A Cork priest has sparked outrage after he allowed a woman to give a graphic account of her abortion during a children’s Mass.
The Irish Examiner reports the speech was made in front of up to 100 children at Church of Our Lady Conceived Without Sin in Mitchelstown, Co Cork last weekend.
The Cork woman, a member of the Rachel’s Vineyard pro-life organization, told the congregation that she believed her special needs child was a punishment from God.
It is understood she addressed several Masses last Sunday where children with special needs were present.
The local parish priest Fr Michael Fitzgerald did not seek permission from the apostolic administrator of the diocese, Archbishop Dermot Clifford.
Archbishop Clifford contacted Fr Fitzgerald after he received several complaints from the public, who were disgusted that a special needs child was described as "punishment from God".
On Wednesday he said he was "unhappy this speech took place."
Fr Fitzgerald said he believed "the woman’s comments around her special needs child were misinterpreted."
"I did not know what hurt it would cause," said Fr Fitzgerald. "I was contacted by an organisation who said they had a woman who could speak of her experience.
"At the time, I thought this is a story that not a lot of people get to hear. I knew the woman’s story but I did not know what hurt it would cause. She explained to the congregation that it was the guilt inside of her that made her feel like that. She was hurt at the time. She had not yet healed after the abortion.
"A central theme of her address was that all human life is sacred, that all children are precious and should be equally cherished and supported. It is a matter of regret that a small number of people were upset at some aspects of the lady’s address, especially as they related to children with special needs. I can assure you that was never intended."
An Irish representative of Rachel’s Vineyard said it "too believed the comments were misinterpreted."
The organization offers counseling and “weekends for healing” after abortion throughout the US and Canada.
Last Sunday, a pastoral letter on abortion was delivered to all parishes in Ireland which argued that the Government "is under no obligation" to legislate for abortion due to a 2010 European Court of Human Rights ruling.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.seamus60 | Oct 23, 2012, 05:45 PM EDT
Mamaginnty. Good post . sorry for your loss.
seanomelb | Oct 13, 2012, 07:50 PM EDT
BishopSean!! I agree with some of what you had to say. Some women resort to abortion because of shame and social pressures and accept abortion as the "easy way out". Society must take blame for women in this category. Some treat pregnant women (out of wedlock) as disgusting and inferior,thus making abortion in these cases a free card. I doubt your percentage of 83% but I suppose it's possible. I do not believe in abortion in most cases but I do not have to live with the consequences of those who exercise their rights in this matter.
Rwnevnstr | Oct 13, 2012, 04:33 PM EDT
Children are exposed to much worse every single day on the news and television, and our President made sure his position was known to his own daughters and the world: they shouldn't be 'burdened' with children. It IS rare that they ever hear the other side, that life is sacred and we aren't just animals. There is always someone to be offended by Christianity, the presence of children for such a talk is not a convincing reason to object to this.
mamaginnty | Oct 13, 2012, 11:37 AM EDT
Culchiewoman, I agree with you. the church new it takes two to make a baby, yet up until a few years ago the unmarried mother gave birth, but had to face insults that they were tramps, sinners, unholy, etc. from the priests and nuns, and the innocent cchild sold to profit the church. When a woman through no fault of her own has a miscarriage at home or in hospital, being less than three months pregnant, the priest does not rush to bless what she has lost, nor will the loss be buried in a catholic graveyard. It happened to me. So do not tell me the church is all about life in the womb. ( the more babies born alive to 'them', only means more catholics in the cult )
eiriamach | Oct 13, 2012, 07:10 AM EDT
"Outrage"-- fair enough! Now when will we see "outrage" over priests like Kansas City Fr. Ratigan, with Bishop Robert W. Finn's approval, taking dozens of grade-school girls and boys to Washington for a “March for Life” anti-choice rally and returning with computer-stored photos of little girls' genitals? As long as the Church continues to indoctrinate children with its messages about mothers being murders-at-will, you'd be foolish to expect that priests will safeguard your little ones. Not until you get the misogynist politics out of your religion.
SCVMalcolm | Oct 13, 2012, 03:17 AM EDT
Once again, an unmarried man makes a decision about Women's Right to Choose and it bites him in the ass. Including priests, if men are against abortion shut your mouths and get a damned vasectomy!!
anglo-norman | Oct 13, 2012, 01:19 AM EDT
That church was & is a pox on the Irish people.
EphraimKibbey | Oct 13, 2012, 12:27 AM EDT
What a STUPID thing to do!
jacersagain | Oct 12, 2012, 08:46 PM EDT
This is the first I’ve read of such an occurrence during a mass celebration of the Holy Eucharist. I doubt it was primarily a Children’s Mass as headlined by ICentral above. I think it may have been an ordinary Mass with children in attendance, as parents would bring their children by their own choice under their own chosen responsibilities as Catholic parents to do so. It’s simple mathematics… if two parents bring three or more children along to attend Mass, of course there’s going to be more children at the Mass than adults as a whole in attendance. Now ICentral’s report above suggests that it was wrong of these Catholic parents to exercise their choice to bring their children to living examples of Catholicism. What the… sense??? Anyway, Gearoid4 and BishopSean and a few others hit it on the nail for me.
Seanmor | Oct 12, 2012, 08:24 PM EDT
Georoid4:Perhaps the gruesome details of an abortion should not be presented to young children, but many adults need to be educated on the horrors of such procedures. Despite what ethe pro-abortion crowd would have us believe, the fact remains that the blood, flesh and bones of an unborn baby are human, as is the tiny, helpless creature that has done nothing wrong and should be allowed to live, not put to death.
Bocktherobber | Oct 12, 2012, 07:05 PM EDT
Newsflash! Priest ignores parents. Another first.
Gearoid4 | Oct 12, 2012, 05:25 PM EDT
The full horror of abortion displayed in graphic detail at a Mass full of young children naturally would make one recoil in disgust at the possible traumatic effects of this on young minds. But at the same time, when one is discussing the subject of abortion, one cannot sidestep the terrible violence done to the foetus or embryo and cover it up with euphemisms. The proponents of this as a woman's "right" need to face up to the victims involved in this i.e the nascent life in the womb and the mentally and physically scarred mother who undergoes it.
barneyjo | Oct 12, 2012, 04:38 PM EDT
The latest "own goal" by a cleric that is so brainwashed that he is prepared to subject young children to the horrors of abortion just to show that he is "on message" with the views of the hierarchy. Bad call; bad judgment; more alienated laity!! No winners here!!
culchiewoman | Oct 12, 2012, 03:30 PM EDT
It was the wrong venue...completely inappropriate at a children's Mass. And if they are willing to do this, are they also willing to bring in a mother who lost her child to adoption, sold by the Catholic Church, to explain what *that* loss is like? Or the mother of a child sexually abused by a representative of that same Church? Tit for tat. If we're going to give young, impressionable children the truth...let's give them all of it. But personally, I agree with jamieLM...it is the provenance of the parents to decide when and how their children should be given this information, not the parish priest's. Poor decision.
Sparklet | Oct 12, 2012, 11:13 AM EDT
Church is not the place to discuss abortion, unless it's to say it's wrong.
BishopSean | Oct 12, 2012, 11:03 AM EDT
ABORTED WOMEN; SILENT NO MORE, is a book by David Reardon who worked with WEBA (Women Exploited by Abortion). He details attitudes of hundreds of aborted women and shows that dissatisfaction and regrets over abortion grow with time. One big discovery is that the majority of women did not experience the abortion as a choice at all. 83% of women surveyed indicated they would definitely have chosen against abortion if their husbands or boyfriends, abortion counselors, doctors and family members had suggested and encouraged alternatives. 55% said they had been “very much forced by others” to abort. Furthermore, 75% said they would not have sought an abortion if it had been illegal. I hope IC will invite Reardon to do an article.
johnshiel | Oct 12, 2012, 10:33 AM EDT
very poorly written and confusing story with max hype in the headline. Poor work, mates...
jetsnoone | Oct 12, 2012, 10:16 AM EDT
Kids were too young to bring in a real life victim. Priest should have just said something to the effect that God does not want us to kill our babies via abortion.... that is the Christlike message that only a low life liberal could argue with and we don't need to hear from them anyhow.
Porickseantuny | Oct 12, 2012, 10:08 AM EDT
Abortion is sold as a freedom of choice issue. People should know what they are choosing.
jamieLM | Oct 12, 2012, 10:08 AM EDT
As an RN in the NICU, we work diligently to keep the tiniest babies alive. I'm for life, but I would be very offended if someone explained abortion to my young children. It's not their job or responsibility - that belongs to my husband and me to do when we think it's age appropriate.
TisEyerish | Oct 12, 2012, 09:18 AM EDT
In my previous post, the word "invest" should have read "infest." My apologies...guess I was subconsciously thinking about the 401(k)plan I once had!
TisEyerish | Oct 12, 2012, 09:16 AM EDT
I have to disagree with katiemac. There are some things children do NOT need to be exposed to...they deal with enough in their lives today. They do not need to know about abortion...this is the stuff nightmares are made of. When children reach the age when they become sexually active, it is up to their parents to sit them down and talk to them about abortion, birth control, etc., it is NOT the role of the church to invest their brains with it at such a young age. I can't help but think that this woman who gave the presentation became pro-life, only after having had an abortion. Perhaps I missed something in the story? I would have been offended, as well, particularly if I had a child with me...especially if it was a special needs child...and would have gotten up and walked out of the church, probably never to return. Shame, shame on the priest who allowed this.
WoundedKnee | Oct 12, 2012, 09:11 AM EDT
A (deliberate?) ambiguity on the part of Irish Central which serves to put this woman in a much worse light than she merits. "She believed her special needs child was a punishment from God". The word from Ireland is that she said that for a time after her abortion she had enormous guilt, even extending to the belief mentioned above. However, she stated in the church that she no longer has that belief, and realizes it was engendered in her by feelings of culpability and low self esteem brought on her by her post-abortion trauma. Having clarified this matter, it remains my opinion that this was a very maladroit intervention, one that shows the poor caliber of priests currently ministering in Ireland. It was most irresponsible for this priest to give the pulpit to a woman of whom he apparently knew nothing.
katiemac | Oct 12, 2012, 09:04 AM EDT
Truth is never a bad thing, and can never harm children. It is important that this issue of abortion be stated in reality rather than couched in the lies of the 'Choice" side.