I send you herewith text of a Statement which it is thought you might make verbally to Mr. MacDonald in connection with the suggested modification of the Coronation Oath.

With¹ regard to the proposed modification of the Church of England part of the oath the President thinks that Mr. Mac's original suggestion to insert after 'Protestant Reformed Religion' the words 'where established by law' is much better than the modification you mentioned to me on the telephone.

[STATEMENT]

The Minister for External Affairs appreciates the efforts made by Mr. MacDonald to meet some of the difficulties in relation to the Coronation Ceremony, and in particular his efforts to have the secular part of the Oath removed from the Church of England Service proper. He fears, however, that the mere separating of that promise scarcely does this when the solemn confirmation of it with all the other promises is made at the culminating point of the Church of England Service. It is only right that Mr. MacDonald should know that the attitude of the Government of Saorstát Éireann towards the Coronation as a whole can only be one of detachment and protest, so long as our country is partitioned and the religious service implies discrimination (to put it mildly) against the faith of the majority of the people of this country.