Support an Irish priest and bishop who have defended the dignity of the human person
Thank Irish priest and bishop who are standing for Life in Cobh
Thank Irish priest and bishop who are standing for Life in Cobh
The Administrator of Cobh Cathedral, Fr John McCarthy, has removed Mr Ken Curtin from the Lectors' rota at the Cathedral.
Mr Curtin has not only supported the removal of the 8th Amendment (the "Pro-Life Amendment") from the Irish Constitution, as a candidate for the Social Democrats in the last election, he is also subsequently on record as saying that he, "[holds] particular liberal views on particular issues that don’t always dovetail with the church’s position."
The 8th Amendment is the pro-life amendment to the Irish Constitution, which affords equal protection of the right to life, to mother and unborn baby.
With a public stance against the dignity of the human person, so contrary to the teaching of the Gospel as well as to the teaching of the Church, Fr McCarthy's action was only a logical response to Mr Curtin's public position.
Thankfully, the Bishop of the Cloyne Diocese, Dr William Crean, has supported Fr McCarthy's decision.
This petition, therefore, does two things: 1) It thanks Fr McCarthy and Bishop Crean for their principled stand on this important matter; and, 2) It asks for them to stand firm on this decision.
Lectors serve an important, public function in the institutional Church; therefore, it could definitely appear as scandalous if someone in such a public position were to publicly hold to a view which is opposed to human dignity and the right to life of the human person. It could certainly also appear as a tacit endorsement of those destructive views, if the situation were allowed to persist.
Certain sectors of the Irish media would prefer to focus on the "authoritarian Church", but most people instinctively understand that no-one has a "right" to a position in the Church, and that no-one is entitled to retain a public position in the Church if they differ on such a fundamental issue.
So, please sign this petition thanking the priest and bishop for this common sense decision.
Thank you.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://irishcatholic.ie/article/cobh-politician-shocked-being-dropped-mass-reader
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democrats_(Ireland)
http://www.rte.ie/news/election-2016/constituencies/cork-east/
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Thank you for defending the dignity of human life
Dear Fr McCarthy and Bishop Crean,
We, the undersigned, wanted to thank you for the stand that you recently took in removing Mr Ken Curtin from the Lectors' rota at the Cathedral in Cobh.
Mr Curtin was a candidate for the Social Democrats in the last election, and was personally supportive of the party's stance on removing the 8th Amendment (the "Pro-Life Amendment") from the Irish Constitution.
Of course, we are not writing to you to celebrate Mr Curtin's departure from the rota. Not at all.
Rather, we are writing to you, to thank you for taking a principled stand FOR LIFE. In fact, your actions do not simply defend just "another Church teaching", but, in fact, they defend the treatment and dignity of human life, itself.
This is commendable. Thank you.
No matter how much the media try to spin this as some kind of "authoritarian Church" story, the average person - religious or not - can see through their rhetoric.
The average person knows that it is hypocritical to hold a position contrary to the dignity of the human person, and then have the audacity to demand a public role in the liturgy of the Church, where the Gospel and Creed always affirm Life, never the opposite.
The average person can also see that, no matter what they may personally believe, themselves, the Church would be contradicting itself if it allowed such a situation to persist.
So, thank you again, and I will pray that you have the courage of your convictions - to stick to this decision.
Kind regards and God bless.
Thank you for defending the dignity of human life
Dear Fr McCarthy and Bishop Crean,
We, the undersigned, wanted to thank you for the stand that you recently took in removing Mr Ken Curtin from the Lectors' rota at the Cathedral in Cobh.
Mr Curtin was a candidate for the Social Democrats in the last election, and was personally supportive of the party's stance on removing the 8th Amendment (the "Pro-Life Amendment") from the Irish Constitution.
Of course, we are not writing to you to celebrate Mr Curtin's departure from the rota. Not at all.
Rather, we are writing to you, to thank you for taking a principled stand FOR LIFE. In fact, your actions do not simply defend just "another Church teaching", but, in fact, they defend the treatment and dignity of human life, itself.
This is commendable. Thank you.
No matter how much the media try to spin this as some kind of "authoritarian Church" story, the average person - religious or not - can see through their rhetoric.
The average person knows that it is hypocritical to hold a position contrary to the dignity of the human person, and then have the audacity to demand a public role in the liturgy of the Church, where the Gospel and Creed always affirm Life, never the opposite.
The average person can also see that, no matter what they may personally believe, themselves, the Church would be contradicting itself if it allowed such a situation to persist.
So, thank you again, and I will pray that you have the courage of your convictions - to stick to this decision.
Kind regards and God bless.
