Cathedral Service Disrupted by Pro-Palestinian Protest

A service at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh was disrupted on Sunday by demonstrators. Their stated purpose was to “highlight the silence from the Catholic church on genocide in Palestine”. Footage from a livestream of the service, which was shared on the parish’s social media, showed approximately 30 individuals entering the cathedral carrying placards. Deirdre Murphy Linder, identified as one of the protesters, stated in an online video that they constitute “a group of cross-community Christians” and conducted “a silent a dignified procession at the end of communion”. Subsequent to the demonstration, the officiating priest accused the participants of exploiting the Mass for a photo opportunity. Father Barry Mathews, speaking to his congregants directly after the event, declared that the church is “not a political organisation, rather we are an organisation who trusts in God’s plan and trusts God is present”. Father Mathews also highlighted contributions made by church members “for the care of children in Gaza”. He further stated, “We here as a parish community have given £5,000 pounds from your donation.” “We don’t use Mass as an opportunity for a quick snapshot,” he added. He concluded by saying, “Let us not use the church for a place of political statement.” Father Mathews’ remarks were met with applause from his congregants. A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Armagh commented, stating: “Archbishop Eamon Martin, and other Irish bishops, have spoken out on the issue of the horrific devastation and loss of life in Gaza, most recently in the Bishops’ Conference’s pre-election statement of two weeks ago.” The statement further noted: “Archbishop Martin dedicated his 2024 New Year message to this issue and has since given various media interviews on the topic and will continue to do so.” Ms Murphy Linder articulated the protesters’ desire “to know why the church, the Christian churches are silent”. She further remarked, “They were very vocal when Russian invaded Ukraine, and rightly so, their condemnation was extremely strong.” She contended that Christian church leaders were “betraying the faith of billions” through their perceived lack of more forceful statements regarding the situation in Gaza. “We are waiting 14 months, looking at horrific images and a genocide,” she stated. Israel has strongly refuted claims that its military forces are perpetrating genocide in Gaza. A new report issued in November by a UN General Assembly special committee indicated that Israel’s combat tactics in Gaza are “consistent with the characteristics of genocide, with mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians there”. Additionally, Human Rights Watch has leveled accusations against Israel for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN reports that approximately 1.9 million individuals, representing 90% of Gaza’s populace, have been displaced from their residences over the last year, with 79% of the area subject to Israeli-issued evacuation directives. Israel initiated a military campaign aimed at dismantling Hamas following the group’s unprecedented assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, an event that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 others. Since that time, over 44,000 individuals have died in Gaza, as reported by the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. This content is copyrighted by BBC in 2024. All rights are reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.