“Silent protest held outside Kerry church where ranting priest claimed gay people were going to hell” screamed Pat Flanagan’s the headline on Monday, November 7th. He goes on to say “Flowers were laid at the front of St Mary’s Church in Listowel, Co Kerry, as part of an event organised by the LGBTQ+ community as the main Sunday Mass took place.” At no point in his article does he say how many were protesting or show a photograph of the protest. Were there three people there or were they more? It can’t have been difficult to count them. Yet it is telling that no numbers were mentioned in the Mirror’s article. That’s very sloppy journalism. Members of the Green Party in Kerry supported yesterday’s protest where according to Pat Flanagan, they wanted to highlight how Kerry has a LGBTQ+ community and that they also belong to God. A Green Party member went on to “empathise with those mentioned in the sermon and wish to act in solidarity with the rainbow community in Kerry and throughout Ireland”.
Canon Apologies
Meanwhile inside the church Pat Flanagan tells us that local Parish Priest Canon Declan O’Connor again apologised to the bemused congregation for the remarks Fr Sheehy made when he described transgenderism as lunacy and spoke about the sinfulness of sex between two men or two women. He went on to tell us that “Fr Sheehy caused further anger during the week when he doubled down on his comments; claiming on radio that gays, including Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, are doomed to hell if they don’t change.” Canon O’Connor who thanked parishioners who recently went on a pilgrimage to the “Holy Land” said “God is love and all-embracing and calling us to love one another”. Was he implying that God endorsed homosexual activity?
The Message is Political Correctness
He went on to say: “That’s what his message was. It was a message of love and while we’re reflecting on that it was very unfortunate you had this controversy here last weekend with the events that happened during the week and the homilies that were delivered here at your Mass last weekend.” He went on with more platitudes but at no point did he address the doctrinal position of the church and its teachings on homosexuality which was comprehensively discussed by Fr Sheehy in his many interviews during the week. It seems that political correctness has replaced doctrine in the Catholic Church.
“I’m deeply sorry to hear people were upset or hurt about what was said. Listowel parish, as you know, and I certainly know it, is a wonderful parish.
“Our church at St Mary’s is a warm, welcoming inclusive church and one where people are dealt with in a caring compassionate manner.” What we need is an open debate between those in the church like Fr Sheehy who uphold the church’s unambiguous teaching on those matters and those like Bishop Brown and Canon O’Connor who seem to be more concerned in mollifying those who were offended.
