It’s time to put right the wrongs

It was nice to read the Archbishop Michael Jackson’s recent comments on sectarianism alive and well in Dublin. Great that the Bishop has found his moral compass and that he has had the courage to be guided by it in what is Ireland’s shame.

Now that he has taken this step, he must do more for where it is clearly established that the Bethany Home has and is being discriminated by past governments and very sadly our current one.

Even though the Government signed up in 2003 to that convention of accepting up to date international law and the European courts, that religion would not be used to treat one lot of religious people differently than another, when the Bethany Home case so clearly demonstrates that they are being discriminated against, and even Irish Law and the Irish Constitution says that should not happen.

All citizens should be treated equally. Ministers and senior civil servants, we are still waiting for that to happen. A crime has been committed by past governments and is still actively in place to stop the Bethany Home survivors. They have trampled on our human rights, and our very being, as you can see when you read the indemnity agreement in 2002 by Minister Woods and the 18 religious orders behind closed doors, for Catholics only, and no Protestants.

The garbage that has been coming out from Government departments that Bethany did not qualify to go on list of homes, when they knew that was wrong, and it was nothing to do with the Bethany Home qualifying or not qualifying, was just appalling.

It was always to do with the indemnity deal with the 18 holy orders.

We accept that ministers may conduct policy and have flexibility in their own discretion, but in Ireland the ministers are treating one lot of religious people differently than the other. This is not acceptable practice, and the Government signed up to it in 2003. There is still time to put this wrong to rights. Sadly, it drips of sectarianism.

Derek Linster

Southy Road

Rugby

England