I find it hard to believe that an Irish Catholic bishop, Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford and Lismore, is hosting a right- wing group called ‘Catholic Unscripted’ in his Diocese. This event was reported in the Tablet magazine this week (28 Sept). This weird group which is hostile to Pope Francis has shown support for the right wing anti-immigrant activist, Tommy Robinson. Three members, Katherine Bennett, Gavin Ashenden and Mark Lambert, have been welcomed by Bishop Cullinan to give a series of talks at Glencomeragh House which is Diocesan property. How can this bishop be allowed to host such a disloyal group? Are there no regulations in the Irish Catholic church to stop a Catholic bishop from facilitating those who are opposed to Pope Francis? It would seem that Bishop Cullinan who, sadly is the Catholic bishops’ spokesman for Vocations is answerable to nobody in Ireland.
The only person that I have seen speaking out against him is the suspended Redemptorist priest, Fr Tony Flannery, who has been forbidden the use of Church premises for the past 12 years for advocating married clergy and women priests. Fr Flannery referred to Bishop Cullinan’s willingness to be photographed with the right-wing group and his willingness to allow them to speak on Church premises as disgraceful. “How can a bishop who promises to be loyal to the Pope allow this to happen on Church property?” he asked.
The leaders of the Irish Catholic hierarchy have serious questions to answer and even more serious decisions to make in relation to this matter. It is also time for the Catholic hierarchy to show support for the suffering people of Gaza and the destruction of Catholic churches in Lebanon. Silence is complicity. I suppose I should not be surprised by the stance of the Catholic hierarchy, given its silence about the years of British repression and collusion in the north of Ireland.
The Irish Catholic Church is in a sorry state when a Catholic Bishop who is the official Bishops spokesman for Vocations can allow this event to take place on Church property. It is outrageous!
The Catholic Church in Ireland (with honourble exception) still look down their noses at Irish Republicans.
“Show me your companions and I’ll tell you what you are” was a saying of my Mother.
So I hope I have never given sympathy to the likes of Tommy Robinson.
I can think of no word to excuse those who support or fail to condemn injustice.
As a Catholic it pains me to know that Pope Pius X1 enthusiastically supported the Fascist Rape of
Ethiopia. And as a human being I pains be to know that the Chief Rabbi in Rome was no less l complicit in that crime.
The Vatican signed a concordat with the Third Reich in 1934. I don’t claim infallibility, but it seems to me that Pope Pius XI and Pope Pius XII were concerned with the Church as an Institution rather than
with humanity as a whole.
Pope Pius XII congratulated the murderous mutineer Francisco Franco on his victory over the peoples
of the Iberian Peninsula.
The destruction of Mosques and Protestant Cathedrals, schools and hospital, the worshippers, students,
teachers, patients, medical staff and nurses in Gaza cry to God for vengeance, as well as condemnation
and action by all mankind.
Human rights are universal, as are human responsibilities.
Thomas Drummond, one of the few British Administrators to leave behind an unsullied reputation
asserted that Property has its Duties as Well as its Rights.
The same principle applies to Jews and Gentiles.
Pope Pius also saved hundreds of Jewish lives.
Sorry, I meant hundreds of thousands.
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/860-000-lives-saved-the-truth-about-pius-xii-and-the-jews
I will be attending the retreat given by Catholic Unscripted at Glencomeragh House and am looking forwaard to it. I listen very often to the three presnters and like all three. I am especially looking forward to the presence of Gavin Ashenden. Gavin was an Anglican Bishop and chaplin to the Queen. He converted to Catholicism and has a rich and deep understanding of the Catholic faith.
All three Gavin, Mark and Catherine are simply Catholics seeking to tbe faithful to the teachings of the Church. The description “right wing” is a totally false tag that Mr McVeigh puts on them.
They are a great help for those Catholics who find Pope Francis’s ambiguous statements on Church teaching confusing. Gavin Ashenden in paarticular is well placed to show how such ambiguous teaching can contribute to the destruction of a Church. One should remember that Pope Francis has actually encouraged Catholics to call out any of his actions they feel are at odds with the Papacy. According to the Gospels, the Popes most immportant job is to confirm the faithful in the faith, not to confuse them.
Mr McVeigh makes reference to a priest who is a member of the Association of Catholic Priests. Mr McVeigh might wish to examine the previous contents of the website of that Association. If he did so he would find extremely abusive references to Popes John Paul II and Pope Benedict. I wouldn’t be inclined to have anything to learn from that priest.
I pray for Pope Francis several times a week. But were I to meet him, I would demand that he stop being ambiguous about Church teaching.
Neil You could learn a lot from Sagart McVeigh who stood by the Northern Nationalists under an apartheid regime in the North when the majority of the clergy stood idly by