The Republic's leading churchman last night criticised Catholics who pretend to practise their religion only to secure a "veneer" of social respectability. Speaking in Dublin, at Trinity College, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin acknowledged that Ireland was undergoing a transition in its attitude to religion after a long period in which the Catholic Church was a dominant influence on Irish culture and society.
But he asked: "Would it be better if people would only bring their child for baptism as a true act of faith rather than as a social gesture?
"Would that not make it clearer to all what baptism and Church membership were about?"
Dr Martin told students he was tempted to think that his spiritual task "would be easier if we lived in a more secularised country, where there was no need to pretend a type of religious veneer as a form of external social trapping".
He was taking part in a debate on the place of religion in the public square which was held in honour of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whom Dr Martin lauded for his role in helping to end apartheid.
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(Source: II)
I don't agree with the comment that people do so to have a vaneer of social respectability.
ReplyDeleteIt is not as though when you leave the Church you are wearing a visible halo or other identification by way of a big badge to identify you as a Catholic.
It is unfortunate that many who bring their children to Baptism do so because it is expected of them a social occasion but I would imagine most do not look on the Church Baptism as making them any more respectable but it comes as part of the package of the social day out.
From working in a Church I found on several occasions that the child was only Baptised when it came to the time of school enrolment when they needed a Baptism Certificate to get into the Catholic run school. I often wondered if they would have bothered had the school not required said Certificate. I doubt it.
The same thing goes for First Holy Communion I know of families who took their annual two week trip abroad to coinside with the dates of the Communion so their child did not feel like they were missing out on anything when their friends were all going to the Church in their nice dresses. These families decided not to go just for the sake of it when they no longer attend Mass and had the attitude when their children were old enough they could decide for themselves rather than in the Ireland of old where you did not have a choice you were dragged along to all Church ceremonies whether you liked it or not.