A 'Shared Society'? Attitudes on immigration and diversity (Research Update 86)
In the past decade, debates on multiculturalism and racial equality have become a more prominent feature of political and social discussion in Northern Ireland. The region has been home to a number of small but well-established ethnic minority communities for a number of decades, most notably the Indian and Chinese communities which have been in the region since the 1930s and 1960s respectively. However, the 2004 expansion of the European Union (EU) facilitated the further arrival of thousands of individuals from new member states, notably Poland and Lithuania. Moreover, lessening levels of violence and a relative economic stability, especially in the period 1998-2008, made Northern Ireland a more attractive location for migrant workers, and consequently a more culturally diverse society. This is indicated by the results of the 2011 census which showed that 4.5% of Northern Ireland’s population were born outside Great Britain and Ireland, compared with 1.5% a decade earlier (NISRA, 2011). Such changes have occurred in a post-conflict period when government has focused on the need to create both a ‘Shared Future’ and improve access of opportunity and equality for all. Consequently, discussions on respecting and understanding all forms of cultural diversity have become a feature of wider efforts to eradicate the potential for a return to violent conflict. It is pertinent, therefore, that the 2012 Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) Survey acknowledged this through the continued inclusion of a series of questions on immigration and multiculturalism. This research report looks at four specific issues: the data on the EU’s role in driving current migration trends to Northern Ireland, the perceived impact that migrants have made to the region, the levels of contact that respondents have had with migrants, and finally perceptions of current levels of discrimination and prejudice.
Intimate mixing – bridging the gap? Catholic-Protestant relationships in Northern Ireland
Abstract For many years Northern Ireland has been a divided society where members of the two main religious groups, Catholics and Protestants, have limited opportunities to interact due to segregation in their social lives. Attempts have been made to encourage religious mixing through integration in schools, housing, and workplaces predicated on the theory that bringing people together can improve community relations and remove prejudices – known as the ‘contact hypothesis’. However, little is known about those who enter into mixed-religion partnerships often against the wishes of their families and communities. This paper examines the characteristics and attitudes of mixed-religion couples and suggests that they differ in their socio-demographic characteristics and in their attitudes from those who marry within their own religion. These findings add to the weight of evidence from other countries in conflict suggesting that intermarriage has a role to play in contributing to less sectarian views and improved community relations.
Mixed Marriages: Conversations in Theology, Ecumenism, Canon Law and Pastoral Practice
This paper traces the developments in the Catholic law on mixed marriages beginning with an outline of the canonical provisions that were in force prior to the Second Vatican Council. The impact of the Council teaching on ecumenism and religious freedom became apparent with the promulgation of Matrimonii sacramentum (1966), Crescens matrimoniorum (1967) and Matrimonia mixta (1970). These documents put the legislation on mixed marriages on a new footing and provided the basis for the legislation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. Bishop McAreavey analyses various ecumenical dialogues on mixed marriages: ARCIC, the dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Catholic Church, and ongoing dialogues between the Methodist Church and the Orthodox Church (primarily in the United States) and the Catholic Church. He notes in particular what those discussions have to say on the issue of ‘the promises’ and canonical form and comments on the provisions of the 1983 Code of Canon Law on mixed marriages. He considers the basis of the commitment required of the Catholic party ‘to remove dangers of defecting from the faith’ and the commitment ‘to do all in his or her power in order that all the children be baptised and brought up in the Catholic faith’. He accepts the view of Fr Navarrete that whereas the former obligation is of divine law the latter obligation goes no further than ‘to do his or her best’ (pro viribus in the Latin phrase). In the final section, he reflects on the pastoral impact of developments in the canon law regarding mixed marriages, noting the statements of the World Gatherings of Interchurch Families in Geneva (1998) and in Rome (2003).