Eulogy ban - Hierarchy is out of touch

The decision by Dr Michael Smith, the Bishop of Meath, to ban appreciations or eulogies by family members or friends of the deceased in church raises a number of questions.

He seems to be suggesting that only priests should speak in church about the deceased.

This excludes the vast majority of the body of the Church, and also most of those likely to know best the person they are talking about. Moreover, the bishop stated that priests should engage only with the family in relation to funerals and thereby essentially ignore “funeral planners”.

This seems to suggest that a grieving family has no right to enlist outside professional help in making certain funeral arrangements.

Much of this tramples on the spirit of Vatican II, which recognised the need for members of the Church to be more involved. It is a distinct step backwards and another example of a member of the Hierarchy being sadly out of touch, not just with the general public, but also with the members of the Church.