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Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has claimed that some anti-mask protesters who oppose Covid health regulations belong to the same groups that tried to overturn his car when he attended an Islamic rally in Croke Park in July.
In an online address to the Dublin Council of Churches on Thursday evening, Dr. Martin revealed the shocking incident outside Croke Park, where he had been invited by the Muslim community in Ireland to give a speech on the occasion of the Eid Festival celebration.
“Some of those who participated in these anti-mask demonstrations were the same groups that tried to overturn my car when I attended an Islamic gathering in Croke Park,” he told the other church leaders.
Highlighting the emergence of negative trends in Irish society during the pandemic, he said there are “voices that do not understand, or do not want to understand, what religious tolerance means in Ireland today and that should concern us all.”
He also noticed another trend among some anti-maskers seeking to deny the threat of the Coronavirus under the pretext of respecting individual freedoms.
Recognizing that the pandemic had brought specific challenges for churches, including believers being unable to gather for religious services for extended periods of time, Dr. Martin said nonetheless that church closings, especially at crucial times or to protect vulnerable people could be justified, but such measures should be limited to the minimum period necessary.
For Catholics, he emphasized, the Mass and the Sacraments “are not simply ‘gatherings’ of people, but deep expressions of who we are as a Church. For individual parishes and Catholics, the loss of these spiritual supports can be a source of great anxiety and fear and can have a detrimental impact on their overall health and well-being. “
The church leader said it is important for society to remember the contribution that public religious practice makes to the spiritual and personal well-being of believers. “Religious leaders can be powerful agents in promoting responsible behavior,” he said.
However, he cited another church leader who had warned that “a certain clericalism emerged during the pandemic. We are witnessing a degree of exhibitionism and pietism that has more to do with magic than with an expression of true faith ”.
Looking to the future, Archbishop Martin said that society faces serious unemployment problems and that new mental health challenges will emerge and that job losses could lead to suicide in all sectors of society. “The blockage leads to limited human interaction that then depletes well-being.”
Online editors
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