IRELAND
Irish Independent
JOHN MEAGHER – 11 MAY 2013
The notion of excommunication holds a special place in the imagination of Irish people. It used to be threatened to those Catholics who considered studying at Trinity College Dublin and to anyone who engaged in paramilitary activity.
This week, it has returned to the public consciousness after Cardinal Seán Brady refused to rule out the possibility that TDs voting in favour of abortion legislation would be excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
“That is down the line at the moment, as far as we are concerned,” Brady told media at an anti-abortion vigil held at Knock, Co Mayo, last week. …
Brady – who has been heavily criticised for his failure to take leadership in the clerical abuse scandals – was dismissed as out-of-touch by some, especially those who questioned why the cardinal hadn’t broached the topic of excommunication when it came to paedophile priests.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there about excommunication,” says Michael Kelly, editor of The Irish Catholic. “It’s almost never imposed – especially in an Irish context. It’s much more about people choosing to excommunicate themselves or automatically applied when a law is contravened rather than following a specific inquiry.
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