As Papal Visit to Ireland Nears, More Commentary on Abuse Crimes in Church: Cover-Up Directed from "Central Command and Control, Which Is the Vatican"

This is powerful! : Names of 796 Tuam Babies written on white sheets and brought to Galway church #Stand4Truth (via @thejournal_ie) https://t.co/IGQFluADTF

— Colm O'Gorman (@Colmogorman) August 17, 2018

Gerry Moriarty, "Pope Francis should cancel Irish visit, says Belfast priest":

We Are Church Ireland to Pope Francis: Would Jesus Define People as Objectively Disordered or Intrinsically Evil?

As Sarasi pointed out in a comment here several days ago, We Are Church Ireland now has a petition online at Change.org with the following intent:

Theologian Tina Beattie on Irish Abortion Referendum: "It Can Be Seen As the Assertion of the Common Good Over and Against a Corrupted and Dysfunctional Institutional Church"

Tina Beattie's reflection on the results of the Irish referendum on abortion is, in my view, exactly right — balanced, thoughtful, theologically dense and well-informed:

Quote for Day: How American Religious Right Tried to Sway Ireland's Abortion Vote

The Guardian, "Irish Abortion Referendum: Official Results Show Big Lead for Yes"

Sarah Jones, "How American Christians Are Swaying Ireland’s Abortion Referendum":

Ireland Apparently Knocks Down Abortion Ban; Children Being Taken from Parents by ICE; Pope Francis Does Usual Two-Step with LGBTQ Humanity and LGBTQ Lives: My Commentary

What does it mean to be pro-life if you defend the life of a child in the womb, but not the life of a child on the border?

— James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) May 25, 2018

Father James Martin tweets the above (as it happens, on the day that the predominantly Catholic nation of Ireland votes overwhelmingly, election results are suggesting, to strike down its draconian anti-abortion law — and see here), and all hell breaks loose. All hell breaks loose from so-called "pro-lifers," who issue ugly insinuations about immigrants being in thrall to organized crime outfits — so that it's justified for ICE officials to rip the children of immigrants from the arms of their parents, these "pro-lifers" want to maintain.

Catherine Corless' Research About Mass Grave at Irish Catholic Home for Unwed Mothers and Children Confirmed: "They Leech the Light Out of a Room"

When Catherine Corless's research suggesting that there was a mass grave at a home for unwed mothers and their children at Tuam in County Galway, Ireland, first began to be circulated, the blowback from some apologists in the Catholic institution was enormous. It took real grit and determination for her to keep investigating this story in the face of claims she was lying, that she was out to get the church, that she had exaggerated her findings and what they meant, and on and on.

A Day in May: Testimonies of LGBTQ Irish People About Marriage Equality Vote — "I Believe God Did Work Through Us on That Day"

In two postings a month ago (here and here), I pointed you to a book by Irish journalist Charlie Bird — A Day in May (Newbridge: Merrion Press, 2016)— about how the marriage equality battle was won in Ireland. The book came out in June, and I've just finished reading and wanted to share some notes about it with you.

Former Irish President on Catholic Teaching About Homosexuality: It's "Wrong," a "Major Conduit for Homophobia," and Needs to Be Repudiated

Yesterday, Irish Catholic published an interview of former Irish president Mary McAleese done by Martin O'Brien at her apartment in Rome Dublin, where she lives when she is not acquiring a licentiate in Canon Law.* Here's a selection of her statements: 

Chris Morley on Extension of Workplace Protection to LGBT Employees in Ireland After Pro-Equality Vote: A Report on the Debate

At the end of this work week, another well-researched report from Chris Morley — this one about the debate now underway in Ireland regarding workplace protection for LGBT employees, following the recent vote for LGBT equality. As Chris points out, the issue is complicated in Ireland by the fact that there has been a close connection between the Catholic church institutionally and Irish government, as well as between the Irish educational and hospital system. In addition, there are strong constitutional protections for religiously-based employers to practice discrimination in hiring and firing if it is claimed that such discrimination is necessary to maintain the religious identity and mission of church-related institutions. Chris writes:

Alan McCornick on Open vs. Closed Models of Church, and Religious Responses to Gay Folks

In light of the Irish vote, Alan McCornick argues that it's simplistic to frame the battle for gay rights as a battle between religion and the gays. As he points out, many people of faith are strong advocates for gay people and gay rights. In his view, the dichotomy that deserves attention here is one between closed and open models of church:

Gabriel Daly on Irish Vote as "Caring for a Wounded Minority Who Were Strangers in Their Own Community": Contrasting Irish and American Catholic Values

Catholic theologian (and priest) Gabriel Daly commenting in The Tablet on the deeply Catholic theological underpinnings of the recent yes vote for LGBT equality in Ireland: 

A Catholic Nation Resoundingly Supports Equal Rights for LGBT People, and the U.S. Catholic Right and Its Centrist Enablers Want to Talk About . . . Polygamy?

Steve and I had dinner yesterday with some friends of ours who have long been powerful and effective activists for civil rights. They're an African-American couple who have played, each in his/her field, an extraordinary role in local movements to protect and extend the rights of people of color, women, the poor, LGBT folks, etc., over many years now.

Quote for Day: "What A Gift the Catholic Hierarchy Has Been Handed by the Irish"

Tom Fox in National Catholic Reporter on the opportunity that the Irish vote might (and should) offer the pastoral leaders of the Catholic church — if they'd be willing to seize this opportunity:

Chris Morley on John Anderson's Reality Check for Irish Catholicism: The Future of Irish Catholicism after the Marriage Equality Deluge

Chris Morley has sent me some commentary on the recent vote of Irish Catholics in support of LGBT equality. Chris's commentary focuses on a recent Catholic Herald article by John Anderson (linked below), which seeks to place this vote in its historical context. Chris's article interweaves excerpts of Anderson's commentary with his own valuable comments and links. Here's what Chris has written:

End-of-Week Commentary on Irish Rainbow Referendum: 5 Links

And since it's clearly impossible for me to go a day (on which I post) without saying something about the recent remarkable rainbow referendum in Ireland, here's a highly selective set of articles commenting on that historic event to which I want to draw your attention as this work week ends:

Irish Rainbow Referendum: Valuable Commentary from Past Few Days (As Vatican Wags Its Finger at the Rainbows)

'Over the Rainbow' in Ireland is a crock of Golden equality. So proud to be Irish. #YesEquality #YesVote pic.twitter.com/LRwKzLDwXc

— Sharon Callis (@sharoncallis) May 23, 2015

Another story that keeps popping so fast, I can't really keep up with everything that's being said: Ireland. And its recent rainbow referendum. I very much appreciate the links and reports you readers have been providing (notably, from the other side of the pond, the indefatigable Chris Morley). Here's my own pick of things worth reading that have appeared in the last several days:

Irish Vote for LGBT Equality Continues Rippling Out to Other Nations: Chris Morley's Update

Chris Morley left two wonderful reports (and here) in the comments section of this blog today, about the ripple effect (already) of the Irish vote last weekend. To make sure that more readers have a chance to see these reports, I'm lifting them from the combox and posting them as a posting as this work day ends: Chris writes,

God Said, "Whenever the Rainbow Appears in the Clouds, I Will See It and Remember the Everlasting Covenant Between God and All Living Creatures of Every Kind on the Earth" (Genesis 9:16)

Human Rights Victories, Lemons, and Punchbowls: A Question for All of You

I have a question for you, dear readers. I ask it because I have no answer for my own question, and hope that some of you might have plausible answers to propose to me:

After Ireland, Heat On in Many Other Countries to Respect LGBT Equality: Australia, Italy, Germany, Etc.

As I've noted in a number of postings in the past few days, a theme now emerging following the remarkable Irish vote for LGBT human rights has been the example the little island of Ireland now sets for many other places in the world. There's a venerable trope of talk about Ireland as the surprising little place that makes a huge and unanticipated splash in the rest of the world — as when Irish missionaries, monks who had preserved Greek and Roman texts destroyed in the rest of Europe, tramped across Europe in the early Middle Ages to Christianize many places in the continent, a story explored by Thomas Cahill in his popular book How the Irish Saved Civilization. Much of the commentary about the possible effects of the Irish vote on other countries implicitly builds on that trope.