Catholic Church and State conspire in terrible injustice

UK and Irish media outlets have given much coverage to the news in the last few days of three women who had been kept as slaves 'without handcuffs' in London's Brixton for over 30 years.

It is now emerging that there are aspects of a commune and a cult surrounding the horrific story.

The Irish State and the Catholic Church conspired with one another to strip young Irish men of their civil rights, who entered seminaries. The State and church did this until 1989.

Up until 1989 if a priest, it may well have appplied to religious sisters and brothers too, was employed and paid tax and social insurance, his social insurance contributions were not reckonable for purposes of pension.

Until 1989 priests paid Class K social insurance. The State considered priests as self-employed.

At the same time the Association of Secondary School Teachers, ASTI, prohibited priests from joining their trade union as they considered them part of management. A wonderful Irish joke.

And to add to the wrong-doing, many religious orders 'suggested' to their men who were teaching in schools not to pay the occupational pension.

This terrible injustice to the person means that men, who dcided to leave priesthood, say in their 40s or 50s most likely found/find themselves without a contributory old-age pension in their retirement.

This is a simple and clear injustice to the person.

What does the State say about this? What does the insitutional church say about this?

The State will wash its hands and the church will write a document on its mission policy to the marginalised.

And once there is no public coverage of the story, neither the State nor church will say a word. On the other hand, if it did/does make the newspapers, 'leaders' in the institutional church would/will immediately run to their lawyers and pay them large sums of money for the service,

Shocking. Gospel values?

But it's even worse than that. There are priests talking cliched nonsense about the role the Catholic person 'the lay faithful, God love us, should play in political life in Ireland.

If it all were not so sad and unjust it would be laughable. But it's important still to laugh at the nonsense that is being spoken. And all said in such pious tones.