Criticism by the Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, of Ms Celia Larkin's involvement in a reception to honour Cardinal Connell was "gratuitously discourteous" to the Taoiseach and Ms Larkin, the Taoiseach's adviser, Dr Martin Mansergh, said yesterday.
The Very Rev Robert MacCarthy had objected that the invitation to the State reception was from the Taoiseach and Ms Larkin and said it was putting "lesser relationships" on a par with marriage.
Dr Mansergh said he was friends with the Dean of St Patrick's. "But I'm afraid I regarded his remarks as gratuitously discourteous to the elected head of government, and indeed discourteous to his loyal and devoted companion, Celia Larkin, and I didn't like to see that coming from within my own church," he said.
Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland programme, Dr Mansergh said his comments were made in a personal capacity.
"The basic point I wanted to make is I don't think people have the right to judge the integrity of other people's relationships," he said.
Dr Mansergh said Dean MacCarthy tended to be "forward with his comments".
Asked if the Taoiseach should have considered whether the invitation would cause offence, he said: "In the case of the dean, since he wasn't going to go to the reception anyway because he was hosting one himself, it seems to be that it was going out of his way to seek offence."
Dr Mansergh said Ms Larkin played "a distinguished role" in assisting Mr Ahern to represent the country "and I would personally be proud of both her and him".
Church leaders had every right to stress the value and importance of marriage in society, Dr Mansergh said. "But the question is, what happens in the situation of marriage breakdown?"
While the President could be seen as a role model, Dr Mansergh said, he did not see the Taoiseach as a role model. Nor had it been claimed that previous taoisigh were role models.
