The Archbishop of Dublin has called on citizens to “break the chain of hate and evil” following an escalation of gang violence in the city.
In a statement, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said that everyone had a responsibility to stop the spread of violence. He said: “Hatred and evil easily become a chain and those who resort to such violence feel that they are the strong ones. We need to form a strong alliance of all those who oppose violence on our streets.
“We cannot abandon the good honest men, women and children of parts of our inner city. The elderly live in fear. Their children are exposed to carnage on their streets. Their neighbourhood is being vilified; they are held to ransom by despicable people involved in the rackets of death. The promoters of violence think that they can impose their interests on society: we have to show them that together we are stronger than them and that we can bring them down.
“Everyone has a responsibility. Those who cultivate violence thrive on our silence. We have to unite to undermine them and their business and not close our eyes to what we know. There is plenty of intelligence on the streets; we need to create a culture which will enable those who have information to get that information to the Gardaí [police].”
The statement followed two gun murders occurring within two hours of each other. The murders marked the sixth and seventh deaths on the streets of Dublin this year connected to gangland tensions.
The archbishop appealed to Dubliners to be “courageous” and call “violence what it is: evil”. He continued: “Dublin needs a coalition of strong people who are not afraid to call the sponsors of this violence what they are: despicable and evil.”
He concluded: “Once again families have lost loved ones. Their tears and their loss will not be compensated for with more violence. We have to break the chain of hate and evil.”
Last week the Catholic bishops of Northern Ireland urged voters to avoid supporting pro-abortion candidates at yesterday’s election.
“From a moral point of view, there is no such thing as ‘limited’ abortion. Abortion is always the deliberate and intentional taking of an innocent, vulnerable human life,” they said.
A vote for Greens ‘is a vote to end Catholic education’
Voting Green is a vote to end Scottish Catholic education, according to the education chief of the Church in Scotland.
Michael McGrath, director of the Scottish Catholic Education Service, was speaking ahead of yesterday’s parliamentary elections. He said the Green Party policy would bring an end to state-funded Catholic education in Scotland. McGrath accused the Green Party of intolerance towards faith schools.
“They don’t want Catholic schools and it’s important the electorate know that voting Green means you’re voting to end Catholic schools.
“I would be interested to know what the thinking behind that policy is. It doesn’t seem to be about tolerating other people’s wishes, or allowing parental choices, but instead imposing a one-size-fits-all system contrary to developments in education all over the world.”
In a reference to the party not including the policy in its manifesto, he said: “They should be transparent about their desire to end Catholic schools.”
A spokesman for the Greens said they wanted “a non-denominational education system in Scotland. The focus of this is not to close down schools but for greater integration.”
Cardinal honours miraculous icon
Cardinal Vincent Nichols celebrated Mass at his titular church in Rome last week.
The Mass marked 150 years since the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help arrived at the church of Sant’ Alfonso.
The icon had been removed from St Matthew’s church in Rome by Augustinians in 1798 as war raged in the city.
Sant’ Alfonso, where the icon was returned more than 50 years later, was built on the site of the church of St Matthew.
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