Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin says he voted no, but recognizes that this election represents a reality check for the Catholic Church.
Ireland, one of the world's most predominantly Catholic nation voted "YES" to amend their constitution and provide for Gay & Lesbian Marriage ceremonies yesterday. In a vote that is an undeniable landslide, more than 62% of the people who turned up at the polls voted in favor of this change and that is causing members within the Catholic Hierarchy to take notice.
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“We [the church] have to stop and have a reality check, not move into denial of the realities. We won’t begin again with a sense of renewal, with a sense of denial.
“I appreciate how gay and lesbian men and women feel on this day. That they feel this is something that is enriching the way they live. I think it is a social revolution.”
The archbishop personally voted no, arguing that gay rights should be respected “without changing the definition of marriage”. “I ask myself, most of these young people who voted yes are products of our Catholic school system for 12 years. I’m saying there’s a big challenge there to see how we get across the message of the church,” he added.
Many had believed the election would be a divide between rural and urban voters, but those fears were unfounded as all but one of Ireland's districts voted convincingly in favor of the change.
The election, which brought out an elevated number - 61% - turned out many lay voters who like Americans hadn't been as motivated to get to the polls before, especially young voters, who turned out at higher than expected rates.
Armed with a strong and positive ad campaign, Ireland took on a supposedly controversial issue and went with it, inviting forcing the debate on their terms and standing for what they believed in.
A high turnout, particularly among younger voters, boosted the yes side. The overall turnout of 61% was higher than the poll to ratify the 1998 Good Friday agreement, when 56% of the electorate came out to vote.