Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this behaviour regarding Pope's visit to Ireland is despicable

291 replies

user1485342611 · 26/06/2018 12:23

The Pope is visiting Ireland in August and two public Masses will be held. For Health and Safety reasons numbers attending have to be limited so free tickets are being allocated, on line, on a first come first served basis.

People who object to his visit are deliberately buying up thousands of tickets, booking in fake coach tours etc to ensure a low turn out and, in the process, deny tickets to those who want to attend.

AIBU to think that, whatever your religious beliefs, this is petty, vindictive, intolerant and downright despicable behaviour>

OP posts:
DrMantisToboggan · 26/06/2018 20:23

Off topic but Grin at a ‘moo point’

MrsTerryPratchett · 26/06/2018 20:35

That was the point I was trying to make. No one seems to not care about their history, but will quite happily blast someone else for theirs

Firstly I do feel awful about what was done by my countrymen that still benefits me. And I know a lot about colonialism and imperialism.

Second, it's not really 'history' when the people are still alive and suffering. This isn't 800 years ago. Those abused children and controlled women are still walking around.

StripySocksAndDocs · 26/06/2018 20:38

keyboardkate no not "fanatics". As DailyMailBestForBums points out its not individuals. (Though a British person who claims 'it's in the past' in a get over mentioning it way, might rise a few hackles.) You are right in saying we've "moved on a lot" regarding attitude to British. But the release Catholic Church hold is fresher, moving on is somewhere there in the future; not now. So like it or not bitterness and anger is strong.

keyboardkate · 26/06/2018 21:02

@StripeySocksAndDocks,

I'm sorry but your post makes no sense to me at all.

StripySocksAndDocs · 26/06/2018 21:24

Oh I'm.sorry, I'm make it really simple:

The feelings about Catholics who stay with/support the Catholic Church and sees no wrong, or ignores, or minimises the abuses of the Church, are similar to the feelings of Irish people had about British people.

The major difference is the abuses of the Catholic Church is not historic. It's current.

Not a perfect analogy, you do need to view it as the Republic and not bring Northern Ireland here. Is that what's confusing you?

In a nutshell a Catholic who sees no wrong, or ignores, or minimises the abuses (by claiming it wasn't widespread, nothing to do with Catholic etc) with find there are people who will be angry or bitter about them. They may find they are questioned why they don't see anything wrong with supporting the Catholic Church.

It is far too soon to think people should be OK because 'it's on the past'.

ForalltheSaints · 26/06/2018 21:27

Surely a peaceful gathering to voice objections is a better way to protest than trying to get a low turnout?

keyboardkate · 26/06/2018 21:32

Whatever the views Dublin will be in lockdown that day, the day before and the day after.

Even if I were religious or wanted to see Frankie, the thoughts of having to trek up there (seems two hour journey is expected from gate to site), and then have to listen to inspirational shite and holy heavenly music would really give me the rage.

But some people are prepared to do this pilgrimage. For that is what it is, no pain no gain. It ain't Ed Sheeran in the Park anyway.

Olddear · 26/06/2018 21:59

I’ve just watched part 1 of ‘No country for women.....very moving....the list of the names of the babies who died.......

honeyrider · 26/06/2018 22:00

Thanks for the link I've just booked 10 tickets that I have no intention of using. I'm not preventing anyone else from going as there are still loads of tickets left and if anyone was really interested in going I'm fairly sure they'd have booked the tickets by now.

I'm disgusted that it's costing a minimum of €20 million tax payers money that would be better spent on where it's so badly needed.

keyboardkate · 26/06/2018 22:10

According to my friend in Dublin no one gives a shite.

Let them at it. That is the Irish way.

I doubt this protest will achieve much really. But time will tell.

Be interesting to see if half a million people will suffer a five hour thinngy before even seeing Frankie at all. Where are the loos for starters! I always need to know that. But I am sure the organisers have it sorted....

Rest assured, for the media outlets it will be packed and everyone will be singing kumbyha my lord. for five hours. Jayzis.

Jasperoonicle · 26/06/2018 22:26

I have not read any responses as yet, just the original post. I am Irish, living in Ireland. I am also atheist and until yesterday I was a part of one of the facebook groups who booked thousands of tickets as a protest. I was very happy to be part of the group as I do not believe in religion and certainly do not believe religion and state should have unification but booking the tickets so no actual catholic person, no believer can get them is offensive in my book.

I am about inclusion. Not exclusion. I do not believe there is a god and I do not believe in any churches but I also know that what i believe or do not believe is my choice and my decision and I am entitled to that choice.
I also believe people of religion should have a choice and be allowed to do so. I fought in a referendum recently in Ireland for womens rights and for us to allow abortion. I fought some years ago for marriage equality for anyone and everyone to have the right to get married. I feel I would be a hypocrite if now I joined the people on that site and on another one doing the same and took away the choice of people going to see the pope. I believe in choice and I believe that yesterday at least two groups of people took that choice away for lots of others. And that makes me sad so I left the group.

I understand the hatred towards the catholic church. I understand the reasons why people want to protest the pope visiting and I fully understand the frustrations of being a tax payer and partially footing the bill for this when I have nothing to do with the church but this is not the way forward.

Thehop · 26/06/2018 22:30

My Nanna was in a Magdalen laundry and my dad was a choir boy so I’ve no respect for the Catholic Church at all, though agree current pope seems grand.

I wouldn’t dream of protesting like this but when you’ve heard the stories I have you can understand it.

keyboardkate · 26/06/2018 22:37

Facebook?

Why did you not do the ticket protest based on your own beliefs. Does everyone need FB authority to do these protests now?

Jasperoonicle · 26/06/2018 22:39

Because I do not believe in the ticket protest at all. Nothing to do with facebook.

Walkingdeadfangirl · 26/06/2018 23:01

Because I do not believe in the ticket protest at all. Nothing to do with facebook.

WHY, what is wrong with trying something new?

Jasperoonicle · 26/06/2018 23:20

I dont see it as anything new I see it as something infantile to be honest. We dont believe therefore we are stopping you all from going is really a childish thing and to me it is not a protest at all. Going to the place where he will be and actually standing there with banners stating how he and his church are no longer running this country would be one way. Holding a protest at the airport, at the dail.. that is showing the world and the pope what we think but everyone now knows that atheist groups have taken the tickets and now the church is going to look like a pitiful victim of misjustice - the exact opposite of how it should be. I just genuinely feel that there has to be another way. It just does not sit right with me.

keyboardkate · 26/06/2018 23:38

Don't engage, do not watch TV, do not FB, etc. it will all be over in a day or two.

Then Frankie will go back to his flat in Rome and be waited on by the nuns and the handmaidens. While he looks out his window and sees all the priests going to the gay bars.

Jasperoonicle · 26/06/2018 23:54

Wearing ruby slippers. Exactly.
I am not advocating his presence here. I wish he was not coming at all but he is. We cannot stop him coming over and we cannot stop our government paying for it and allowing it. i just genuinely think there has to be a better way of protesting - a way that does not make the church the victim.

bluemascara · 26/06/2018 23:58

I haven't rtft apart from the first few posts. I believe this pope is a progressive one and a man who we should hold in high regard.
I'm not overly religious
I'm a lapsed catholic
I had a bad 2017 and went to Rome at the end of the year and seen him give his Wednesday audience. My god I've never felt so moved
Such a privilege
Such a lovely pope... his speech was about the power of the smart phone and how it is taking over families. I totally agreed with him.
For all the is wrong with the church and those old bastard priests who covered up child abuse and facilitated it... fuck them cunts they will burn in hell.... I don't go to mass but I say my prayers and try to live as a good human... teaching my kids to do the same

squeekums · 27/06/2018 00:20

Id call that a peaceful protest actually
Good on them

After all the horror the catholic church has caused, im not seeing an issue with this

Kokeshi123 · 27/06/2018 00:27

I used the word "immoral" because it's not an illegal act but it's something that I think people should voluntarily refrain from doing. I would not like this if someone did this to an event I was interested in, but if you start saying that it's OK to do this to someone else's event then you're inviting tit-for-tat tactics.

I repeat, I also dislike the bloody hypocritical Irish church and the Catholic church in general, but the best way to demonstrate that Ireland has moved on is to stay away from the event in a dignified manner and let the real numbers speak for themselves.

The natural impulse in Ireland will be to compare turnout with the turnout for the 1979, when some absolutely insane % of the Irish population (not to mention many English, Scottish and Welsh people as well) visited to see the pope. The turnout this time will be small by comparison no matter what.

If people start doing sillybugger tactics like this, it will reduce the significance of this, because the conservative Catholic (who I bet are already moaning on Twitter about this) will just say "Oh, the turnout was poor mostly because the attendance was sabotaged by dirty tactics" blah blah.

Jasperoonicle · 27/06/2018 00:28

But it is not a protest now. It was meant to be one - nobody turning up, showing empty seats etc but now it has been made known that the tickets have been booked by protesters so it will all have to either be reviewed which would mean actual printed tickets given to actual catholics at actual masses or somehow showing id of being a god botherer at the gates of the park. All these ticket bookings are going to be scrapped. T|ickets have not been issued - everyone has just gotten an acknowledgement of requesting tickets to date. Its not peaceful its silent and redundant.

squeekums · 27/06/2018 00:30

I got me my 12 tickets......
no i dont feel bad

Ethylred · 27/06/2018 00:31

Very little connected with the Catholic church is funny but this is hilarious.

Kokeshi123 · 27/06/2018 00:32

If people want to do a protest, get your arse in gear and get out there with a banner or placard on the day.

Clicking on an online ticket site is the ultimate definition of an idle keyboard warrior.