Paid Survey Ireland
Pope Benedict XVI not welcome in Ireland. What do you think?
From www.independent.ie
POPE Benedict XVI is not entirely welcome here in the wake of the damning Ryan report, a survey found. More than half of people surveyed do not want a second papal visit following the revelations in the report on child abuse.
Many interviewees in the internet poll felt he should apologise before a visit could take place, while others said that saying sorry would not make any difference.
"Until he condemns what happened and pays compensation for his vile colleagues' actions, and helps this country prosecute them by handing over all documents in relation to abuse issues and the movement of priests, then he shouldn't be allowed set foot in this country," said one of the interviewees.
Full story here http://www.independent.ie/national-news/papal-visit-would-not-be-welcome-in-wake-of-ryan-report-1795506.html
I think there are a number of reasons he shouldn't visit at present, not least of which is the recent scandal of the abuse in childrens' homes, and the deliberate attempts by the church authorities to cover it up.
@epitome_1: bear in mind that only a small minority of Catholics in Northern Ireland were ever involved in terrorism, and they are no more (or less) guilty than the small minority of Protestants who also participated in the terror. While the Catholic IRA were certainly the largest group, responsible for 49% of the total deaths of the Troubles, there were many other groups too, including the Protestant UVF & UDA who were no less ruthless. They were all equally guilty of wilfully committing many murders of innocent people, while giving the lie that they were "defending" their communities. There has always been a majority of people who saw all these groups as equally vicious, cold-blooded and dishonest, and who held up political progress. At a time when society was changing between old fashioned ways and the new (1960s), and political progress was happening, these groups diverted it into decades of unnecessary terror.
http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/troubles/troubles_stats.html
However, this does highlight the role of religion in causing and maintaining the underlying problem of a segregated society. Many people would wish for a secular society, where religion is irrelevant (NI is officially secular), but certain church authorities have tried to promote segregation, notably by pressuring families to send their children to separate religious schools, and are able to do so by having them funded by taxpayers' money.
At present and during the Troubles, it's the Catholic church that has been most guilty of this, institutionally resisting attempts by government and others to phase out society's divisions, making it genuinely secular. While once much of Europe was riven by such divisions and resulting strife, secularism has become the norm elsewhere.
So my main objection to the Pope's visit would be because of the Catholic church's continuing attempts to preserve segregation in schools, which in a partially divided society as Northern Ireland can only be judged as irresponsible. If ever a society needed social secularism, it is this one. If kids could grow up without the mistrust and prejudice due to segregation, these social problems could disappear completely within a couple of generations.
http://www.newstatesman.com/200602270011