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WHEN THE NEWS arrived on Tuesday that a number of Irish entertainers had been invited to an audience with the Pope, my initial thoughts moved to the iconic image of another Irish entertainer. One who took a rather more defiant approach to a different Pope, on Saturday Night Live back in 1992, when she tore up his likeness on live TV.
How far we have travelled, from a time when our artists had the courage to stand up to Rome rather than become a part of the fawning attitude that surrounds this papacy.
The theatre of the Vatican — the costumes, the rarefied and secretive world of the upper echelons of the Catholic Church, the overwhelming art and architecture — tends to make celebrities and public figures obsequious. From Leonardo DiCaprio to George Clooney, they all line up to bow at the altar of Catholic dominion. When Katy Perry and Ivanka Trump had audiences, they even wore black veils out of respect.
This Friday, Tommy Tiernan, Ardal O’Hanlon and Patrick Kielty will join many other figures from the world of comedy, such as Chris Rock and Jimmy Fallon, for a special audience with the Pope that a Vatican spokesman says will “aim to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists.”
It seems grossly offensive, at best, that an organisation which presided over and aided in the cover up of systemic child abuse could have the audacity to suggest it is now time for some laughs.
Why would a comedian want to establish a ‘link’ with an organisation which they have traditionally satirised? Comedy has always played a hugely significant role in holding power to account, of giving voice to the anguish of the nation.
But beyond this, it seems baffling that a group of Irish comedians would want to lend succour and validation to an organisation which is overtly, and sometimes proudly, misogynistic and homophobic. Would we give them a free pass if they attended an event hosted by a private company which didn’t allow female employees or didn’t authenticate same sex employees who happened to be married?
I doubt it very much. But we are happy to give the Church a pass because we continue to willingly give them a special status, where the same rules don’t seem to apply.
Sinéad O’Connor refused to bow at the altar of papal infallibility, after her bold and timely intervention on American television in the early nineties. She paid for her actions, getting blacklisted for a period afterwards.
“I wasn’t sorry, I didn’t regret it. It was the proudest thing I’ve ever done as an artist,” explained O’Connor in the documentary film Nothing Compares.” They [critics] killed me, but I didn’t die. They tried to bury me, but they didn’t realise I was a seed.”
O’Connor isn’t the only Irish entertainer to make a stand.
In 2018, during the current Pope’s official visit to Ireland, the singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke was invited to perform in the Phoenix Park event in front of Francis. On RTÉ’s Liveline programme, he discussed the moral dilemma he faced.
“I’m not a religious person, no disrespect to anyone else’s beliefs. But, you know, I feel the Catholic Church is responsible for so much suffering in this country.”
Ultimately, O’Rourke declined the invitation and took a courageous and important stand.
The presence of the three Irish comedians at the Apostolic Palace this Friday of course doesn’t equate to their support of the Catholic Church or its practices. They may sincerely feel that having an opportunity to meet with the Pope could lead to constructive progress on social issues. They may use the meeting to express concerns or criticisms. Or they may be committed Catholics and this will be the Best Day Out Ever.
These are valid and understandable positions.
However, what I do know is this: These three men are public figures in Ireland and are very popular. They have an opportunity to make a clear stand in the face of an invitation to an event which could be described as comedy washing. For the Pope to be photographed in the company of the kings and queens of comedy, such as Whoopi Goldberg and Stephen Colbert, helps suppress the damage done by this organisation. It validates its practices and helps the Catholic Church present itself as pardoned, forgiven, clean.
This jars violently with the history of clerical abuse. Do we all just put on a smile and agree that all is okay now? Or do we require our public figures to take a moral stance and demand that more atonement and reparations are required before we start adding a laugh track?
Comedians should never get too close to power. This is why the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC is such an uncomfortable affair under a Democratic administration. It makes viewers queasy to see comedians sucking up to Obama or Biden, because the role of comedy is to hold power to account, not to become its lapdog.
“An audience with the Pope” is what will happen on Friday, an expression of astonishing arrogance. It suggests that whoever is in his infallible presence is the lucky one. But in this case, the Pope is the lucky one. Because once again, the Church has found a way to drive its own narrative and convince the rest of us that what they are doing is a “step in the right direction.”
People will say Francis is the least misogynistic and least homophobic Pope in history. This is to celebrate the smallest of victories, the barest concessions imaginable. This is the least he can do, when the road ahead is so long.
The bizarre theatre that takes place every time a celebrity rocks up to the Vatican for an audience with the Pope demands to be satirised. The fawning over the ancient traditions, the arrival of the Big Man in his white cassock, the obligatory photograph.
But who will satirise it all when the comedians are too distracted by the show?
Simon Tierney is a journalist and writer.
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Why were those houses ever built on what is clearly a flood plain?
@eoin fitzpatrick: You took the words from my mouth. The location of these houses is complete madness.
@eoin fitzpatrick: Brown bag. It is as simple as that. Greed and corruption are good in this country.
@eoin fitzpatrick: my first thought exactly, it’s only when you see an aerial shot like that you can clearly see nothing should ever have been built there
@eoin fitzpatrick: class action law suit incoming from those residents against planning authority.
@Shimo F: Against themselves maybe. They could clearly find out. Anyone buying a house that close to a river and at the same level of a river isn’t the brightest.
@eoin fitzpatrick: I think fg have promised to put a roof over the entire country if re-elected
This is terrible news for all involved but is anybody asking “Stanley: New Homes”, who recently built The Meadows estate in question, why they built homes surrounded by The River Feale on 3 sides and didn’t disclose to residents that this land has always been a natural flood plain for the river? How often has it flooded like this in the past? Who approved the planning permission in the local authority? Was there a natura impact statement carried out as part of the planning process?
Housing crisis compounded by stupidity – yet again!
@Kieran Farrell: jesus, that’s shocking….when you say ‘recently built’…. like in the last decade??
@Kieran Farrell: Planning granted by the Local Authority for that was a flood plain, simple solution is to sue the Local Authority. This Local Authority don’t give local people planning permission on their own land with top notch sewage systems, yet they give a Developer planning for multiple Houses on a flood plain, same old ding dong in Ireland, it’s who you know & who you give your brown envelope to. The next Govt of FF & SF will bring this to another level again. Ireland is a failed State.
@Kieran Farrell: CORRECTION – The Meadows was built in 2006, and ‘Stanley: New Homes’ were not involved.
@Kieran Farrell: Fair enough! Thanks fir clarification
@SV3tN8M4: Virtually impossible to sue the local authority.
@Kieran Farrell: the flooding was described today as a once in 100 year event. The height of the river was measured at 4m on Saturday afternoon – the next highest ever recorded was 3.5m in 1973. I’m not sure that bad planning decisions is the cause this weekends flooding
@Kieran Farrell: If you are dumb enough to buy a house on a flood plain, it’s on you.
Terrible, obviously condolences to everyone effected. Does the aerial view tell a story? Like why are so many housing estates within 100 yards of an oxbowing river? Seems mad, but I know little of geography or surveying land for development.
@Thesaltyurchin: ask the Healy Rae’s
@Temp Stuff: Healy rea’s aren’t from Listowel
I feel so sorry for those people.
Nothing worse than flooding and just before Xmas.
@Stanley Marsh: Christmas
The FG fella was straight out with the standard party line ‘ lessons will be learned’
But we have to help the rest of the world,that’s the most concerning thing for the politicians of Ireland. Never mind our own, especially the people of Listowel, Killybegs and the rest of the country affected by the detrimental weather. Shur here’s an idea, let’s just worry and support every swinging dog across the work’s who needs our generosity. Let’s give them money, refuge, support while our own have homes & businesses destroyed. Shur never mind, it’s only our country at the end of the day.
@Brian Barry: *Works =World.. Just in case ye lefty punctuation police come knocking!!
@Brian Barry: Eamon is on his way back from the annual jolly, COP where he signed us up as a donor for a 300Billion ( per annum) dollar windfall ….. You couldn’t make it up in a Hollywood comedy
Cost us 200million to build flood defences in 2 years time. Lot of money for incompetence in Kerry coco
Boom time building with ‘no holds barred’ planning permissions given to those who knew who to give the brown envelope to
A photo of houses built on a flood plain. Interesting planning.
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