Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor– 19 July 2013
TAOISEACH Enda Kenny insists his Catholic faith has
not been damaged by the controversy over his Government passing the country's
first abortion legislation.
In an exclusive interview with the
Irish Independent, Mr Kenny says he
remains a regular Massgoer and his religious beliefs are
intact.
"I'm a Catholic, admittedly not the best
Catholic, but I am a Catholic," he says.
Mr Kenny adds that he is "clear in my
mind" the Government's passing of the abortion legislation through the Dail was
"absolutely the right thing".
In a wide-ranging interview, at the end
of a long Dail term, Mr Kenny says:
* The EU bank deal will take another year to be
finalised.
* He wants any funds in the Budget to be
put into job creation.
* The DPP is right to take her time in
pursuing banking prosecutions.
* The final Dail vote on the abortion
legislation reflects the public mood.
* He has a "respectful relationship"
with Lucinda Creighton and the other
rebels.
* There will be a ministerial reshuffle
in the "latter half" of the Coalition's term.
The Taoiseach says the abortion
legislation dealt with "very sensitive issues".
Defending his handling of the passing of
the legislation within Fine Gael, he says he made himself
available to reassure backbenchers about where they
stood.
Mr Kenny says the final vote on the
legislation, where three-quarters of all TDs backed the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013, was in
tune with public opinion.
"I think the vote in the Dail reflected
accurately the public mood and the public expression of support in this case,"
he says.
The Taoiseach says he had no regrets and
it was clear in his mind that the Government did the right
thing.
"It brings regulation, legal certainty
and provides the women of the country who have had a Constitutional right
conferred upon them, by virtue of the vote of the people and endorsed secondly,
that they were never able to have clarity about – now that clarity is there,
that certainty is there," he says.
UNBORN
"And that is a good thing in terms of my
Constitutional responsibility here. As I said on many occasions, it is about
women, it's about their lives and the lives of their unborn
children.
"Written into the legislation is the
clarity of the Constitutional responsibility of medical personnel to do
everything practical and possible to save the life of the unborn, as well as
that of the mother."
Mr Kenny says he retains his staunch
Catholic faith and remains a regular Massgoer. He remains dismissive about the
threats of excommunication flagged before the abortion legislation
debate.
"I have answered that before by saying I
talk to my God. That's it. I don't want to comment about the Catholic Church,"
he says.
Mr Kenny says he
remains "respectful" towards Lucinda Creighton and the other Fine Gael TDs who
voted against the abortion legislation.
"My relationship is she is a member of
Fine Gael, until she decides not to be a member of Fine Gael, if that is her
choice," he says.
"I have to say that I appointed Lucinda
as Minister for European Affairs as part of the team of government. She played
her part effectively in the whole business of preparation for the EU Presidency
and during the Presidency.
"So I have a very respectful
relationship with every member of the party and those who voted against the
party, and as a consequence removed themselves from the parliamentary process,"
he adds.
After appointing two junior ministers in
recent months, Mr Kenny says the Cabinet will be the same in the autumn and
sticks to his previous commitment not to have a reshuffle this
year.
"I'll have the same team of ministers
when I come back in September. I'm sure they'll breathe a sigh of relief when
they read that."
When asked when the Cabinet reshuffle
would take place, he replies: "You are talking the latter half of the
Government."
Comment:
Mr. Kenny raises the same tired argument
that is “overused” by politicians who profess to be Catholic while they take
“politically
correct public positions that are in direct conflict with the teachings of the
Catholic Church”. There comes a time
in the course of their political careers when they can demonstrate to the
electorate whether or not they are endowed with a “spine”. Lucinda Creighton,
Peadar Toibin, and others proved that they are so endowed. Mr. Kenny fell far
short of passing the test. As a result, he will go down in the history of Dail
Eireann as the Taoiseach who allowed the first step toward “abortion on demand”
to become law in Ireland, a country that once proudly claimed the title of “the
most Catholic country in Europe”. Shame on Mr. Kenny, a Catholic in
name only.
Jack Meehan, Past National
President
Ancient Order of Hibernians in America
Knights of Columbus – 4th Degree
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