Here is a copy of letter sent to all Members of Congress, House
and Senate, lobbying them to state their support for repealing
the anti-Catholic sections of the British Act of Settlement,
1701.

We urge all concerned Americans to lobby their Senators and
Representatives. After all, what decent American could possibly
defend this anachronistic and sectarian law?

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The Honorable ___________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC. 20510

September 18, 2007

Dear Senator_________-,

This letter — which asks you to state your position on repealing
the anti-Catholic sections of the British Act of Settlement of
1701– has overwhelmingly support among Irish-Americans.

Furthermore, it is supported by the main Irish organizations that
have been working for over the years for equality, justice and
peace in Northern Ireland.

The sectarian and anti-Catholic Act of Settlement 1701, which is
still law today, decrees that only a Protestant can succeed to
the British throne and that if the Monarch becomes a Catholic, or
marries a Catholic, he/she forfeits the Throne and “the people
are absolved from their allegiance”.

While this absurdly anachronistic law may mean little to the
average Englishman in the street, it has always been of the
utmost importance to Protestant/Unionist/Orange extremists in
Northern Ireland. It provides the ideological and philosophical
underpinnings for their bigotry and sectarianism. For you see,
the spurious but deadly logic goes, if a Catholic by law can’t
get the top job, then Catholics are inferior to Protestants,
therefore it’s okay to discriminate against them.

Imagine had there been a provision in the US Constitution
forbidding an African-American being president, or forbidding the
president to marry a black personŠ imagine how that would have
stoked the flames of racism and the sick ideology of white
supremacy.

Tony Blair, who has done so much good work for justice and peace
in Northern Ireland, declared the Act was ” plainly
discriminatory”

Furthermore, an increasing number of people in Britain itself are
shamed and embarrassed by this archaic and anti-Catholic law —
which is clearly incompatible with the Human Rights Act 1998 —
and are demanding its repeal.

Here is a partial list: the British Attorney General, more than
150 MPs, the Cardinal of Scotland, the Cardinal of England and
the Guardian Newspaper.

We now ask you to join this growing list of concerned people in
the US, Britain and Ireland, by declaring your support for
repealing the sectarian and anti-Catholic sections of the Act of
Settlement, which fans the fires of religious bigotry in Northern
Ireland.

Please find enclosed our ” Roll Call on Act of Settlement, 1701″,
which polls all Members of the House and Senate on whether they
are for or against Repeal. (A similar poll will be sent to
Presidential Candidates and others seeking public office). Your
response, or lack thereof, will be disseminated among the Irish-
American community, which according to the last US census is over
30 million.

I look forward to your early response.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Fr. Sean Mc Manus
President

ROLL CALL ON ACT OF SETTLEMENT, 1701

I, Senator _______________________________
do hereby declare my support for REPEAL.

I join the growing number of leaders of both Church and State in
Britain, Ireland and the United States in calling for the repeal
of the sectarian and anti-Catholic sections of the Act of
Settlement, 1701.

And I pledge to Irish-Americans to continue supporting the Irish
peace-process, based on nonviolence, equality, justice and peace
in Northern Ireland.

God bless America and God save Ireland.

SIGNED _________________________ Date________

Irish National Caucus, Capitol Hill, PO BOX 15128, Washington DC,
20003

Tel. 202-544-0568; Fax 202-488-7537; Email
sean@irishnationalcaucus.org

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