Ire: Church Refuses Permission for Romero Mass

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Ire: Church Refuses Permission for Romero Mass

Via NY Transfer News Collective All the News that Doesn't Fit

sent by Simon McGuinness

[The new spirit of papal recrimination against the re-emergent liberation

theologists of Latin America has washed up on the shores of Ireland.

The Pope is again finding himself in conflict with the political and

religious movement of Latinos - lets hope that this time he stops short

of blessing the military dictatorships sent in to brutally put down the

legitimate aspirations of the people. -SMcG.]

The Irish Times - Mar 26, 2007

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2007/0326/1174528613138.html

Permission refused for Archbishop Romero Mass

by Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent

For the first time in 27 years permission was refused for a Dublin Mass

at the weekend in memory of the late Archbishop Oscar Romero, murdered

in San Salvador on March 24th, 1980, by security forces because of his

outspokenness on behalf of the poor in El Salvador.

For the past 20 years anniversary Masses for the archbishop have taken

place at Adam and Eve's Franciscan Church on the city's Merchant's Quay.

Prior to that they took place at the Jesuits' St Francis Xavier Church

in Gardiner Street.

Brendan Butler, chairman of the El Salvador Support Committee, told The

Irish Times last night that their request to hold the Mass at Adam and

Eve's, as customary, was refused as a new superior at the church had

decided Archbishop Romero's anniversary "was a private devotion and as

such no public Masses will be allowed" to honour him.

Mr Butler said he was "totally disgusted with this decision."

Since January last year the Merchant's Quay parish has been run by the

Augustinians at nearby Meath Street, but when contacted last night they

were unaware of the refusal to permit the Mass this year.

There was no response from the Franciscan's at Adam and Eve's last

night.

A spokesman for Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin, who is in Rome

for ceremonies commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the

Treaty of Rome, was also unaware of and puzzled by the decision to

withdraw permission for the Mass.

In 2005, at the end of the Mass in the Merchant's Quay church on April

1st that year held to mark the 25th anniversary of the murder, Dr

Martin, the Mass celebrant received news of the death of Pope John Paul.

He immediately told the congregation, which included members of the El

Salvador Support Committee and people from Catholic relief agency

Tr