Seriously, how old are you? 90+, the old ways and their teachings?

Are you serious? (I don’t mean it in a sarcastic way). I’m just shocked you were actually discriminated against for being left-handed? Thought that stopped after the Middle Ages in Europe.

Kevin, the catholic church is still in the middle ages. With reference to Peter’s comment, I too know of people who were beaten by nuns for being left handed. These religious thugs had gotten into their brainwashed heads that to be left handed was to be influenced by satan! To think these people were and still are running most of the education system in Ireland!

@ Kevin N, I am not at offended by your surprise. It does seem astonishing now and this practice stopped, I hope, some time ago. I still remember the name of the nun and the event is still vivid. I was terrified and it annoys me now that I was so fearful.

The enormous advantage was that it was an eye opener although it took some time before I actually realised that I was not in the wrong. It is strange but you don’t realise that you are a victim when it happens. When I had problems later with the hand, the x rays were lost, I remember that the surgeon accused me of making it up. Now I am pleased that it is unbelievable. It no longer happens.

It is a small thing in itself, I don’t feel any upset but it enables me to recognise the far greater abuses and injustices of the Catholic Church, the real life maiming and destroying activities of that evil organisation.

I see Peter so that is where your hatred of Catholicism comes from . I suspected it was irrational

@Ed – Never said the church wasn’t but I didn’t think people in the church were still vilifying left-handed people the last century. I know in the Middle Ages people were put to death for being left-handed and many religions/cultures around the world associate left-handed people as “evil”, “demonic”, or “unclean”. It’s still looked down upon in Asia and many other cultures to this day.

@Peter – Sorry to hear about what you went through, Peter. I was just shocked; I thought this religious belief died out over 500 years ago. I went to Catholic school (in New York – primary), am left-handed myself, and never came across such insanity. But I only graduated high school last year, so that might be the reason. I know going back to the 60s and 70s they were vicious the nuns; says my mother (from Kilkenny) from her own personal experiences. I agree the Catholic Church is the sc*m of this earth.

@Anthony – Shut up, I think were all of a Catholic background and have nothing but contempt for lunatics like Paisley and the Orange Order. But that doesn’t mean the Roman Catholic Church isn’t evil or even beneath sc*m. Look at Spain and see how many people rioted when the Pope visited.

200 Spanish kids rioted and it makes headlines .. Compare it with the 2 million who went to the papal mass with hardly any reporting !

Bang on Conor, since when has a dictator encouraged free speech or even tolerated dissension from within the ranks. In the case of the Roman cult it has even murdered people for disobeying their dogma and diktats. This guy needs to find a new more tolerant brand of religion, the Romans won’t change their ways, they still reside in the middle ages and their ideology is still one of anti woman, anti gay and anti freedom of thought. Their evil ways will continue as long as they have gullible fools to defend them, many of whom you’ll see posting on here often enough. The religious impaired who run Ireland will also continue to give this cult more status than it deserves given it’s vile record of abuse and warmongering but then unfortunately Ireland has for too long been under the malign influence of the Roman yolk many of it’s people are so brainwashed by it they don’t know how to break free!

In the US, the church says we are too progressive and that we can’t have women & married priests because conservative Catholics in Ireland and elsewhere around the world wouldn’t accept it. From these comments perhaps that’s not quite accurate.

Definitely not accurate. The Church should not be thought of as ” progressive” or ” conservative”. Catholic means ” universal”. It has a longstanding, rich history- not all good, but has stood the test of time. This priest should move on. The Church is guided by the pope, not one country. Read some of Benedict’s books. A lot to be learned.

I have read some of Benedict’s and John Paul’s books and statements and I found them pretty boring reads and not particularly fascinating or enjoyable or in anyway relevant to what Christ actually taught.

That’s the sad thing. There are plenty of catholic priests, nuns etc. who agree with Fr Tony but they won’t speak up. On a similar note during the recent abuse revelations we saw that the vast majority of catholic priests were true to their religion & vows and never harmed a child but on one hand I could count the number of priests who spoke out and condemned the culture of silence, lies and deceit that allowed the abuse to flourish. How utterly shameful.

That was the start of British rule. Many of us unfortunately forget that the Roman Catholic Church is the architect behind British rule in Ireland. We only stayed Catholic in protest to England when they broke away from Rome. We should have started our own church and not have been “loyal” to one of the most evil institutions on the face of this earth. Who has brought so much misery to this island to begin with; even the last 50 years. We were fine with our Celtic Christianity/Celtic Paganism.

Peter , your posts are so irrational and venomous . So you had dreadful teachers in your catholic school ,get over it . I did too and it was not at a catholic school !

Unfortunately once they have you they cling onto you till death. They make it v difficult to leave!

They changed cannon law so you can’t leave. Too many people tried to leave and they didn’t like it.

@ Conor Buggy, whilst they may think your still “one of their flock”, if someone chooses to attend / participate in another faith or none then frankly who cares that the bishop of rome and his minions “think” your one of theirs ?

Unfortunately they use the numbers to hyperinflate what they think is their authority!

Numbers of catholics are counted by using the baptismal records. Which is kind of odd because Napoleon, Hitler, Franco, Mussolini and Ngô Đình Diệm (to name but a few) were all baptised Catholics and yet the church is always very keen to distance itself from these people and yet no sign of them being excommunicated either. How strange.

It’s a simple 3 step process to leave the Roman Catholic church.
Check here…
http://www.countmeout.ie/how/

@leigh count me out is suspended as I said the church changed cannon law so you can’t leave. The church put your name on a ‘list’ of willing people wanting to leave but your still down as a catholic

It’s not too difficult. Being dogmatic is always wrong, if you are a catholic have a conflict between your own thoughts and the dogma, try living your life by saying – “what would I do?”, and do that instead.

By the way, the following are wrong in the real world: misogyny, child abuse, rape, hatred and bigotry. No book or foreign guidance required to know that.

Serious question: are you not a bit ashamed of the church following all the clerical sex abuse cover-ups? Don’t you think Enda was correct to issue harsh words at that particular time?