Priests refuse to sign census return forms to protest what they say is an unjust legal system in Northern Ireland.
Twenty-five Catholic priests from the Diocese of Down and Connor have refused to complete census forms in protest at what they describe as an unjust and selectively applied legal system in Northern Ireland.
The priests have signed a declaration stating that their action is intended to highlight concerns about the administration of justice.
One of the signatories, Fr Seán Cahill, says that he and his fellow priests feel a moral responsibility to seek justice on behalf of the entire community.
We decided to use the census as a form of protest because we believe, seriously believe, that there is maladministration of law, there's a lack of administration of law, there's injustice at law and through the law in Northern Ireland.
Fr Seán Cahill emphasised that the clergy recognise the importance of collecting social data and are not calling on the wider public to boycott the census. He stressed that their protest is directed not at the census itself, but at the way the legal system operates.
Just days earlier, the Bishop of Down and Connor, the Right Reverend Dr Philbin, was photographed receiving his own census form, an image that has been interpreted as signalling his support for the census process.
Another of the priests involved, Fr Kevin McMullen, rejected suggestions that the action amounts to an ecclesiastical rebellion against the bishop. The priests are in agreement with their bishop on the value of the census and are simply using it to draw attention to broader concerns about justice.
Fr Kevin McMullen also noted that unlike republicans in Northern Ireland who have raised objections, the priests are not opposed to the census itself but are using it as a symbolic protest to highlight what they see as serious injustices within the legal system.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 25 April 1971. The reporter is Liam Hourican.
The Northern Ireland Census was conducted on 25-26 April 1971.
