Peadar Tóibín Peadar Tóibín expressed his thanks for all of the priests and religious for their work in the current crisis in a Tweet on Easter Sunday.
The leader of Aontú told The Irish Catholic: “It think it’s really important that we recognise that the priests and religious have played a phenomenally important role over the last number of weeks in this particular crisis.”
Cocooning
Due to many churches being closed and other measures such as social distancing and cocooning, public Masses are no longer available and there are strict limits on attendance at funerals.
Mr Tóibín said it is very difficult for people not to be able to attend Mass over Easter and grieving is also more difficult under these circumstances. He also acknowledged how difficult it is for priests celebrating Mass in an empty church or addrressing a web camera.
“We also know that many priests and religious are working closely with families and victims of the coronavirus (Covid-19) themselves. Some of these religious themselves have put themselves in harm’s way with regards to the virus.”
He said that he feels in modern Irish society that “politicians feel that they can’t openly and publicly thank the religious and priests in society and I think that’s wrong.
“I think we should be proud to be able to show solidarity with, respect to, and thank those among the priests and religious who are doing so much for Irish people at the moment,” Mr Tóibín said.