Why the silence from Catholic and Protestant Churches over vile chant?

Fr. Sean McManus. Letters to Editor. Irish News. Belfast. Thursday, September 12, 2024.

My letter in The Irish News – ‘Christian Churches should reject vile Satanic attacks’ (August 30) – generated a huge response to me personally, via emails, social media, and phone calls. A common refrain in the responses is that it is such a pity that I am the only one speaking out. Speaking out against the bone-chilling, deeply disturbing, truly frightening reported chant at the Coleraine FC social club – ‘F*** the Virgin Mary.’ I shudder even having to reference it.

That is why I call it Satanic because I cannot believe ordinary Protestants could possibly scream such an anti-God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), anti-Jesus, Son of God and son of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What would Jesus think of that chant? A chant that, in effect, rejects sacred scripture’s revelation of God’s plan of salvation through the incarnation of His son, born of the Blessed Virgin, by the power of the Holy Spirit. A chant presumably by those who would see themselves as good, loyal Protestants. Mother of God, how demonic is that?

“The silence of politicians in Ireland is one thing. But why are Catholic bishops silent? In particular, why are Protestant bishops, moderators, pastors, etc. silent? And what about the Orange Order that describes itself as Protestant and faithful to the Holy Scripture?

The founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther, would be outraged, shocked and ashamed. And he would not have been silent.

And, this brings me back to the “common refrain” in the responses I received – that no one else is speaking up. Well, Blessed Martin Luther King, Jr. had a saying about that: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

The silence of politicians in Ireland is one thing. But why are Catholic bishops silent? In particular, why are Protestant bishops, moderators, pastors,  etc. silent? And what about the Orange Order that describes itself as Protestant and faithful to the Holy Scripture? Why is it silent?

I realize that, sadly, there is a long history to all of this appalling disrespect for the mother of our Most Holy Redeemer – that as long as it insults and demeans Catholics (in all of Ireland and since partition in Northern Ireland), some unionists/loyalists/ Protestants feel free to use any sacrilegious/blasphemous obscenity that works, while regarding themselves as loyal Protestants.

But how deplorable it is to have to still witness it 30 years after the end of the Troubles?

One response I received is from a former political prisoner who said my letter in The Irish News reminded him of when he was arrested in the north many years ago. He was interrogated by a top Special Branch detective (not a drunken, chanting loyalist), who immediately got in his face and said: “Do you think the f****** Virgin Mary is going to come down and save you?”

Whence this deeply entrenched evil? And whence the silence?

As Edmund Burke said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing.”