Irish and British bishops liaise to reduce Brexit risks

Irish and British bishops liaise to reduce Brexit risks

Irish bishops have been working with their British counterparts to protect the rights of Irish people in Britain, following the country’s decision to leave the European Union.

Liam Allmark, public affairs manager for the Bishops Conference of England and Wales, told The Irish Catholic that Bishop Nicholas Hudson, an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Westminster has liaised with his Irish counterpart, Bishop Noel Treanor of Down and Connor, with whom he sits in COMECE, the European Bishops’ Conference.

“There are about 332,000 Irish citizens living in Great Britain, a lot of whom living in England and Wales, and they’ve obviously been a large part of the Catholic community in England and Wales,” Mr Allmark told The Irish Catholic.

“The UK government has obviously said that they want the longstanding rights of Irish citizens in the UK to be protected – that people’s rights to stay and to work and so on are maintained here,” he said, continuing, “as a Church with a very big Irish community as part of it, we’re keen to make sure that happens.”

Concerns

Explaining that this is part of the Church’s wider concern for citizens of all EU countries in the UK, and that Irish citizens have a special status in the UK that predates both countries joining the EEC, he said Britain’s priests and bishops had heard concerns raised by many people of various European nationalities about what their future in the UK might entail.

Mr Allmark said the Church was doing what it could to ensure that the “long and large contribution” Irish people and other Europeans have made in the UK was recognised and enabled to continue.

Describing Dr Hudson as the English bishop who is “leading on issues around Brexit”, he said “At COMECE he’s there with bishops from all other European countries including Scotland and Ireland, which obviously Brexit is going to be affecting.”

“He’s had discussions with them,” Mr Allmark said, continuing, “going forward [Brexit] will affect all three conferences, and there will no doubt be many discussions going forward.”