Greg DalyThe political activist dropped as reader from Cobh cathedral has criticised attempts to use his situation as grounds to attack the Church.
Social Democrat Ken Curtin discovered on Sunday, May 15, that cathedral administrator Fr John McCarthy had removed him from the reading rota at St Colman’s Cathedral because of his party’s support for repealing Ireland’s constitutional protections for the unborn.
Describing a subsequent meeting with Cloyne’s Bishop William Crean as “very positive”, Mr Curtin told The Irish Catholic “I can very much see it from their perspective as well”.
“Others have tried to turn this whole story, and tried to twist my position – as I predicted to Fr John – as an opportunity to attack the Church, which is the last thing I want to do,” he said, continuing, “If anybody even thought for a second where my perspective on this was, why would somebody who wants to challenge a decision to remove him as lector be out to knock the Church?”
It was clear, he said, that Dr Crean understood that, but he took issue with how “others – for want of a better word, the ‘usual suspects’ – that want to knock the Church at every opportunity, have seen this as another great chance to grab the ball and run with it”.
At the time of going to press, Mr Curtin was looking forward to another meeting, with both Dr Crean and Fr McCarthy.
