Alison O'Connor: We may be appalled at the sermon, but Fr Sheehy spouted company policy

It’s the same old teaching and unbendable rules that lie at the heart of the Catholic Church

Fr Sheehy caused outrage with his sermon but should we really be surprised? Picture: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus

WE’RE getting exactly what it says on the tin. That is probably not what many in the congregation in Listowel thought last weekend as they sat in the church pews listening to a horrible sermon from an obnoxious priest.

The surprise, in many ways though, is the surprise. After all Fr Sean Sheehy is a man with form and plenty of it. You might wonder how he is left near the altar of a church in an official capacity. But equally wonder why anyone aware of his previous utterings would go in the front door of a church knowing he was the priest about to celebrate Mass.