“The Irish bishops can still win an election.” A friend of mine said this to me as the results of the two Irish referendums on the Family Amendment and the Care Amendment to the Irish Constitution started to filter through – indicating a dual defeat for the Irish government.
My friend was speaking somewhat in jest; I don’t think anyone believes that the intervention of the bishops, calling for Catholics to reject both proposals put forward by the government, ultimately played a decisive role in what turned out to be an embarrassing setback for the political Establishment in the Republic of Ireland.
