Limerick Monks Protest
Posted on Saturday, April 12, 2008Brother Shawn, Father Sylvester and Brother Martin are from America. Father Paulus is from Germany and Brother Seraphim comes from France. These are the Franciscans who moved into Moyross, one of Limerick’s most troubled areas, where crime is rife and violence, including murder, is common, as are drug dealing, teenage pregnancy, poverty and deprivation.
Here are two of the Franciscans holding a prayer vigil and protest in Limerick city centre this morning.
What would you say they’re protesting about?
Are they picketing the home of a vicious heroin dealer?
No.
Well then, perhaps they’re outraged at the social inequity they’ve found in Ireland and they’re praying outside some Government office for a more inclusive society?
No. Not that either.
Ah! In that case, they must be demanding jobs and decent homes for their new neighbours?
Nope.
These good friars live in an area where some people can’t look after their children and where other people won’t look after their children, and where many can’t afford to feed, clothe or educate their families.
It’s obvious then, isn’t it? What else would they protest about? What’s the most important thing to the people in such an area? Yep! Father Zig and Brother Zag came all the way from America to picket a family planning clinic.
Now that’s really going to help the impoverished people of Moyross, isn’t it? Nice going Bros!
______________
Elsewhere
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
Stumble it!
April 12th, 2008
Holy mother of F … I hope they were being laughed at!
April 12th, 2008
Sort-of reminds me of this:
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/301.html
(It’s short and it’s funny)
April 12th, 2008
They weren’t being laughed at. In fact nobody was paying the slightest bit of attention to them, except some bewildered motorists waiting at the traffic lights.
April 12th, 2008
Oh Brother where art thou.
Are they praying for protection?
Deliver us from evil, hymen.
April 12th, 2008
Jesus! If there were more family planning clinics around maybe Moyross wouldn’t be such a mess in the firstplace. The irony.
April 12th, 2008
That clinic is pretty close to the official Darwin head offices. Over the years, I’ve seen a great many protests outside the building. I often wonder whether we could protest outside a Catholic church, against all their shite talk.
April 12th, 2008
RULE AND CONSTITUTIONS
franciscanfriars.com/Articles/cfr_constitutions2.htm
Damn you Bock, I’ve spent best part of an hour reading the EULA for these guys as I had never heard of them before.
“These good friars live in an area where some people can’t look after their children and where other people won’t look after their children, and where many can’t afford to feed, clothe or educate their families.”
Our Life of Poverty
38::The friars will always reside in areas noted for poverty. If the neighborhood changes due to social or economic development which displaces the poor, the friars must find residence in another poor area.
“It’s obvious then, isn’t it? What else would they protest about? What’s the most important thing to the people in such an area? Yep! Father Zig and Brother Zag decided to picket a family planning clinic.”
Our Life in the Church
156:: An essential part of the work of evangelization and care of the poor is the friars’ public and prayerful witness to the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. This witness is in opposition to the moral relativism and paganism of our times which undermines and attacks the fundamental human right to life, which is the foundation of a just and peaceful society.
Just what the area needs. Five scruffy blokes living on hand-outs.
Catholic Church Ireland 2007
Priests
160 Died ~ 9 Ordained
Nuns
228 Died ~ 2 took Vows
4752 priests average age 61
And long may the trend continue unless they start shipping them in ….
April 12th, 2008
Franciscans? No way! They belong to the holy order of Saint Anorak.
April 12th, 2008
They appear to be “Going Native” alright.Just look at how they have incorporated native dress.
More Skobish that the Skobes themselves.Ooncey Civics,Kappa sandals and Bulmers for communion wine to follow.
April 12th, 2008
ok - i saw em on the late late a few weeks ago and thought they seemed quite inoccuous - before anyone starts i am NOT catholic OR religious - but they seemed to have the best interests of the community of Moyross at heart. At least, that’s how they came across anyhoo….
…..but this shit? Gimme a break - I will NEVER understand why MEN of the cloth - ANY celibate unmarried man of the cloth can think they have the right to object to family planning…. makes me SICK. Also makes ya wonder what they spent their time doing in The Bronx in NY - protested outside free needle clinics?!
April 12th, 2008
Probably promoting Bush’s ‘faith-based’ initiatives against AIDS. (no condoms)
April 13th, 2008
The sorry sacks of shit.
Good one, Bock.
All the problems in the community and they waste their time trying to control women’s bodies.
April 14th, 2008
Women’s bodies, yes. Lunacy.
But actually I was more astounded by the sheer irrelevance of it all.
April 14th, 2008
I was discussing this myself with someone lately, Jesus, I think I now know who you are?
April 14th, 2008
Don’t keep us in suspense!
April 14th, 2008
Great post Bock. I note that misogyny and twisted logic is still prevalent amongst the (allegedly celibate) clerical class in the roman catholic church.
Twisted logic. http://tinyurl.com/5hj7qm
April 14th, 2008
How ridiculous! How foolish those men look and what a preposterous thing to protest. Like Darwin, I’d see far more benefit in pickets outside the churches.
April 14th, 2008
If I saw that pair lingering about for a long time outside of anywhere I’d call the police sure they were up to no good. They look bloody sinister.
Jeezo, I knew there were some crazy anti-family-planning nutters over here but I didn’t realize they were posting themselves abroad now too.
April 15th, 2008
It’s incredible. They came into this town claiming they wanted to work with poor people, and here they are on a whole different mission.
April 16th, 2008
Their definition of ‘poor people’ would be different than ours (dare I say?). They wouldn’t define poverty as the lack of basic essentials like food, education, health or work, but more likely to do with what THEY call ‘poverty of the spirit.’
Methinks they should be picketing outside the Archbishop’s residences in Limerick and Drumcondra wherein exists such poverty of spirit that the incumbents and their predecessors facilitated appalling abuses against women and children in the Magdalen Laundries and in the Industrial Schools.
How is it that these kind of ‘zealots’ seem to gravitate towards vulnerable communities like women and children! They should have been asked, when they were on TV, about their raison d’être which is to propagate the roman catholic faith; asked their opinions on who should control womens bodies; asked if they regarded paedophilia as a criminal offense or as a moral failure on both the victim and the perpetrator.
Was David Irving asked about his attire when he was on TV? Why the fuck use kid gloves on these guys !
April 17th, 2008
It was only a matter of time before this happened. As you will see from my own posting on this back in February: http://paddyanglican.blogspot.com/2008/02/monks-in-moyross.html
I am dissappointed but not surprised.
June 14th, 2008
They were not protesting, they were praying. Killing babies in the womb is what they were praying against - yous all sound like pro-Nazi anti-life modern sickos!!!