Police in Ireland Fine Catholic Priest for Offering Public Masses

Police in Ireland Fine Catholic Priest for Offering Public Masses
Citing sources close to the priest, local media reported that Father Hughes was not willing to pay the fine and was ready to be jailed rather than cease public worship.


Irish flag. / L F File/Shutterstock. (photo: L F File / Shutterstock.)
CNA World March 22, 2021
DUBLIN, Ireland — Police have fined a Catholic priest for celebrating public Masses amid a nationwide lockdown.

Gardaí imposed a 500 euro ($595) fine on Fr. P.J. Hughes, pastor of Mullahoran and Loughduff parish in County Cavan, after he offered Masses with a small number of parishioners present, reported the Irish Catholic newspaper March 20.

Under government health measures, public worship has been suspended in the country since Oct. 7, 2020. Public Masses were also suspended in Ireland from March to June 2020 during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a parish newsletter dated March 21, Fr. Hughes wrote: “Next Sunday marks the journey of Holy Week. It is hard to believe that for a second year people cannot come to take part in the ceremonies of Holy Week.”


“Despite the size of the church and the holy place that it is because of the presence of Jesus in the Holy Tabernacle, the church has been deemed a hot spot for the spread of the virus by the gardaí.”

“The majority of people are healthy and able to go shopping, bring their children to school and many are working in enclosed environments. We are committing a grave mistake by rejecting our Lord and God Jesus Christ by staying away because government officials say we must.”

The priest, who serves in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, continued: “I do not accept this demand by people who do not realize the wrong they are doing. It is our constitutional right to protest so long as it is peaceful; it is our constitutional right to practice our faith and assemble to pray together.”

“For those who are afraid of catching the virus in the church then they have the free choice to stay at home and live their lives as they think it best to do.”


“I have been reported again and the gardaí have issued a fine because I celebrated Mass with people present. I will exercise my constitutional right even though people are complaining, even though I am not obeying my bishop when I go against his advice. We can’t just reject Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.”

The Irish Catholic said that police asked Fr. Hughes in November 2020 to lock the church’s doors when he celebrated Mass to prevent parishioners from attending. But he continued to leave the church open.

Citing sources close to the priest, the newspaper added that he was not willing to pay the fine and was ready to be jailed rather than cease public worship.

Ireland is under strict “Level 5” COVID-19 restrictions until at least April 5. The government has not revealed what COVID-19 restrictions will be in place after April 5, but local media have reported that the easing of measures next month will likely be minor.


Bishops in Northern Ireland announced March 17 that public worship could resume from Friday, March 26, right before Holy Week.

Ireland, a country with a population of almost five million people, has recorded a total of 230,599 cases of COVID-19 and 4,587 deaths as of March 22, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Authorities reported 769 new cases on Sunday — the highest figure since Feb. 26.

In a homily on St. Patrick’s Day, Dublin’s new archbishop called on authorities to prioritize the right to worship as COVID-19 measures are eased.

Archbishop Dermot Farrell said March 17: “As a matter of human dignity and fairness — but even more so as a matter of wellbeing and the restoration of normality, I call on the public authorities to give assurance that the legitimate desire of people to gather responsibly and within reasonable guidelines to exercise their constitutional right to worship will be prioritized in the easing of restrictions.”

David Quinn, director of the Iona Institute, an advocacy group promoting the place of marriage and religion in society, told CNA March 22: “Fr. Hughes potentially faces prison if he does not pay the fine. If this happens, it will be the first time in centuries that a priest in Ireland has been jailed, or even fined, for saying Mass in public.”

“It highlights the totally unjust and disproportionate nature of the current situation in Ireland. Public worship has been banned for about eight of the last 12 months, longer than anywhere else in Europe.”


“Currently only a handful of European countries are prohibiting public worship. The rest are permitting it because, once health measures are being followed, gathering for worship is safe. Health authorities and governments everywhere else can see this, but not Ireland, where the right to worship in public has been reduced to an afterthought.”

https://www.ncregister.com/cna/police-in-ireland-fine-catholic-priest-for-offering-public-masses

 

It looks like the Holy Mass will have to go underground in Ireland again.
Prayers for Ireland
I will add the Catholic Irish people to my prayers for the persecuted Catholic's of the world.
Lord Have Mercy.

 

As surely as the LORD lives," he said, "the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD's anointed. ... They were all sleeping, because the LORD had put them into a deep sleep

1 Samuel 26

 

Yes. Me too.

 

I had not realized the extent of this deprivation until now. It has finally hit me.

 

I will also include Ireland in my prayers.

 

Well, I suppose then there isn't much choice but to carry on until they arrest you.

 

It is sometimes good to recall that the Church is not Pacifist. I would not say it is a , 'Nice', religion as such. Very often not being nice is a good way to go. Hence Bishops with their Shepherds Crooks to wack folks with.

Very often lying down under it is a very good way to get foot prints all over your face.

From Spain...

 

I just hope the good men and women of that parish take a stand between these secular globalists and that good priest. If ever there was a good cause for rebellion this is it IMO.

Now is not the time to go underground IMO, now is the time to stand and be counted.

 

What a courageous priest, I have admired him since this interview, we really need a few more of these now like never before.
https://gemmaodoherty.com/investiga...not-afraid-the-bible-tells-us-this-365-times/

He has announced he will go to prison before paying the fine to save the mass.

 

First Communions for Children, 'Non - Essential' and a, 'Health Danger':

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-56517765

Covid-19: First Communions in Derry diocese postponed over party fears



The Catholic Diocese of Derry has postponed First Communions over fears they could encourage people to hold parties.

First Communion is usually celebrated during April and May when children are between the ages of seven and eight.

They will not now go ahead in the diocese until September.

Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown said he has taken the decision because "parties and other socialising can and do occur".

He said it was important the Church "go the extra step to assist in protecting public health, by avoiding those situations which might with some regularity lead people to organise parties".

Public worship at Catholic Churches is due to resume in Northern Ireland on Friday.

 

'The pages of the Gospel show clearly how special was that love for children which Christ showed while He was on earth. It was His delight to be in their midst … He embraced them; and He blessed them. At the same time He was not pleased when they would be driven away by the disciples, whom He rebuked gravely with these words: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for of such is the kingdom of God.” It is clearly seen how highly He held their innocence and the open simplicity of their souls on that occasion when He called a little child to Him and said to the disciples: “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven … And whoever receives one such little child for my sake, receives me.”'

Pope St Pius x

Quam Singulari,

 

Matthew 19:14


Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

 

Wow. I shudder when I think of what God thinks of this.

 

My 8 year old had her Holy Communion cancelled it was supposed to be in May, she is very disappointed.

 

That's crazy insane. Tonight we had a beautiful penance service , Eucharistic adoration at our church tonight. No pews cordoned off, everything open. Only diff was wearing masks on faces and no holy water in the fonts. But that is not unusual for lent anyway. I feel for the people of Ireland. I'm praying for you.

 

The TLM parish we'll be attending for the first time on Palm Sunday has dropped all restrictions. Full church, communion on the tongue, no masks... We are blessed indeed.

 

This is so sad and terribly distressing. Whoever reported the Priest to the Gardai, must be one of the very many Irish people who are living in sheer fear, and prepared to betray a Priest who is willing to offer the Sacraments of the Church to the people of God.

Incidentally, I hear muslims in Ireland are able to do their mosque visits unhindered....is there some hypocrisy going on here, or good old persecution of the Catholic Church.

I know my own 85 year old sister who actually lives in the same diocese mentioned in this article, though not the same parish is too terrified to leave her home at all because of the virus. Her life is ruined by the fear campaign imposed on the Irish people.

No only that but she told me she has had the first vaccine for the covid, because whoever came to her house said the home helps would not come anymore if she was not vaccinated. She tells me she has been feeling very tired since the vaccine, and in Ireland they will give her the second shot beginning of April, that is four weeks after the first shot.

In England they are waiting 12 weeks between first and second vaccine, and my 83 year old brother and his wife, in her 70's have also felt more tired since they got the first vaccine. But they will have 12 weeks to recover before they get the second vaccine. It all stinks if you ask me.

I hear the Bishops in Scotland took their government to court to stop the closure of Churches and won the case. Maybe Irish Bishops should take a leaf out of their book and do the same.

Someone somewhere has to bring a stop to this marxist annihilation of our God given rights and freedoms.

 

https://www.catholicarena.com/lates...f-irish-state-arrests-priests-for-saying-mass