THE ORANGE Order has let its “mask slip” and been exposed as an “anti-Catholic organisation” over its calls for protests against Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Britain, according to Sinn Féin Assembly member Daithí McKay.Mr McKay made his comments in response to a statement by the Orange Order saying that while it recognised the “civil and religious rights of all” it could not welcome the visit of the pope to Britain.
The order urged, “We therefore call on all the citizens of the United Kingdom, and especially members of the loyal Orange institution, to demonstrate their opposition to the pope’s visit to England and Scotland, and to oppose any future invitation to visit Northern Ireland.”
Pope Benedict’s September 16th-19th visit would be the first papal trip to the UK since John Paul II’s in 1982.
North Antrim MLA Mr McKay said: “For some time now the Orange Order has been bogusly claiming to be a non-threatening cultural club. However the reality is they are an anti-Catholic organisation. This statement calling for protests against the papal visit to Britain confirms this,” he said.
“They are now firmly in the camp of the British far right in organising opposition to this visit,” he added.
“At a time when politicians and others are trying to put together a better way of dealing with contentious Orange parades this statement is extremely unhelpful.”
An Orange Order spokesman said: “The pope claims himself to be the vicar of Christ on earth, a title which assumes supreme and universal supremacy both in honour and jurisdiction over all – church, state, the world. Anyone who would welcome him is in danger of appearing to acknowledge his primacy and universal supremacy in all of these matters.
“We are firmly committed to the reformed Protestant faith and in a world where secular values are changing the society in which we live. Our faith is very important to us. We are not anti anyone. We are pro-Protestant.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us 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 we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
SIC: IT