A new law allowing for the legal recognition of
non-religious marriage ceremonies is being frustrated by a delay in
registering humanist celebrants, it has been claimed.
The
Humanist Association of Ireland says it received nearly 600 inquiries
in the first three months of this year about facilitating such
ceremonies but was unable to meet the demand because only one of its 11
marriage solemnisers had received accreditation from the General
Registrar’s Office.
The association’s director of ceremonies, Brian Whiteside,
who is the sole registered solemniser, said he had been informed by the
Government agency that it had concerns about people profiting from
solemnising, and this was why it had not acceded to the other
applications.
“But all the other solemnisers – the
religious ones – charge in some shape or form,” Mr Whiteside said.
“There are costs involved, and I mean you can’t live on fresh air.”
The
office, which falls under the Department of Social Protection, has
declined to comment on the matter, noting that as a policy it doesn’t
give reasons for refusing applications.
Atheist activists
The
issue has been complicated by an internal dispute among humanist and
atheist activists over provisions within the law which demand that
non-religious solemnisers refrain from campaigning for “political
cause”.
Some members of the association have joined Atheist Ireland in criticising the law.
“We
fought for this law for 10 years and I never thought I’d be in this
situation where, on the one hand, I have the registrar general holding
things up and, on the other, people who I feel would be friends and
colleagues of mine who are trying to scupper this,” said Mr Whiteside.
“I
think the non-religious community deserves better. The people I feel
sorry for are the people who want to have legal humanist ceremonies but
can’t.”
The Civil Registration (Amendment) Act
2012, was enacted last December, allowing secular bodies to legally
solemnise weddings. It reaffirms a condition of the original 2004 Act
that registered celebrants cannot carry on “a business of solemnising
marriage . . . for the purpose of profit or gain”.
Specific conditions
But
it adds to this a number of conditions, ruling out the registering of
political parties, trade unions or “a body that promotes a political
cause”, as well as an organisation that has “the making of profit as one
of its principal objects”.
Mr Whiteside said he
conducted his first legal marriage ceremony on April 6th. “We did it in a
low-key way because there was such confusion, and there still is.” He
has done several more weddings since and “I can’t take on anymore. I’m
booked up pretty much every weekend this year and into next year.”
The
association typically charged €450 for a marriage ceremony, which he
said compared favourably with religious alternatives. “What we do is put
together a very personal and meaningful humanist ceremony, and I am not
charging anything extra for solemnising. I am not profiting from it. We
are charging what we always have done [for non-legal ceremonies].”
Regarding the controversy over the legislation’s
wording, he said the association had taken legal advice and understood
its role in campaigning would not be inhibited. “Our cause is simply the
promotion of humanism.”
But Michael Nugent,
chair of Atheist Ireland, and also a member of the association, said
either the law should be adhered to “or the association should openly
challenge the law - and both promote political cause and solemnise
marriage; that would be a position based on integrity”.
Wedding day nears - but no celebrant
It’s
three months to their wedding day, and Annie Wood and Eddie Quinn still
don’t know if the humanist celebrant they’ve booked for the occasion
will be registered by then.
“We are all on tenterhooks,” says Annie. “There are couples all over the country like us who are waiting, and don’t know why.
“What I find really bad is we have been given a right by the Dáil and we can’t exercise this right.”
The
bride- and groom-to-be, both aged in their early 60s, are opting for a
non-religious ceremony to be held in the garden of their home near
Mitchelstown, Co Cork.
“Ed and I are not humanists per se but our
philosophy would be about connecting with nature, the universe and
mankind, more of a Quaker philosophy. We are not anti-religion. We’re
not anti-anything,” Annie explains.
The couple
said they started planning the wedding after the legislation went
through last December allowing for secular marriage solemnisers. They
looked up non-religious celebrants on the internet, stumbled across the
Humanist Association of Ireland website and located its representative
in Co Cork, Norma McElligott.
“We were delighted
in December when registered humanists were being allowed to conduct
ceremonies, but our celebrant has not been approved yet. She is in limbo
- and so are we.”
As a back-up plan, they have
booked an advance appointment at the registry office where they would be
married ahead of the service.
“What we wanted was
for the legal part to happen at the same time as the service, the same
as in religious ceremonies. That’s what we are entitled to under the
law. But now we may have to do the legal part first and then go to the
garden; if we do that no one will be with us in the registry office.”
Both she and her fiance had Catholic upbringings. Belfast-born Eddie, who is a widower, says: “We just want freedom of choice.”
The
couple have written their own vows for the ceremony, which will include
music (“from punk to classical”), readings and poetry, with plenty of
guest participation.
Friends and family members
are travelling from England and Northern Ireland for the occasion, “even
the very religious ones”, Eddie laughs.