Church and State in Ireland (1922-2013): Contrasting Perceptions of Humanity

Abstract

The 2013 debate on abortion is the starting point of this paper, which argues that the evolution of Church-State relationships since the creation of the Irish Free State may be understood in theological and philosophical terms. The traditional world view based on the natural law has indeed progressively been superseded by a more and more humanistic framework of ideas and beliefs. However, both viewpoints still attract support today, which leads to misunderstandings and necessarily intractable conflicts.