, Apr 20, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- Controversy
in Ireland continues after a Protestant clergyman marked the 90th
anniversary of the Easter Rising of 1916 and the Western Front by
celebrating mass with three Catholic priests, reported the Belfast
Telegraph.
Both the
Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland have promised to launch
investigations after it was revealed that the minister, Rev Michael
Graham, had brought 20 members of his congregation to the Augustinian
Priory in Drogheda, Co Louth, where they took Communion.
The Catholic
primate, Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, said he intended to seek
further details about the event, which drew about 1,000 people.
"True ecumenism
is best served by initiatives that are respectful of, and sensitive to,
the traditions, ethos and discipline of all those involved," he
reportedly said. "Otherwise there is a real danger of causing
widespread confusion, raising false hopes and creating situations that
are open to misunderstandings and manipulation."
The head of the Church of Ireland also expressed concern about the implications this incident would have on ecumenism.
“Unfortunately,
such occasions - while well intentioned - can lead to misunderstandings
and misinterpretations at a time when relations between our Churches
have improved so much," Archbishop Robin Eames was quoted as saying.
Fr. Iggy
O'Donovan, one of the Catholic priests involved, told the Irish Times
he had had no intention of defying Church rules, which strictly
prohibit intercommunion.
