Would you pray for a sex offender?

lazygal

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/colette-browne/would-you-walk-out-of-mass-if-a-priest-prayed-for-a-sex-attacker-29787078.html

Bloody hell. I don't know if I could sit through a priest asking a congregation to pray for a man like this: Murray, who first sexually assaulted the victim when she was just 13, is in prison awaiting sentence. I know it was a funeral and decorum and decency and not making a scene were the reasons people didn't walk out. But what was the priest thinking, hijacking a funeral like this?

Esoteric_

I don't go to mass, as I don't believe in god, but I would absolutely walk out of mass if askde to pray for a sex offender.

Sunnyisland

I would pray that he is dead.

FTA69

The Church siding with sex offenders is nothing new unfortunately.

lazygal

Esoteric_ wrote: »

I don't go to mass, as I don't believe in god, but I would absolutely walk out of mass if askde to pray for a sex offender.

I go for the usual weddings and funerals, not any other occasion. I really don't know how I'd react at a wedding or funeral if this happened.

RobbieTheRobber

lazygal wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/colette-browne/would-you-walk-out-of-mass-if-a-priest-prayed-for-a-sex-attacker-29787078.html

Bloody hell. I don't know if I could sit through a priest asking a congregation to pray for a man like this: Murray, who first sexually assaulted the victim when she was just 13, is in prison awaiting sentence. I know it was a funeral and decorum and decency and not making a scene were the reasons people didn't walk out. But what was the priest thinking, hijacking a funeral like this?

Op this thread belongs in the Christianity forum. You should ask a mod to move it!

justforlaugh

praying is a waste of time imo

Sir Osis of Liver.

Id pray he has to endure a lifetime of salad tossing his cellmate.

Amen.

Amirani

No. But I wouldn't pray for someone who wasn't a sex offender either.

Muise...

Pray? You mean, get down on my knees like?

kneemos

If you're praying that he should change his ways it's probably fair enough.
Don't know why else you would be asked to pray for him.

tayto lover

I would pray that he didn't sexually assault anyone else.
Fed up of priests either abusing or asking for prayers/forgiveness for offenders.
Then again they are only middle men anyway.

RayM

It's funny how the Catholic church frowns upon personal eulogies and non-religious songs at funerals, but priests are completely free to use their sermons for their own personal crusades.

At my mum's funeral, the priest took the opportunity to have a rant about 'the dangers of creeping secularism'.

mikeym

There was a big discussion on the local radio station last Monday.

I dont go to mass much so I dont really care.

Boombastic

I'd pray he takes a long walk off a short cliff

Femme_Fatale

mikeym wrote: »

I dont go to mass much so I dont really care.

I don't go to mass either but I still care. This is absolutely disgraceful.

The title of the thread seems pretty loaded. This shouldn't be a church-bashing excuse IMO - the focus should be on what that man did (I knew him - found him staggeringly rude, but would never have suspected him of this either and reserved judgement until the verdict) and the way "pillars of the community" can be untouchable.

endacl

Why pray for anything? Talking to yourself is utterly pointless.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

you'd be a bad christian if you refused.

Cienciano

Isn't the whole thing about christianity that you forgive someone? And turn the other cheek? Love one another as I have loved you?

Priest asks for congregation to pray for a sex offender?! Oh the irony.

chughes

More ammunition for the church to shoot itself in the foot. Will they ever learn?

Femme_Fatale

Cienciano wrote: »

Isn't the whole thing about christianity that you forgive someone? And turn the other cheek? Love one another as I have loved you?

For those christians whose "christian" qualities are questionable, I'd say the above really depends on whether it suits them or not.

dmc17

No! I most certainly wouldn't pray for a sex offender. I wouldn't ask santa for one either :pac:

Benny_Cake

Cienciano wrote: »

Isn't the whole thing about christianity that you forgive someone? And turn the other cheek? Love one another as I have loved you?

Pray that he repents - yes. It sounds as if what happened here was that the congregation were asked to pray for his acquittal. I don't think there are words to describe how wrong that is.

The original article is fairly short on details, there is more on it here:

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/bishop-friars-comments-on-former-lord-mayor-murray-inappropriate-250760.html

Rho b

I understand that the man in question was charged for his crime. Hopefully the family/friends attending the funeral can come to terms (in time) with the priest hijacking the funeral mass of their loved one.
TBH if it was a funeral mass of a close relative of mine then I would have approached the alter to speak to the priest and MAKE him apologise there and then in public and retract his statement.
I also know that my family would be in support of me doing so.

Femme_Fatale

The journalist is pretty self righteous to say "Somebody from the congregation should have interrupted the priest" - easy for her to say what others should have done when she wasn't there. This was a funeral, people were mourning and possibly quite speechless at the priest.
She can't know that she would have done the same herself.

Fr_Dougal

Muise... wrote: »

Pray? You mean, get down on my knees like?

That's the spirit.

tayto lover

Cienciano wrote: »

Isn't the whole thing about christianity that you forgive someone? And turn the other cheek? Love one another as I have loved you?

Its the other cheeks they want you to turn towards them.

hsianloon

I dont think there's much point in praying for things that are possible. I wouldn't pray for a chocolate bar because I could just enter the shop and buy it.

camel jockey

Sickening, but not surprising.

bigron2109

Not a chance in hell.

I would walk out of the church if that happened, even though i dont go there very often.

Irish Guitarist

No I wouldn't, or at least I wouldn't pray for the acquittal of a child molester. However I also wouldn't disrupt a funeral service.

What a sanctimonious and hateful article. It sounds like she's blaming the congregation for not wanting to disrupt a funeral.

If you want to know what rape culture looks like there is no more evocative image than a church full of the faithful bowing their heads and being asked to pray for the acquittal of a man charged with serious sexual offences.

Some of the mourners, including relatives of the deceased, have since publicly condemned the priest for hi-jacking the funeral to make his astonishing intercession on Murray's behalf.

One woman said she was tempted to walk out but didn't "out of respect for the dead". What about respect for the living?

Having listened to the priest pray for the accused, did anyone think of the impact it would have on the victim?

She seriously expects people attending a funeral to get up and walk out to protest against what the priest is saying. And what's with this 'rape culture' nonsense?

Newspapers shouldn't have opinion pieces like this. They should stick to reporting the news.

Grayson

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

No I wouldn't, or at least I wouldn't pray for the acquittal of a child molester. However I also wouldn't disrupt a funeral service.

What a sanctimonious and hateful article. It sounds like she's blaming the congregation for not wanting to disrupt a funeral.


She seriously expects people attending a funeral to get up and walk out to protest against what the priest is saying. And what's with this 'rape culture' nonsense?

Newspapers shouldn't have opinion pieces like this. They should stick to reporting the news.

Yep. Someone has died. their family are mourning their loss. It's probably the worst day of their lives and she expects people to make a political point.
What the priest did was wrong. It's doubly wrong because he used a funeral to do it but walking out is not the solution. That could only make the worst day of someone's life worse.


btw, The authors photo scared me. She has dead eyes.

diograis

Disgusting

seamus

More examples of people cherry-picking what they do and don't believe. Wasn't Jesus pretty fond of helping out criminals? Turn the other cheek, judge not lest ye be judged, and all that stuff.

Yet when the guy is a child rapist, suddenly their lofty ideals don't apply, "just because".

Praying for the redemption of a criminal sounds perfectly in line with Catholic doctrine to me...

caustic 1

Sometimes people make mistakes and bad judgements, perhaps this was one of them on the priests part, perhaps in hindsight he looks back and regrets what he did and said. Has no one here ever said something and once it left their lips thought oh for feck sakes me and my big mouth. people seem to be less tolerant of others these days and no I don't go to mass, as for the offender yes he did wrong he is still someones son father brother husband uncle etc a whole community tore apart because of the actions of one.

kneemos

seamus wrote: »

More examples of people cherry-picking what they do and don't believe. Wasn't Jesus pretty fond of helping out criminals? Turn the other cheek, judge not lest ye be judged, and all that stuff.

Yet when the guy is a child rapist, suddenly their lofty ideals don't apply, "just because".

Praying for the redemption of a criminal sounds perfectly in line with Catholic doctrine to me...

I think the priest was asking people to pray for his acquittal.

seamus

kneemos wrote: »

I think the priest was asking people to pray for his acquittal.

Aha. Still, innocent until proven guilty. The priest is entitled to pray that justice is done, or whatever he said.

smacl

caustic 1 wrote: »

Sometimes people make mistakes and bad judgements, perhaps this was one of them on the priests part, perhaps in hindsight he looks back and regrets what he did and said. Has no one here ever said something and once it left their lips thought oh for feck sakes me and my big mouth. people seem to be less tolerant of others these days and no I don't go to mass, as for the offender yes he did wrong he is still someones son father brother husband uncle etc a whole community tore apart because of the actions of one.

And sometimes people regret inadvertently revealing their true rather sordid nature. If it had been another public figure such as a politician or media figure that publicly asked for the acquittal of an untried sex offender, on the basis that he was a friend of the family, they would likely find themselves out of a job in the morning, and proper order too. The identity of the priest seems to have been kept out of the press in this case, and I doubt he'll receive any more than a telling off for his actions.

And the RC church wonders why people are abandoning it droves?

nozzferrahhtoo

So these theist types tell us over and over their religion is about love, understanding and forgiveness. They tout the mantra "Hate the sin, Love the sinner" at us over and over again to excuse all kinds of hatred and bigotry.

And at the first sign they are actually been asked to live up to that mantra.... they get up and storm out in disgust.

I have only one word: Typical.

Wednesday Addams

And this is why I'm not a church goer.

Kidchameleon

What was the evidence against your man John Murray? Or was it just your woman's word?

keano_afc

I have no problem praying for anyone, the Bible says that all have sinned. If I was asked to pray for the acquittal of someone who hadnt been tried yet I would have a problem with that though. I would pray that justice is done.

kneemos

Kidchameleon wrote: »

What was the evidence against your man John Murray? Or was it just your woman's word?

The court found him guilty.

MilanPan!c

lazygal wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/colette-browne/would-you-walk-out-of-mass-if-a-priest-prayed-for-a-sex-attacker-29787078.html

Bloody hell. I don't know if I could sit through a priest asking a congregation to pray for a man like this: Murray, who first sexually assaulted the victim when she was just 13, is in prison awaiting sentence. I know it was a funeral and decorum and decency and not making a scene were the reasons people didn't walk out. But what was the priest thinking, hijacking a funeral like this?

I wouldn't pray for anyone, but Jesus himself was pretty ok with mingling with criminals. I don't think his love stopped when someone did something horrific.

Now, maybe Jesus isn't a good role model for todays modern mobs, but then again...

Femme_Fatale

seamus wrote: »

Aha. Still, innocent until proven guilty. The priest is entitled to pray that justice is done, or whatever he said.

Huh? The guy was found guilty.

Babooshka

seamus wrote: »

More examples of people cherry-picking what they do and don't believe. Wasn't Jesus pretty fond of helping out criminals? Turn the other cheek, judge not lest ye be judged, and all that stuff.

Yet when the guy is a child rapist, suddenly their lofty ideals don't apply, "just because".

Praying for the redemption of a criminal sounds perfectly in line with Catholic doctrine to me...

I completely agree, the entire catholic religion is based on forgiveness, yet every time forgiveness is preached, the outrage...I can forgive anything except a sexual offender...well guess what? You're in the wrong religion, move on, if you don't practice catholicism then it doesn't concern you so shut up.

kneemos

MilanPan!c wrote: »

I wouldn't pray for anyone, but Jesus himself was pretty ok with mingling with criminals. I don't think his love stopped when someone did something horrific.

Now, maybe Jesus isn't a good role model for todays modern mobs, but then again...

People should confess to the authorities if they have committed a criminal offence is afaik the churches view on such matters.
I think (most) people are willing to give "criminals"a second chance if they pay for their crimes and show that they have changed their ways.

MilanPan!c

Babooshka wrote: »

I completely agree, the entire catholic religion is based on forgiveness, yet every time forgiveness is preached, the outrage...I can forgive anything except a sexual offender...well guess what? You're in the wrong religion, move on, if you don't practice catholicism then it doesn't concern you so shut up.

C'mere forgiveness isn't purely a Catholic thing... if you don't want to forgive people, or think you're meant to be judging people, maybe religion isn't really for you.

Babooshka

MilanPan!c wrote: »

C'mere forgiveness isn't purely a Catholic thing... if you don't want to forgive people, or think you're meant to be judging people, maybe religion isn't really for you.

Oh for God sake, fit in christinaity where I said Catholicsim then, stop being so pernickity, you get the overall jist of what I said. Christianity probably isn't for you, if that's how you behave in most of your day to day conversations, there's enough bullies on this site without you joining in.

gramar

The teachings of the Catholic church are that a sex offender or any offender should be prayed for. I'm surprised the priest apologised.