Presidential hopeful Maria Steen launches campaign
Prominent barrister and Catholic commentator Maria Steen is seeking a nomination for the Presidency of Ireland, placing family, faith, and constitutional values at the heart of her campaign.
Steen, a mother of five, said that while she has never run for public office before, she feels compelled to speak for those who feel their values are ignored or dismissed. “I want to give a voice to those who feel politically homeless, to those whose values are openly attacked by our political leaders, NGOs, and of course the media,” she explained in a statement released to this paper.
In her statement, Steen emphasised that the Presidency is entrusted with safeguarding the Constitution and reflecting the deeper spirit of Irish life.
She pointed particularly to the constitutional recognition of the family as “the natural primary and fundamental unit group of Society,” a principle she said was under attack in the recent family and care referenda.
Steen described the outcome as a “watershed moment” that showed the people’s determination to defend the family as central to Irish national life.
“I will not apologise for my convictions,” Steen said. “Faith and family are not dirty words, but beautiful ideas.”
The wider context of the upcoming presidential election has also prompted reflection by Fr Timothy Bartlett, speaking at a Mass in Knock for the charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) to look out for anti-Catholic bias in the Presidential race. Fr Bartlett said he invited Catholics “to watch carefully how our state media and candidates deal with the issue of religious freedom and the growing number of people of faith who feel they are being told, however softly, though increasingly aggressively, to keep their heads down.”
He urged Catholics to encourage both candidates and media to highlight the concerns of people of faith, especially young people who increasingly report feeling “excluded, marginalised, unwelcome, cancelled or misunderstood, simply because their faith is important to them.”
Steen’s campaign message aligns closely with these concerns. She said she hopes to give honour to mothers and fathers, protect the innocence of children, and encourage young people to embrace marriage and family life…Family first.”
