45 Comments

• Los Leandros | Sep 27, 2012, 11:01 AM EDT

  As an Irish Catholic, please accept my apologies for the behaviour of this boorish clown, Kenny. He is essentialy an " Uncle Tom " for the D.4 liberal establishment. He oversees a state ( banana Republic, more like ) which saw the deaths of 200 children in it's " care " over the last 10 years. He is in no position to lecture anyone on this subject. He recently read a speech, declaring that Michael Collins had met the mass murderer Lenin in Ireland. He is a joke. Thankfully, Pope Benedict simply ignored him. Class.

• dunmanway8 | Sep 27, 2012, 07:21 AM EDT

  Good for him!

• KatieMurphy | Sep 26, 2012, 11:53 PM EDT

  the pope is the rude one - trying to tell gay people they are inferior beings, not entitled to legal (I dont give a darn about relgiious) marriage..........But thats Nothing.........Rude? What does one call the head of the church that in 2009 UNexcommunicated aholocaust denier Bishop, Williamson.............Just google "pope UNexcommunicates bishop williamson. The man is either losing his marbles or still living in Germany of the 1930s

• aloistmartin | Sep 26, 2012, 04:45 PM EDT

  Bocktherobber@ I`m not sure what difference that would make, in a Protestant, Bourgeoisie, or Bourgeois Proletarian, Household; But it don`t mean Beans and Bacon to a Roman Catholic ! ( Hindu`s ? )

• Smyrnian | Sep 26, 2012, 12:01 PM EDT

  The anti-Catholic tripe is really old, tired and unimaginative. Time to get a life folks and leave your sorry agenda aside. Pitiful. Having said that I do hope that no disrespect was shown to the Pope or to anyone else. Way too much of that in the world already, causing 99% of our problems if one thinks about it. A little respect please.

• Will Hamilton | Sep 26, 2012, 07:54 AM EDT

  Enda Kenny at least for once got it right. The Papacy is a hangover from the Roman Empire that should have been consigned to the graveyard of history long ago. The world will be a better place when all world leaders ignore the ravings of sexually neurotic pensioners like Herr Ratzinger no matter how fancy a throne they sit on. Were it not for the money, power and insidious conniving of the Vatican he wouldn't even rate a phone call.

• Brolaur | Sep 26, 2012, 07:44 AM EDT

  Forget about religion, the Pope is a head of state. Kenny showed his ignorance. This was outlandish. The Blue Shirt is a disgrace to the office of Taoiseach. He should be confronted with this in the DÁil.

• IrelandNorth | Sep 26, 2012, 06:15 AM EDT

  Possible explanations: Was trying to download translation of Pope's Latin lingua franca. Was using phone as a stage prop to excuse having to applaud. Was deliberatelly trying to be rude and disrespectful. Was protocol illiterate. Was awaiting text from Minister Shatter for next cue. (Will the real Taoiseach please stand up?) Fact that he didn't do so with HM EIIR indicates which pope he owes allegience to. Was pandering to Ulster Prods. Was abusing public office to do civically questionable personal impersonation of Martin Luther. His 15 months of fame has gone to his head. It's not the real Taoiseach, but a genetically modified clone of him taken after his election, with original beamed back up to Planet zEnda. Was only trying to photograph Papa Razi. Kenny has since becomem a generic Catholic and is no longer a Roman one. It's not politically correct (PC) to assume that all Christian Democrats (CDs) are all Roman Catholics (RCs). Taoiseach on €200,000 per annum plus same again in expences (including mobile phone account). Others could submit lower tenders for insulting foreign dignatories.

• CitizenWhy | Sep 26, 2012, 03:30 AM EDT

  Perhaps the Pope is very boring. The Pope used this occasion to tell France not to allow gay marriage. He was the rude one.

• Towngate | Sep 26, 2012, 02:20 AM EDT

  Mobile Phones - how are you! We knew this would happen if we gave them shoes ...

• runfar | Sep 26, 2012, 01:57 AM EDT

  Rude douche bag.

• leinsterlady | Sep 25, 2012, 10:22 PM EDT

  If he wanted to play with his phone he should have sat in the back. Whatever about being a Pseudo Christian he is obviously a Pseudo leader.

• Newrone | Sep 25, 2012, 10:08 PM EDT

  Good man Enda. What could be less important than listening to this doddering anachronistic old figurehead of moronic gullibility!

• misneac | Sep 25, 2012, 09:35 PM EDT

  Irish Central obviously did not like my comment about Mary Bourke from Ballina and her peasant rudeness to the Pope ,and censored same !

• Rebelforce | Sep 25, 2012, 09:02 PM EDT

  Somehow I can't imagine Enda texting during an address by the queen of England. The video didn't show it but I hope he atleast crossed himself at the end for scoring a free trip to Rome.

• Bocktherobber | Sep 25, 2012, 08:17 PM EDT

  Marcustam -- I agree completely. Why is our prime minister visiting a state set up by Mussolini?

• Bocktherobber | Sep 25, 2012, 06:46 PM EDT

  Alois -- I don't know about his mother, but his father (or Poppa as you call him) died nearly 40 years ago.

• aloistmartin | Sep 25, 2012, 06:21 PM EDT

  Lucky Momma and Poppa Kenny were`nt seated nearby !

• Tilliewillow | Sep 25, 2012, 05:41 PM EDT

  Sounds like the reporter was offended FOR the Poop. He needs to get out more.

• eiriamach | Sep 25, 2012, 05:20 PM EDT

  What rudeness? O'Shea writes, "leaders from different European countries ... were invited to an audience with the Pope," but then O'Shea adds that Mr. Kenny "did not actually meet him." Not actually meeting him is NOT an ***audience with***-- which means speaking with and listening to him. If Mr. Kenny received an invitation to an ***audience with*** the pope and then was manipulated into being an ***audience TO*** the pope, the rudeness, indeed the arrogance, was not Mr. Kenny's! In other words, the Taoiseach and his European colleagues were a captive, silent audience for the pope's speech! Who was rude to whom? Were there flashing signs telling the audience when to applaud also?

• cillowen | Sep 25, 2012, 04:42 PM EDT

  that's what you get when you invite turkey schmucks

• Nicoletta | Sep 25, 2012, 04:32 PM EDT

  He was very rude. Far from being slow to clap it appeared that he didn't clap at all. Shame on him.

• Bocktherobber | Sep 25, 2012, 04:24 PM EDT

  A lecture on ethical foundations from the Vatican? That's like a lecture on sobriety from Anheuser-Busch.

• jacersagain | Sep 25, 2012, 04:11 PM EDT

  (…more) A notable bit of advice the Pope gave in his pretty short speech: “In this way, with confidence, not resignation, civil and political activity must be given new incentives to seek solid ethical foundations, the lack of which in the economic field has helped to create the current global financial crisis. Your political, and institutional commitment must not, then, be limited to responding to the requirements of market logic. Rather, its central and indispensable goal must remain the search for the common good, correctly understood, and the promotion and protection of the inalienable dignity of the human person”. A big rap on the knuckles therefore to Kenny and other leaders who jump to the Troika's market logic tune, instead of looking after the correctly understood common good of the dignity of human beings under their governance. With atheists Gilmore and Quinn for Govt colleagues, is it any wonder that Kenny fiddled with his phone outside Rome and not listened to the import of the speech, confirming that he is no longer a proper Christian leader and should not have been a member of the CDI group?

• jacersagain | Sep 25, 2012, 04:06 PM EDT

  Kenny attended the Papal meeting as part of the large group of Christian Democrats International (CDI), drawn from all over Europe, not as an individual. I can’t believe that the Leader of my State would be so disrespectful of another Leader of another State during his speech. Would he dug out his phone camera while Mr. Obama or Queen Elizabeth was speaking in front of him? The Pope’s speech was directed to the CDI as a whole, as Christian political leaders (see news(dot)va for full speech), encouraging them to face up to their political responsibilities as Christians in modern society. (More…)

• AlanJBall | Sep 25, 2012, 03:59 PM EDT

  Why would you expect anyone to give any respect to the man who has overseen the cover up in the catholic church of the sexual abuse scandal.Personally...I think kenny should have done a Naomi Cambell and bounced his phone off that hypocritical number one protector of paedophiles, head...and then smacked him one on the nose...at least once.

• ballylanger | Sep 25, 2012, 03:59 PM EDT

  The only reason that politicians go to see Ratzo is because it will help them to keep their greedy snouts in their respective Nation Troughs by getting reelected. Most of these 'leaders' and 'his awesomeness' couldn't give a toss that poverty stricken pensioners are to be mugged in order to pay the debts of crooks.

• Bocktherobber | Sep 25, 2012, 03:07 PM EDT

  We had a bishop last week explaining that he thought a priest having sex with a child was taking the relationship a bit too far. How's that for knowing how to behave correctly?

• paulpaulpaul | Sep 25, 2012, 03:00 PM EDT

  ""Michael Kelly of the Irish Catholic newspaper asked, "Was Enda Kenny trying to be rude or does he just not know how to behave correctly?"" It`s a bit rich for the any member of the Irish church newspaper to be holding forth on what is or isn`t "correct" behaviour. Maybe if he spent more effort in his pages putting forward tangible excuses for the societal rejection in Ireland of Church teaching and the Catholic Church`s declining influence, Mr. Kelly`s employers might be better served.

• borefield | Sep 25, 2012, 02:53 PM EDT

  At best Enda's behavior while the Pope was speaking was, rude and lacking the basics of good manners and decorum. At worst, it shows poor or no leadership skills, disrespect and arrogance . Looks like he isn't as smart as he thinks, just very polished.

• Bocktherobber | Sep 25, 2012, 02:28 PM EDT

  He was playing Angry Bishops

• pilib04 | Sep 25, 2012, 12:35 PM EDT

  There was no interpreter? Presumably the Pope did not speak in Gaelic. I don't defend the actions of any Blue Shirt. I don't plan on doing so today. However, if the Vatican wanted them to follow Benedict's speech, they would have provided either a translator or a script. I was hoping there would be a Q and A time to allow for questions about pedophile priests and the role of the Vatican in suppressing information.

• hermitTalker | Sep 25, 2012, 12:14 PM EDT

  Normally, there are multi-lingual translations provided for such meetings, or the pope speaks in English or French, recognised international languages. Either way, respect for the speaker and recognising he represented the people of Ireland required best behaviour- he surely knew that Duckesses who reveal their breasts and Government leaders who lower their guard are photographed. As usual some of your comments show the usual hatred, contempt and disrespect for anything Catholic. The papacy of the Bishop of Rome has been around since the 60s AD, Ireland as a nation, limited as it is to 26/32 of its counties, is 90 years old and has already surrendered its sovereignty practically to the Bankers whom they allowed to grind its population into bankruptcy.

• HarryC | Sep 25, 2012, 11:12 AM EDT

  Since he accepted the invitation he has a responsibility to behave himself and drop the antics of a petulant teenager.

• dermotfastnet | Sep 25, 2012, 10:55 AM EDT

  Probably checking to make sure he has claimed all his expenses this month

• Breathnach | Sep 25, 2012, 10:44 AM EDT

  It's obvious he just got a new iPhone. He was caught snapping pictures at the All-Ireland final, too.

• CelticQueenUSA | Sep 25, 2012, 10:13 AM EDT

  The whole room was fidgeting. And, of course, no one understood a word! No rudeness here at all, just a boring meeting.

• markday | Sep 25, 2012, 09:57 AM EDT

  sorry, but i searched and searched this and didn't find any rudeness. but why couldn't B-16 have said a few words in English, such as "Women are inferior, and I hate gays, except the one in the Vatican." Now that would have made people pay attention.

• Happyhippo | Sep 25, 2012, 09:53 AM EDT

  Enda,s just not interested since he fell out with the Vatican over the child abuse cover up,his hopes of a miracle for the Irish economy looks to have taken a nose dive.

• bobby | Sep 25, 2012, 09:45 AM EDT

  He was checking his bid on ebay :)

• darao | Sep 25, 2012, 09:37 AM EDT

  So many wonderful well meaning people have a faith and that should be respected as a choice. But a faith in many of the things the Pope has promoted would be very misguided.

• darao | Sep 25, 2012, 09:35 AM EDT

  You can see the general boredom of the rest of the crowd too as they reach for their papers and shuffle around. It is generally impolite to be on your cell at any formal point of such an event and he should know better. But given the whole waste of time anyway and the tremendous damage the Pope does to social rights it would have been better yet if Mr. Kenny had not attended at all. Social conscience compels the strongest criticism of the church and pope positions on women, on abortion, on birth control, on exclusion of women from priesthood, on opposition to condom usage and on lack of efforts to protect children from abuses. Mr. Kenny would do well to refuse such invitations.

• CitizenWhy | Sep 25, 2012, 09:26 AM EDT

  Ha, he was just trying to appeal to the youth vote.

• steveoconnor | Sep 25, 2012, 08:43 AM EDT

  I agree, walking out would have been a bit much. But it would be good to see him actively make a polite stand. At least he shows honest lack of respect in an institution that has done more than its fair share to disrupt and control laws and lives in this country.

• gordongoblin | Sep 25, 2012, 07:28 AM EDT

  A better snub would be to walk out, but polite disinterest in the pope is a good first step. Well done Enda.