Priests who celebrate more than one Mass a day could face prosecution if plans to reduce the legal drinking limit are introduced, according to the Vintners Federation of Ireland. The organisation, which represents 5,000 publicans, is using priests as an example to convince TDs to oppose plans by Transport Minister Noel Dempsey to reduce the blood alcohol limit from 80mg to 50mg.
In a briefing note circulated at a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party last Tuesday, the VFI said the changes - limiting drivers to less than one drink - would destroy 5,000 jobs.
''A person having a glass of wine with a meal is likely to be over the limit,'' it read. ''Indeed, a priest having said two Masses is likely to be over the limit,'' the VFI said.
The association's lobbying campaign argues that the move would ''have absolutely no effect'' on the numbers of road deaths, saying the Road Safety Authority has no statistics to justify the move.
Under the plan, which is still in consultation phase, first-time drink-driving offenders would get the choice of accepting six penalty points and heavy fines on their driving licences, or else going to court and facing a possible ban.
A spokesperson for the Irish bishop's drug and alcohol initiative declined to comment on the issue.
Meanwhile, the bishop's campaign to remove alcohol advertising from sporting events suffered a PR blow last week with the publication of the annual report from the Alcohol Marketing Monitoring Body (AMCMB).
It concluded that there is ''overall compliance'' among advertisers with the voluntary code of practice on alcohol marketing.
In a submission to the Oireachtas Advisery Committee on Alcohol, the bishops' had called on politicians and sporting organisations to remove alcohol advertising altogether.
A spokesperson for the bishops' drug and alcohol initiative also declined to comment on this issue.
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