Scots Bishops Silent as Government Covers-up Anti-Catholic Bigotry
Regular blogger, Gabriel Syme, writes…
The SNP government is withholding findings of a report regarding “sectarianism” (anti-catholicism) at football – see Evening Times report…
The SNP have form on this, as in 2011 (when Salmond was First Minister), data on “sectarianism” (anti-Catholicism) was destroyed by the Crown Office, rather than released publicly – read the Scottish Law Reporter ‘Hate Data’ destroyed as Salmond’s SNP fear Independent Scotland viewed as ‘Too Sectarian’ to join predominantly Catholic European Union
Quite a big difference when they fall over themselves to decry imaginary prejudice against Muslims and homosexuals.
Of course, only silence from Archbishop Tartaglia and co.
Comment:
It is Gabriel Syme’s last point that should catch our attention. Why on earth would the Scottish Bishops, so quick to rush out statements of concern about refugees, asylum seekers, perceived discrimination against every non-Christian and anti-Catholic group you care to name, why on earth do they remain silent about this grave injustice against Catholics?
Comments (14)
Thank you, Gabriel Syme, for alerting us to this news. I’m looking forward to the answers to my “Comment” question as to why the Bishops of Scotland are remaining silent on this very serious issue of cover up by the Scottish Government, of data revealing the extent of anti-Catholic bigotry at football matches.
Or does it matter? As long as that bigotry is not to be found in wider Scottish society, does it really matter if Rangers supporters keep up the tradition of hating Celtic supporters (based on the entirely false belief that they are practising Catholics!)?
Editor
If I could make a couple of points. It is a complete myth that bigotry is not to be found in the wider Scottish society or that it is a ” West of Scotland thing”, as is often claimed. As a (building) contractor on the lists of my local authority as well as the now defunct Strathclyde Regional Council, I experienced first hand and at great cost what it’s like for a Catholic to succeed in business, especially in Ayrshire. The ones with the photos of their families and the
graduation certificates on their office walls were the worst bigots and didn’t even try to hide it. I had to resort to my MP to get some fairness but then found out that when Pope Benedict visited the UK he was one of the first to sign the letter to have him barred from the country. In fact, he had a son who was arrested at a Hearts game and the police said he was the most vile bigot
they had ever arrested. He (the MP) is now mooching around the House of Lords in his eighties.
As for rangers fans hating Celtic fans; it isn’t because they assume that they are practising Catholics, it is simply because they assume they are Catholics.
The fact that around 6,000+ non-Catholics attend all Celtic home games is conveniently swept under the carpet, so they hate them also.
Editor
A few observations.
1. The bishops don’t speak out on anti-Catholic bigotry because they are no longer men of faith, they are men of convenience and compromise, worldly men. That’s it in a nutshell.
2. The SNP has always been known to be anti-Catholic, not to mention anti-Christian. It is infamously dubbed the “Scottish No Pope” party. At any rate, it is a Communist Party by any other name.
3. I wish we, as a society, were a lot less tolerant in general than we presently are. Though I have no sympathy whatever with the Orange Order, at least their bigotry against the Catholic Church is open and visible. The really dangerous people in modern society are the tolerant people who are indifferent to any and all morality and religious truth. They’re the real devils.
Athanasius,
Spot on. The SNP have always been anti-Catholic.
I think the Bishops have the same outlook as the Government, in that they prefer to live in a fantastical “la la land” where they pretend everything in society is just great and there are no problems to worry about.
it is much the same as their approach to the health of the Church under their stewardship.
Racist or “homophobic” chants at football are now completely off limits and so why should Catholics not receive the same respect?
The attitudes found at places like Ibrox stadium obviously affect the behaviour of people in the street. Recall the incident at St Alphonsus, Calton (last year) where a priest was spat on and parishioners threatened by a passing Orange Walk.
Nicola Sturgeon’s government is only interested in tackling prejudice where it does not exist – and so the exercise is more an exercise in grandstanding and self-praise, than anything else.
The only excuse for this Government secrecy is that politicians do not want to have to confront what the figures show. And so the myth of Scotland being a pleasant, egalitarian place endures.
Amazingly, the only intervention by a Bishop I know of has been (yesterday) from Leo Cushley, who said he “couldn’t see a problem” with Orange Walks passing Churches, “as long as they are respectful”.
But that is the problem, Leo, they are not respectful. Of course, there are few Orange Walks in the leafy, wealthy suburbs where the Bishops reside in their expensive villas.
The only result of his contribution will be to take the legs from “Call it Out” – a grassroots campaign against anti-Catholic bigotry which had been building a head of steam to ensure Orange Walks avoid Catholic Churches.
I think the general silence, broken only by an unhelpful comment, reinforces the Scottish Bishops reputation as “useless mouths” – in that their presence serves no real purpose, but they still require to be fed (generously in some cases).
Gabriel Syme,
Well said, every word. I agree. That was an incredible thing for Archbishop Cushley to say, as if a parade of people who patently hate the Church and her doctrines could be “respectful” passing a Catholic church which they pick for the exact purpose of showing their DIS-respect. These men just do not live in the real world.
Fidelis,
Exactly.
+Cushleys silence (and that of the rest) was noted at the time of the St Alphonsus incident, yet here is is now boldly defending the perpetrators of such behaviour.
It beggars belief.
Gabriel Syme,
It beggars belief even more when we recall that, just a few short years ago, the Grand Master of the Orange Order was handed a full page column in the Scottish Catholic Observer to peddle his wares.
Truly, you could not make this stuff up. [grammatically, I know the “up” should come after “make” but it doesn’t sound as good 😀 )
Some of you may have been around long enough to recall what happened at Carfin Lourdes Grotto back in the 60s, when an orange parade was allowed to pass by – of all places – that holy pilgrimage site.
A bunch of hooligans broke away from the parade, entered the Grotto and desecrated it – overturning statues, causing criminal damage and ‘doing their business’ everywhere. I remember how upset my dad (R.I.P.) was about this, calling them for what they were – ‘stinking orange p#gs’. One wonders how the bishops would react were (God forbid) something like that to happen at the present day.
It’s very disappointing that the Scottish Government won’t release that report. They are saying they don’t “own” the report, that it’s not up to them to release it, but that is a very weak argument. If it was a report about Muslims being discriminated against, they’d soon release it.
The only thing I can think of in their defence is their use of “public interest” – maybe they think releasing the facts would lead to violence on the streets. Who knows. It just might be a possible reason.
I think this forceful article by Ed Faust is a very good commentary on “silent bishops”: https://fatima.org/news-views/a-meeting-in-nowhere-land/
RCA Victor,
Very good article. Thank you for posting it.
Typical,
There’s always someone from the Catholic side to take the pressure off these bigots. This time it’s an archbishop who hasn’t opened his mouth since he was first appointed.
A few months ago I emailed his secretary twice with a request for him to object to a blasphemous production in Edinburgh organised by the Edinbufgh City Council: I never got a reply. It’s a pity he hadn’t remained as silent this time around.
Anyway, why is the Archbishop of Edinburgh shoving his nose into affairs relating to Glasgow?
His statement is similar to someone saying that they wouldn’t object to a group of nudists walking past their house as long as they kept their clothes on.
Frankier,
“There’s always someone from the Catholic side to take the pressure off these bigots.”
We used to call that type “fifth columnists,” but at this advanced stage of apostasy in the hierarchy, I’d say 95% of them are fifth columnists. In fact, one of Pope Francis’ “achievements” is to make faithful Catholics out to be fifth columnists, and the traitors, including himself, to be orthodox!
(In other words , just a variation on Hillary Clinton – aka “Crooked Hillary” – calling patriotic Americans “deplorables.” These leftists all use the same language.)