Catholic Bishops have urged the Government to do more to help Irish prisoners abroad and their families at home. In a statement marking St Patrick's Day, Bishop Séamus Hegarty called on the government to task a special group of diplomats with implementing the recommendations of the first official report on their plight.
The Bishop of Derry, who is the hierarchy's spokesman on emigrants, praised the former Fianna Fáil deputy Chris Flood's groundbreaking report of last August as a timely reminder of the problems faced by Irish prisoners abroad and their families.
Mr Flood confirmed 800 documented cases of Irish people in foreign jails, although he admitted the true figure could be as high as 1,200. Over 700 are in Britain.
He called for the establishment of a register of Irish prisoners abroad; a guarantee of visits at least once a year by consular officials; and the establishment of a unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs to liaise with both prisoners and their families back home.
A Church spokesperson said nothing had been done since the report's publication to implement the recommendations and that this has prompted the hierarchy's call.
It is the first time in 68 years that the Catholic church has had to shift the celebration St Patrick's Day because 17 March falls in Holy Week, which commemorate the Passion of Christ and the events which led up to it.
The transfer of celebrations means the the national feast-day is not a holy day of obligation.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce