Updated 9.54pm
THE IRISH TIMES is to publish an explanation in tomorrow’s edition of the newspaper as to why a Martyn Turner cartoon was removed from its website.
The cartoon, which was published on Wednesday, was accessible at this link, but is no longer available.
It is also gone from the archive of Martyn Turner cartoons on the Irish Times website.
The cartoon showed three priests standing next to each other; the priest in the centre was holding a paper with ‘Children’s First Bill’ and ‘mandatory reporting’ written on it.
The Children’s First Bill was launched earlier this week, and will make it mandatory for certain professions and post-holders to report incidents of harm and the risk of harm to the Child and Family Agency.
The cartoon “hurt” many priests and lay people, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said on Thursday at the Pro Cathedral.
I know that many priests and people feel hurt by a cartoon in yesterday’s Irish Times. I am a strong believer in freedom of speech and of the vital role of satire in social criticism, but I object to anything that would unjustly tarnish all good priests with the unpardonable actions of some. We have great priests in the Archdiocese of Dublin.
When contacted by TheJournal.ie today, a staff member at the Irish Times said that an explanation for the removal of the cartoon will be published in tomorrow’s paper.
Originally published 2.30pm
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