Denver Newsroom, Jun 24, 2021 / 14:00 pm
A Catholic parish in Ireland has reluctantly taken down a rainbow LGBT “Pride” flag that was erected last week outside the church, after an intervention from the Dublin archdiocese.
Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Ballyfermot, near Dublin, last week flew both an Irish flag and a striped rainbow flag – a common symbol of “LGBT pride” – outside the parish, during the month of June which is celebrated as “Pride Month.”
The Archdiocese of Dublin last Friday asked the parish to remove the flag due to its a policy against flying any flags on church grounds, except for national flags on appropriate occasions.
Father Adrian Egan, pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption, apologized to “all those genuine people” who expressed confusion and hurt at the raising of the Pride flag, but also to “those who were hurt” by the flag’s removal.
In a statement to The Journal, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference said: “On special occasions, only the Papal flag and/or the National flag, are permitted to be flown on church grounds in the Archdiocese of Dublin[.]”
Father Egan said in his Sunday homily June 20 that he approved the flying of the Pride Flag because of his desire to make the parish a “place of welcome for all.”
On June 14, Father Egan said that the parish council met and discussed June’s status as the month dedicated by the Church to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“We were also talking about how June has become a significant month for gay people, for gay men and women, and that there are lots of secular events and things going on in that regard during the month of June,” Father Egan said, adding that the parish council came to the conclusion that the image of the Sacred Heart represents a love that is “inclusive of everybody.”
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