The comments made by the Irish bishops yesterday re children playing GAA on a Sunday morning has received wide coverage in the Irish media.
If they had tried to get the worst possible headlines they could not have perfected what they did. How do they manage it? This is such an amazing own goal, it is a hat trick. You would think with media savvy Archbishop Diarmuid Martin this sort of nonsense would not be possible.
All over the papers and on RTE 1 news last evening are the roaring headlines that children should be at Mass on Sunday instead of out on the playing pitch. Archbishop Dermot Clifford appeared on RTE 1 news last evening. Really is this the best Irish bishops can do?
Of course there is need for prayer on Sunday and need to say it too. But this way!
Firstly, there are Masses on Saturday evening. Most GAA games don't begin before 11.00 and there are also Sunday evening Masses.
The President of the GAA has been most restrained and kind in his reply.
Maybe instead of sounding off in such a manner, Archbishop Clifford would be better employed seeing to it that priests celebrate more meaningful liturgies and prepare and preach better sermons. That would be a far more positive approach and a much better starting point.
There are times, when all one can do is hold his or head down and bear the embarrassment.
How many Masses are so badly celebrated, how many sermons are nonsensical drivel?
In the middle of all this nonsense the bishops made wise comments about GAA sponsorship of drink companies. And of course that has been lost in the Sunday Mass nonsense.
If they had tried to employ a PR company to do the worst possible job, they could not have done a better job.
Do they ever learn?
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