The English woman who was ordained a priest by the dissident Bishop Pat Buckley last September has resigned as a church administrator after he allowed the BBC to film a wedding scene for a comedy episode in her Co Louth church.
Mother Frances Meigh (67) told The Irish Times she was "shocked and stunned" when she walked into St Andrew's Church in Omeath, Co Louth, on Tuesday and saw an actor in vestments standing in front of a congregation that included Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness "lookalikes".
The actors were filming a wedding scene in the popular BBC television series, Give My Head Peace, set in Northern Ireland, where the bride is pregnant and a hymn-like version of The Men Behind the Wire is played.
After meeting BBC staff some weeks earlier, Mother Meigh said she was under the impression that the crew were there only to take still photographs of the interior of the church.
"I phoned Bishop Buckley immediately to say how upset I was and relinquished my position as administrator," she said.
The mother of three said she would not be saying Mass in the church again because it made a mockery of everything she stood for.
"A holy place, where the Blessed Sacrament is kept, should not be used for such activities," she said.
Parishioners had phoned her to complain about the incident. "They said a bishop should know better," she said.
Bishop Buckley said yesterday that Mother Meigh's stepping down had been a mutual decision agreed by both of them due to the "stress of commuting" from her home in south Armagh to say Mass each week. He added that Mother Meigh had been aware of the filming of the episode and that it was "precious" of her to complain.
"I have always said the church should be open to everybody and the BBC drama department is very reputable. If the actors had been having sex in the aisle it would have disrespecting the church," he said. The BBC paid him £120 for the use of the building. A BBC source said Mother Meigh had known about the filming and seemed quite happy about it on the day.
Mother Meigh denied she was under stress and insisted the decision was "in no way mutual" but was made because of her dismay at what she viewed as "sacrilegious" activities being sanctioned by Bishop Buckley.