Sir, – Jennifer O’Connell writes: “The Catholic Church, of course, enjoys the same right as every group and individual to believe what it likes. The question is why we are still choosing to bow down in deference to it” (Opinion & Analysis, November 5th).
The priest was preaching within a church, to Mass-goers, presumably Catholics only, and was reminding them that traditional Catholic teaching has not been changed by the Catholic Church. He was condemning practices that Catholic teaching still considers sinful. That does not mean he was inciting hatred against anyone. The Catholic Church has always admonished us to “hate the sin but love the sinner”. Where is freedom of speech or freedom of religion if a priest is to be condemned by the media for preaching doctrine to his congregation?
If Catholics attend Mass they can expect to hear Catholic teaching. Whether or not they adhere to it in their private lives is a free personal choice. Neither the Catholic Church nor priests interfere in private lives nor do they expect non-Catholics to bow down in deference to them.
Regarding the new Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences Bill, she says: “The real value of the legislation isn’t in the successful prosecutions it will bring. It is important for the message it sends: that this is a tolerant society in which you are free to believe what you like, but you are not free to say what you like.”
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In her response to the priest, I don’t think she is showing much tolerance.
Above all, I believe it is a nonsense to claim that as a people we have freedom of speech if we are not allowed to freely express our thoughts without being accused of inciting hatred. Context is everything. – Yours, etc,
SORCHA DONNELLY,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – “.. . this is a tolerant society in which you are free to believe what you like, but you are not free to say what you like”, writes Jennifer O’Connell.
Am I the only one a bit worried by this fairly accurate summation of the current situation? – Yours, etc,
LESTER NAUGHTON,
Galway.
Sir, – I note members of the LGBTQ community and Green Party activists carried out a silent protest outside a Catholic Church in Listowel on Sunday, as reported on The Irish Times website (November 6th).
In light of this, will the leader of the Green Party and his fellow TDs ensure that any proposed legislation to prevent silent protest outside hospitals or abortion clinics be widened to ensure that members of any church can be given free passage to religious services without having to encounter protesters, loud or silent? – Yours, etc,
PAT SAVAGE,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.
Sir, – Patsy McGarry (“Ireland’s growing tolerance leaves dogmatic religion at a loss”, Analysis, November 5th) is quite explicit in claiming that in the Listowel of Fr Seán Sheehy’s youth, “there were only two genders”.
Perhaps he would now like to explain how many genders have been discovered in the meantime. – Yours, etc,
IAN LEE,
Tullamore,
Co Offaly.
Sir, – Regarding Fr Sean Sheehy and the Listowel homily, the “for” and “against” clerical camps as outlined in your letters page are demonstrating the contradictory nature of official Catholic moral teaching and its theology of God. The church has been trying to have it both ways regarding sexual morality and God but the game is up and the time has come for courage and a change in official teaching.
Since the 1960s, the church has quietly shelved the “fire and brimstone” moral theology, and a vengeful God, in favour of a God who is love and mercy and compassion. Where love is, God is, as the American theologian Ilia Delio has said. And if gay men or women are sharing lives of love, then God is in the midst of their love.
And if God is in the midst of their love, then logically their relationship can be blessed by the church.
Logical, but not for the bishops, cardinals and Pope Francis who preach this God of love while keeping the catechism’s medieval teaching on homosexuality. Pope Francis delighted Catholics when in reference to gay people, he said, “Who am I to judge?”.
Yet he allowed a statement to be issued by the Vatican that said the church can’t bless gay unions because “God doesn’t bless sin”.
So which is it – sin or love?
Pope Francis has engaged in a world-wide listening process and the voice of Catholics is clear – change the teaching on LGBTQ+. A Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023 will debate this feedback.
The choice is simple: A) Like Fr Sheehy, the church can double down on the catechism and preach the teaching to a largely indifferent secular society and completely alienate remaining Catholics.
B)The Pope and his bishops hear the clear voice of LGBTQ+ Catholics and most Catholics worldwide and change the catechism to reflect the God who is love that they preach rather than the vengeful one busily running Fr Sheehy’s fiery hell.
Morality does change, as the late Fr Sean Fagan wrote so often, and the Irish bishops, perhaps led by the Bishop of Kerry, now have an opportunity to lead the international push for change through this phase of the Synodal Process to influence the Rome Synod in October.
Fr Sheehy – who has shot this issue to international attention- – clearly has the courage of his convictions.
Will the rest of the church – priests, bishops and laity – demonstrate theirs and use this momentum to get the teaching changed? – Yours, etc,
GARRY
O’SULLIVAN,
Publisher,
The Synodal Times,
Columba Books,
Sandyford,
Dublin 18.