Cardinal Dolan: Islamic State is perversion of Islam, as IRA was perversion of Catholicism [CC]

[FollowChrist34]

It would be interesting to have some of the Irish and English CAF members chime in with perspective. I was in the UK in the early 80’s and remember the in the Catholic clubs in England how towards the end of the evening, a cap was passed around on the down low for the IRA collection. It would happen every single night. Not sure if it still happens now though. They may not have identified themselves as the Catholic Republican Army or such, but it was Catholics in Ireland and around the world definitely represented their loyalty base.

I believe Card. Dolan is himself and Irish Catholic so he must have some insight into that Catholic loyalty and its fundamental misguided-ness.

Fair enough. I don’t want to back myself into a position where I am trying to completely separate Catholicism from Irish Republicanism - that is absurd. I agree on the loyalty of Catholics to the IRA and that it was in some sense misguided, some sense justified. But as for Catholicism in the real sense, right, i.e. not killing your brother or sister, forgiveness, etc., living in peace, forgiving the oppressor, the IRA was not Catholic as Dolan pointed out. And I do believe there were Catholics in the Church (maybe 5, 6?) who opposed the IRA on these grounds. My point: there was, however, alongside Catholicism, a militaristic, nationalistic political trend in the IRA that was equally or even much more powerful as a motive. I think most *within and without *the IRA understood that.
Catholicism was consciously assumed as a mantle - used, if you will.

And we do need to hear from people who were actually there I agree. I am just speculating.

 

[Bill_Martin]

After going through this thread, the reading comprehension here is either extraordinarily low, or some people can’t read anything without injecting their political angle to it.

The only point he is trying to make is that ISIS does not represent Islam any more than the IRA represented Catholicism. That’s it. He isn’t saying they don’t need to be stopped. He’s not saying they’re not bad. He’s not saying the IRA was just as bad. He’s not comparing their actions or brutality. He’s countering the crowd who looks at ISIS and says “See, look at how those Muslims are!” by pointing out that it is just as ridiculous for non-Catholics to do the same with the IRA.

 

[TEPO]

It would be interesting to have some of the Irish and English CAF members chime in with perspective. I was in the UK in the early 80’s and remember the in the Catholic clubs in England how towards the end of the evening, a cap was passed around on the down low for the IRA collection. It would happen every single night. Not sure if it still happens now though. They may not have identified themselves as the Catholic Republican Army or such, but it was Catholics in Ireland and around the world definitely represented their loyalty base.

I believe Card. Dolan is himself and Irish Catholic so he must have some insight into that Catholic loyalty and its fundamental misguided-ness.

This topic has been under discussion here for the past several days.
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=12806561#post12806561

There you will find Irish and English CAF members all ‘chimed-in’.