polls on Thursday.
Niall O Donnghaile says voters will vote according to their own conscienceNiall O Donnghaile says voters will vote according to their own conscience
Niall O Donnghaile says voters will vote according to their own conscience

Niall O Donnghaile told the News Letter that such pronouncements have not had much of an effect on his party’s polling in the past, and he does not expect it to this time.

Northern Ireland’s Catholic bishops described their joint statement as “a contribution to pre-election public debate by pastoral leaders”.

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Among the points which they encouraged voters to consider when choosing candidates are that “it is never morally acceptable to support any policy that undermines the sacred inviolability of the right to life of an innocent person in any circumstances” – in other words, that abortion is never acceptable.

Sinn Fein's Niall O DonnghaileSinn Fein's Niall O Donnghaile
Sinn Fein's Niall O Donnghaile

It also asks Catholics to quiz would-be MLAs over whether they would protect the “natural institution of marriage between one man and one woman”.

In practice, the statement would discourage voters from casting their ballots for Sinn Fein, because of the republican party’s stance on relaxing the law on abortion for foetuses which have lethal defects, and for foetuses conceived as a result of a sex crime.

The bishops stated clearly that there is “no such thing as ‘limited’ abortion”.

Sinn Fein also strongly backs the idea of gay marriage.

Sinn Fein's Niall O DonnghaileSinn Fein's Niall O Donnghaile
Sinn Fein's Niall O Donnghaile
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Mr O Donnghaile, a Belfast councillor and now a member of the Republic’s upper house of parliament, the Seanad, said: “I think people will make up their own minds in terms of their own conscience or their own judgment.”

Asked if the bishops’ statement would dent their vote, he said: “I honestly wouldn’t have thought so... This isn’t the first time. They’ve made similar calls. I don’t know what influence that’s brought to bear on the election results up until now.

“One thing’s for certain – that Sinn Fein’s vote certainly hasn’t been impacted. It’s increased consistently over the last number of years.”

The bishops’ statement was published online last week, then delivered by Down and Connor Bishop Noel Treanor at mass in St Peter’s cathedral in Belfast on Saturday.

It also makes calls for a new Assembly to help Northern Ireland embrace renewable energy, and for politicians to lobby for more refugees from war-torn Syria to be settled in the Province.