Irish Clergy Warned that Vatican Document on Homosexual Unions May Violate Hate Crime Law

DUBLIN, August 5, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), an independent non-governmental organization founded by former Irish President and UN Human Rights Chief Mary Robinson, has issued a legal warning to Bishops and priests in Ireland over the Vatican’s new document on homosexual unions.  The Irish Times reports that Ms Aisling Reidy, director of the ICCL, warned that the statement could be in violation of the 1989 Incitement to Hatred Act, which carries penalties of up to six months in prison for violation. “The document itself may not violate the Act, but if you were to use the document to say that gays are evil, it is likely to give rise to hatred, which is against the Act,” according to Ms Reidy. “The wording is very strong and certainly goes against the spirit of the legislation.”  See the Irish Times coverage:  https://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2003/0802/720611077HM1POPE.html