Some town councillors in Castlebar in County Mayo want church gate collections moved further away from churches because they feel they intimidate mass goers. The issue was raised at a recent meeting of Castlebar town council by local councillor Frank Durcan this week.
Speaking at the meeting he said that mass goers in the town are being embarrassed and intimidated into handing over money at church gate collections which are been taken up, “... virtually at the door of the church.”
Such was Cllr Durcan's annoyance at church gate collections that he tabled a motion calling for, “The prohibition of the collection of monies within a distance of one hundred metres of church properties.”
He added that he, “had been approached by people who have very strong feelings on this. Some Sunday’s there are two collections outside the church and another one inside the church. It is getting very expensive to go to mass. This was not the case years ago where collections took place a good bit away from the Church of the Holy Rosary in Castlebar. I think it is time a halt was called. I'm not against collections but against the location of collections.”
He was supported by fellow independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne.
While the motion was defeated by seven votes to two Cllr Durcan argued that under ethics in public office any of the nine councillors who were members of a political party should not be allowed to vote as they had a vested interest in the vote given that political parties hold church gate collections.
Therefore, he said, that only the two independent councillors who both supported the motion should be allowed vote as they did not have a stake.
However, this was ruled out of order by town Mayor Cllr Ger Deere who said that councillors do not directly benefit from such collections.
SIC: CIN