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FORMER IRISH PRESIDENT Mary McAleese has defended her comments about the Catholic Church’s attitudes to women, while revealing her brother was abused by a priest.
Speaking in Rome last week, McAleese said that she believed women should be ordained as priests.
“Pope Francis has said that the issue of women’s ordination isn’t up for discussion, that women are permanently excluded from priesthood.
“I believe that women should be ordained, I believe the theology on which that is based is pure codology. I’m not even going to be bothered arguing it. Sooner or later it’ll fall apart, fall asunder under its own dead weight.”
She said that many in the Church had made Jesus Christ a “rather unattractive politician who is just misogynistic and homophobic and anti-abortion”.
The former President, a devout Catholic, today defended those comments and spelled out her frustrations with the Catholic Church. In a wide-ranging, emotional interview she told Sean O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio One that she felt free to make the comments.
“I’m asking you a question now – do you think there’s a book somewhere – have you seen a book of phrases that are appropriate for ex-Presidents to use?
“I don’t think there is. I’m not speaking as a President or ex-President, I’m speaking as a member of the church.
“My church tells me I have a duty to offer my opinion on matters that I believe are for the good of the church.”
McAleese said that women had “drifted” from the church and said that the church would “pay a price for that”.
She said the hierarchical church needed a major overhaul, but paid tribute to the pastoral church, which she said was “infused with love”.
Abuse
McAleese became upset when asked about Malachy Finnegan. Fr Malachy Finnegan, who died in 2002, was a teacher at St Colman’s College in Newry from 1967 to 1976. Abuse claims against him were detailed in a BBC Spotlight programme in February. The revelation that John McAreavey had officiated at the funeral mass of Finnegan led to his resignation as bishop of Dromore earlier this month.
McAleese said that Finnegan’s abuse had touched her family.
My youngest brother, my baby brother, the youngest of nine children, was seriously, physically, sadistically abused by Malachy Finnegan.
My mother, almost 90 years of age, had to discover that from the Belfast Telegraph three weeks ago.
“My wonderful and so loved brother…to think that he never felt he could tell anyone…”
McAleese said that the abuse went on for her brother’s entire time at the school.
“The first complaints about Malachy Finnegan go back to the 1970s, which means there is a body of evidence of people able to do something about this, but didn’t.”
She said that there is “very serious questions to be asked” and said that it “shouts for an inquiry”.
The 8th
She went on to say that she believes that the debate on Eighth Amendment should take heed of the opinions of obstetricians who believe the law fails in its stated aims of protecting women.
She said that “at the moment” that testimony is “quite compelling” and has raised questions for her. However she said it was “infinitely more complicated” than the same-sex marriage debate.
“I would say very strongly that we’re being offered two models – a medical intervention model and it may very well be that that is so tightly drawn that obstetricians say a mother’s life is at stake.
“The move to a non-medical model – where a foetus is healthy – is quite a jump for the Irish people. But that is a matter for the Oireachtas.
She said that she had a “lot of reading to do” before the vote, but said that she would not be involved in the campaign in any way.
While family carers are means tested for carers allowance.
@Úna O Connor Barrett: you can say that again
@Úna O Connor Barrett: The funds are there Una, they just do not care… Let them know in the next election..
@Úna O Connor Barrett: think rich people should be subsidised by poorer taxpayers? That’s reason for a means test.
By all means question the threshold but if you are saying a millionaire should automatically qualify then I disagree.
The war is confined to a small part of the country now. You would imagine many of those that came here would be able to return.
@Munster1: Emphasis on for now. Things can change drastically not to mention many of these Ukrainians have not just lost their homes and family members, but their entire towns and cities too.
@Munster1: I think you can thank your lucky stars that you live in Ireland. What a dreadful comment. You have no idea of the horrors nor of the current and future situation of the country . Ukraine is a war zone, all of it currently. Perhaps you should devote some of your free time to helping the Irish disadvantaged and or the Ukrainian refugees. And yes, many of them want nothing more than to return to their homeland
@Dave Phelan: have you been there, have you witnessed first hand these so called atrocities, no, you sit at home in front of your PC and type idiotic statements. find some real information from real people, on the front line, and watch ho most of the cities are in fact, as everyday normal. what has happened to the people of ireland, now we just watch as our leader propose to be the “good boys ” of europe, while they neglect the needs of everyone in this country, unless you are rich of course and there is something in it for them.
@Darren Murphy: They were voted in because they were well able to ignore the needs of others. That happened long beforehand and it’s on us.
While family carers are means tested for carers allowance and have to fight for medical cards
@Úna O Connor Barrett: Absolutely true Una
In the first instance for many people reading this the initial gut response will probably be…
What about the homeless in Ireland? And why isnt the government funding support for them?
To put this in context the total of Public Expenditure on Homeless Service Provision in the Dublin Region in 2021 was €148,142,145 million.
So its not a case of help being made available for Ukrainian refugees, that has not been available to homeless people in Ireland or that this will somehow take funding away from currently homeless people, its two separate issues and both are being addressed.
The reason for continuing homelessness in ireland is not a lack of funding, its a lack of successive governments willingness, to build permanent social housing to replace current temporary accommodation.
@David Van-Standen: stop talking sense… It’s not appreciated on the journal..
@David Van-Standen: What I can’t fathom is why on earth any TD can’t simply make the call and build permanent housing with EU help. They could then be used later for social housing. All these subsidies are going to hotels while tourists can’t get to or from the airport.
@Aileen Lawlor: They will house whoever is next on the list freeing up emergency shelter for the next people.
Hotels cancelling reservations left, right, and centre because they’re getting 4 grand a week per room off the government to house Ukrainians. Twice in 2 weeks it’s happened at last notice to me, and then you’re paying through the teeth for another hotel.
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue: 4 grand a week, €570 a night…. per room. Whichnof your arses did you pull that figure out of?
@Ciarán O’ Donoghue: 100%. If a hotel has a stragety getting rack rates from the government it has to show 1st that they exist. The vast majority of hotels would love to go down this route hense medium hotels charging 350/400 per night when they were 140 average. They cant get staff so managing 50 rooms at 400 is better than 100 rooms at 140. And again no words from the IHF & Bord Failte. Very very quite.
What’s the Government’s fixation with the City West Hotel, first of all they block booked it as a Covid 19 Base, and now they are going to do the same for the Refugees. Who owns this place, and was these transactions done through Open Procurement, or could there be some Brown Envelopes involved.
@Owen G Mc Ginley: a quick Linkedin search shows the Chairman of Tetrarch who own the Citywest to be Paul Donnolly who is currently also a Senior Advisor to Digicel and was previously a non-exec board member of Digicel… never too far from Denis O’Brien in this country.
@Owen G Mc Ginley: It’s the largest hotel in Ireland, nearly 800 rooms, 2 convention centres and a leisure centre. That’s not including the golf hotel
@Owen G Mc Ginley: not whitstanding the other points made above its also extremely accessible from a transport point of view being only minutes from the M50/N7. No matter what the Govt do you can be guaranteed someone is making a tidy wedge from it.
@Owen G Mc Ginley: , down to all the political contacts made by Jim Mansfield over the years, starting with Liam Lawor, there still there
Current Government remind me of the FF/Green Government towards the end of 2020, a total shambles. Minsters have no control of their departments and the recent fiasco in Dublin Airport, to name one of many, proves this point. A General Election is badly needed as soon as possible.
While family carers are means tested for carers allowance and have to fight for medical cards.
@Úna O Connor Barrett: Yawn
And yet 10 000 irish residents are homeless. I completely agree with helping Ukraine, but look after people who reside in the country first. You cant bring in people into the country in order to inflate this figure next year. 10 000 homeless people, 10 000!!!
Money is the currency of power for this government. They love to have large scale expenditures that they use to curry favour for individual party members or for the party themselves. No money going out equals no votes, favours and LBE’s coming back in. They also don’t care, as can be plainly seen here for years and years, on whether they get value for that money spent, that is besides the point. Or to put it simply, CORRUPTION – alive and well for 50+ years and we just watch it slowly destroy the place.
While family carers are means tested for carers allowance and have to fight for medical cards
@Úna O Connor Barrett: One more time.. that will be 5.
Which government minister, TD or senior civil servant owns, part owns or has a financial interest in the Citywest…..in other words who’s pockets are they lining now
They think the war will Last Two years …???? As soon as things are right in Ukraine They should go back…and let the government sort out the homeless problem for a change
Move refugees out of Greater Dublin Area as use the rest of the country that has excess capacity.
Wow bought just before Covid for peanuts, two handy contracts from state that covers that cost more than once. Lucky deal or just lucky
So what happens if there is another scandemic and they need the hotel again for covid ?
@Ken Bramley: Dafuq is a scandemic? Braindead comment!
It’s a disgrace we need to deal with irelands own homeless I can wait till the next genral election fffg are f##ked
A good decision
Considering? This has been known the last 3 months, not Considering, done.
For god sake people of ireland stand up 10000 on the street family’s struggling children going hungry and the government look the other way I’m all for helping any one who needs help these people have been trough hell but many irish have been in hell for a long time bring on the election
Will they get free use of the golf course ?
Is the darts cancelled so?
have your say