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Home Page > News > Irish mass goers walk out over priest’s anti-Semitic comments

Irish mass goers walk out over priest’s anti-Semitic comments

Describes Justice Minister Alan Shatter as atheist

CATHY HAYES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Monday, August 1, 2011, 8:07 AM

Updated Monday, August 1, 2011, 3:00 PM

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Kilkenny massgoers walked out of a church service last week after the priest described the Minister of Justice as 'Jewish and non practicing'

Kilkenny massgoers walked out of a church service last week after the priest described the Minister of Justice as 'Jewish and non practicing' during the sermon.

The priest, Fr Eddie Conway, preached at three Masses at the Black Abbey over the weekend.

“At the start of his sermon he said that the church had been in the news over the sex abuse scandals and that it had been a bad week for the church, one Massgoer told the Kilkenny People.

"He said that the scandal was a bad thing but that there was a bigger agenda that would become obvious in the next short while. He said that the agenda was been set by people who have a vested interest against the church including the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, who he described as Jewish and non practising and an atheist Minister and that child sex abuse was been used to get at the church.
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He said that the sex abuse scandal was bad but that there was a lot more going on. I was disgusted by his remarks. They were bizarre and off the wall. I was not having any of it so I walked out and brought my children with me."

He added that two other people also walked out.

Fr Louis Hughes, the Prior of the Black Abbey, said he had not attended the Mass in question and that he had not received any complaints from members of the church regarding the sermon. He added that he has spoken to Fr Conway but would not remark on their conversation. He also said he told the priest "not to speak to the media."

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Edward Morris | Feb 19, 2013, 05:23 AM EST

I just came accross this article by Cathy Hayes. As a regular member of the congregation of the Black Abbey and was present when the sermon was given by Fr. Conway. It is obvious from the comments that neither Cathy Hayes or those who made comments heard the sermon. Ms Hayes should check and check again her facts before she writs such tripe!

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owainglyndwr16 | Mar 17, 2012, 02:01 PM EDT

Wouldn't be so bad if the Jews were ACTUALLY SEMITIC .. They are a mongrelized race.. You have got to laugh as when i said that before someone asked me "Are you calling Jews Dogs?" They obviously haven't looked up definitions of Mongrel in the dictionary .. My Mother is Welsh and my father is English so technically i could be considered Mongrelized ..

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williamite | Aug 13, 2011, 04:13 AM EDT

"Jews are the chosen people" Yeah in New York, Golders Green and Israel.

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williamite | Aug 13, 2011, 04:06 AM EDT

"He said that the sex abuse scandal was bad but that there was a lot more going on." You can clearly see what is "going on" in this jokers mind, All that he thinks is "BAD" is the "Scandal" and not the actual abuse, He has no sympathy for the Children who were savagely Abused, All that he cares about is the "Scandal".. These Bastards are Criminal scum and should decorate the inside of the crowbar hotel.

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nytreader | Aug 12, 2011, 08:28 PM EDT

Jews are the chosen people. Jesus was a Jew, he wouldn't agree with anything the catholic church has done. He would be disgusted at anyone that would enter a catholic church. All Catholics are going to hell.

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supersurvivor77 | Aug 12, 2011, 06:15 PM EDT

CATHOLICABUSESURVIVORSNI.COM--- the LORD god of israel and his christ is a jew? not a collared garbed priest of the vatican teaching superstition, someone should tell father cover up conway that.

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eiriamach | Aug 08, 2011, 08:15 AM EDT

seanomelbourne, an editor has been removing some of the more offensive comments from the various com boxes on IC. Such censorship, and it is censorship, would not be necessary if more people reacted to the name-calling and racism and homophobia, etc., that appears on the blogs. Let's establish a norm of civil discourse by pointing out offensive comments when they appear: this is a responsibility of people who exercise their freedom of speech. It won't bust anyone's boiler, but the name-calling does drive people away!

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seanomelbourne | Aug 05, 2011, 08:46 PM EDT

Take it easy eiramach you'll bust your boiler.

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eiriamach | Aug 05, 2011, 10:55 AM EDT

"a mixed up liberal neo-anarchist type" --> you read about a priest trashing a Jew and you just can't resist unleashing some of your own bigotry, can you? Apparently you need permission from priests just to allow a thought into your head, no matter that it's an unoriginal, vile ad hominem, just as long as you can vomit it out and follow the lead of your hero the priest.

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seanomelbourne | Aug 04, 2011, 07:30 PM EDT

I wonder if Conway was as vocal about pedophilia or is he just worried about the waning power of the priests.Shame on you conway you blustering fool.

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pilib04 | Aug 04, 2011, 05:03 PM EDT

As soon as I was done posting I noticed that there were anti-semitic postings here. Good heavens!

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pilib04 | Aug 04, 2011, 05:00 PM EDT

This is not an excuses for antisemitic bigots. I think Father Conway was attacking Atheists, not Jews. The priest was complaining about the minister Shatter's atheist leanings and hidden agenda and not that he was Jewish. In fact, the priest complains that Minister of Justice Alan Shatter was Jewish, "non practicing." It appears that the operative word here is non-practicing, not "Jewish." Having said that, I would be suspicious about anything that is said from the pulpit these days! It sounds like the crazies have been unleashed by the Irish hierarchy. Probably to take pressure off all of the pedophile investigations.

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JuneAnnette | Aug 04, 2011, 11:27 AM EDT

How LOW can you GO? But then what can we expect from spiritual rulers in a "church" that euphemistically call lying "mental reservation"*** As Mick Fealty has said: "…the whole slippery genius of mental reservation just goes to show you the endless creativity of the Catholic Church. It is astounding that it can come up with this sort of thing pretty well ad infinitum. The more we learn about the church’s contortions around the issue of sexual assault of children, the more it seems to resemble something founded not so much by St Peter as by Lewis Carroll. Mental reservation could be something that Carroll’s Queen came up with in a world where words mean what you want them to mean, and the aristocracy sometimes believes six impossible things before breakfast. The writhing arguments of the church authorities are something to see. It is all quite Alice In Wonderland , and the bishops, up until very recently, had the clothes for it."***Source: Slugger O'Toole Blog/ Article: 'Ireland’s intellectual inheritance of “mental reservation”…' DENY . . DENY . . BLAME THE OTHER GUY! From Christ, this wolf would receive his unreserved censure! My hope and prayer is once again that many of the laity will express their protest not simply by walking out of Mass, but by turning their backs altogether on Roman Catholicism and heed the call of their Master to: " . . Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Rev. 18:4)

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Bernadett | Aug 04, 2011, 10:26 AM EDT

My god when will it ever stop. There can not be a bigger agenda than the abuse of children. If the Catholic Church and its priests do not cop on to themselves they will bring down the C.C. without any help from outside. They are a sad bunch of losers.

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Starlet | Aug 04, 2011, 03:32 AM EDT

"by averagejoewa on Aug 02, 2011, 05:12 AM EDT What is wrong with pointing out that the Jews are our enemies when they are? Jews - through the media - have been trying to undermine devout Christians for decades" Not that your premise is true, you need not worry because for every Jewish journalist, how many are there in the world next to non-Jewish journalist? There are only 12 MIL Jews in the world for starters. How about finding one example of a Jew doing what you claim, one could find you twenty-five non-Jews who actually defame Jews.

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