Government 'grossly disrespectful' in how it cancelled Communions, says archbishop
Archbishop Eamon Martin said cancellations had caused 'a lot of confusion, disappointment and anger' and the Church had faced 'a deluge of calls' from disappointed families.
The Catholic primate of Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin has said the Government had been “grossly disrespectful” in their method of communication about the cancellation of religious events such as First Communions and Confirmations.
“It was grossly disrespectful the way this was done,” he told RTÉ radio’s .
The archbishop said that initially the go-ahead had been given for sacraments after July 5, but then that was changed and the first they had been made aware of the situation was through the media.
This has caused “a lot of confusion, disappointment and anger” and the Church had faced “a deluge of calls” from disappointed families.
The archbishop said Communions and Confirmations were an important, deeply spiritual moment for families. It was deeply disrespectful not to trust that people would adhere to public health guidelines.
The events had now been deferred and people had to be respectful of that, he said, but people had complained to him that “we're easy targets”. It was time for proper dialogue about the place of faith in the community, he added.
