Last week, we reported on the efforts of micro party Social Democrats in attacking the faith. The micro party, led by a woman referred to as the Irish AOC, were leading calls against a Catholic summer camp in Kildare.
The micro party are only on 2% on the polls however and look likely to disappear in the near future.
So it was with surprising to see the ruling Fine Gael party attack the same summer camp, with a healthy dose of attacks on Brazil, the United States and the wider Catholic Church for good measure.
In comments made to a pro regime outlet, Kildare Councillor Joe Neville said:
I go to mass and help out with the church here but this sounds like a typical Catholic Church in Brazil or the US, the fundamentalist side even. That leads to more division and I wouldn’t like for that to be recreated here
The astonishing attack has a number of bizarre layers to it.
Firstly, Neville appears unaware that his party have imported at least 25,000 Brazilians since 2016, according to Census records. Almost all of them are Christians and the majority are Catholics too, what is his opinion of them?
Secondly, it is incredible to think that Fine Gael believe that they have the authority to comment on the internal affairs of the church in an official capacity, be it as a Councillor or as a TD. Yet the church here have allowed this to happen by allowing individuals such as Neville or Josepha Madigan to interfere in the church and to do so using their office.
With Hate Speech Laws impending from his very own party, one has to wonder if his derogatory comments about the Catholic Church in Brazil would see him fall afoul of those very laws.
The church in Ireland would be well advised to get serious about the growing infringements on religious freedom from politicians, especially in Fine Gael, who are now passing a bill to give them control over religious grounds under the guise of ‘safe access zones’.
Watch the video below to decide for yourself if the camp is ‘typical of the Catholic Church in Brazil’ and worthy of intervention from the country’s ruling party.
