Ireland's Bishops Voice Opposition to Lowering Age of Consent

Ireland's Catholic bishops have condemned legislative proposals to reduce the age of consent to 16, warning that it will reduce sexual activity to being "something trivial".

In a strongly worded denunciation of politicians and opinion makers who, they say, have lost their moral compass in the booming economy, the bishops said they viewed the plan with "alarm" and "amazement".

The clash between the Catholic hierarchy and the Irish state comes at a time when the once persuasive authority of the church has been undermined by successive scandals over abuse committed by priests.

Last month a committee on child protection in the Dail, the Republic's parliament, recommended the age of consent be reduced from 17 to 16. Most children's welfare groups welcomed the plan but Enda Kenny, the leader of the main opposition party, Fine Gael, opposed the change.

In their written statement, following a three-day winter conference at Maynooth, near Dublin, the bishops declared: "[We] view the lowering of the age of consent to 16 with alarm, as this sends out the wrong signal to a young generation who, under the influence of teenage glossy magazines, peer pressure and binge drinking, feel engaging in sexual activity as something trivial.

"Anything that would undermine the moral effort needed to preserve moral and physical integrity among teenagers must be resisted by any mature society. Children need to be protected not only from irresponsible adults but also from themselves, until they reach the age of maturity, now considered to be 18.

"Parents also deserve the support of the state as well as the church to help them in their difficult task of rearing children in an age dominated by moral indifference.

"Finally, as bishops, we cannot but express our amazement that politicians and public opinion makers shy away from confronting the basic demands of morality, namely what is right and wrong.

"Until such time as morality is respected for what it is - the bedrock of personal integrity and of communal life - Irish society, in the midst of increasing material prosperity, will continue its downward descent into moral chaos where literally anything goes."

The bishops also called attention to the frequency of gangland feuds, declaring that: "Our social fabric is being torn apart by a culture of violence that leaves people dead on our streets and gunned down in their own homes."

The Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahern, welcomed the bishops' contribution to the debate and said the cabinet had not decided whether to lower the age of consent.