Priest’s retrograde views drag us back

REGRESSIVE Fr SeΡn Sheehy, who told parishioners that gay couples are sinful and that the HSE is promoting promiscuity by providing free contraception – and he didn’t stop there.


The Cast Stone
Michael Gallagher

Let’s get straight to the point. Is there a God? Is there a higher power creating, directing and enhancing the human race and the universe we exist in? As I grew into boyhood and on towards life as an adult I unequivocally believed that there was a caring, compassionate being up there above the sky looking after me and providing guidance through the testing times of life. I had many conversations with him (I pictured God as the typical male figure we see in paintings – bearded, handsome with hair to the shoulders) as I chased exam passes, football wins, interview success and the attention of the opposite sex.
I’m not sure he was much help in most or any of those categories, but I believed he cared about me and that provided solace in testing times. Believing there was a higher power supporting me in pressurised situations was a crutch I leaned on many times.
I also had a great belief that Jesus’s stepfather, Joseph, would help me if I prayed to him. I had a special little card with two prayers to St Joseph on it and I still remember the words vividly. Indeed, I still have a word with him at times of desperation – old habits never die.
I always felt I got more of a response when I asked Joseph for help than I did from the young fella, which is probably understandable given the amount of requests Jesus would have in his inbox every morning.
As life progressed and, for me, realism took centre stage. I began to see as bunkum a lot of what I had been conditioned to as a child growing up in a home where Catholicism was an important aspect of life.
Realism and religion aren’t a good mix, and for me, in this existence realism is king. Of course, there is also plenty space in life for beliefs, devotion to and honouring of a higher power, but is there really somebody up there with the finger on the controls?
On balance I would like to think there is a Great Creator beyond the clouds. I fervently hope he/it is a caring, understanding entity because that would give me a slight glimmer of hope of getting through the Pearly Gates when that decision has to be made.
However, the idea that Catholicism or any other organised religion is the authority in this matter is laughable, particularly given what we have experienced/endured from the Church here in Ireland up to the present day.
Any serious study of Irish history will throw up many great individuals – priests and nuns – who were heroic and supported their people in struggles for life and against the British Empire. However, the Church always looked after its own interests first, and that’s obvious from even the most cursory look at our history.
In more recent times, we’ve learned about the darkness and horror of mother and baby homes, forced adoptions and many other despicable organised acts. After a lot of gnashing of teeth, apologies and discussions those black marks were fading slightly into the background. Many people were trying to look at the Catholic Church in a new, more enlightened light.
However, that all changed again in recent days.
In St Mary’s Church in Listowel, Fr SeΡn Sheehy stood on the altar during Mass and proceeded to criticise gay couples, rampant sin, abortion and transgenderism.
His words were, rightly, greeted with absolute disdain in most sections of society, which was great to see. However, the cleric doubled down on the commentary in subsequent interviews on RTÉ, claiming the Irish constitutional referendums on marriage equality and abortion were fixed.
The controversial cleric appeared with Bryan Dobson on RTÉ’s News at One and then told Liveline listeners he was merely preaching ‘the word of God’ as all priests are ‘obligated’ to do.
Thankfully, he got little or no traction or support, and it was gratifying to see the Bishop of Kerry, Ray Browne, apologise and say Fr Sheehy’s views and ‘offending’ homily do not represent ‘the Christian position’.  
Prohibiting the priest from saying Mass again, Bishop Browne said that to have ‘total respect for one another’ is a ‘fundamental Christian teaching’, and for these issues to be spoken of ‘in such terms’ at a weekend parish Mass was ‘not appropriate’.
It was good to see such a response from the bishop, but Sheehy’s comments were another reminder of the previous disdain and arrogance of the Church, which drove me and countless others away.