Churchgoers do have the power to stop collections at church gates

Dear Editor, I was surprised to read in The Irish Catholic of 16/07/15 that church gate collections are still taking place in certain parts of the country. The blame for the fact that they are taking place must be shared between the political parties and churchgoers. They would not take place if churchgoers confronted the collectors about the astounding hypocrisy of their actions and refused to contribute.

I know how Jesus would act. In the Gospels we are told of how he upended the money changers tables and made a whip and drove them away (John 2:13-17).

It is possible to rid ourselves of these people. It is five or six years since the last collections were held in our area. I remember two of the last. At one church the people streamed past giving them almost nothing. The collectors were so uncomfortable they looked like worms squirming on a hook and did not know where to look. They haven’t been back. At another church the good mornings of the collectors were largely met by a stony silence and no contribution. They too have not been seen since. We have the power. Let’s make it happen.

Yours etc.,

Gerard Rooney,

Ballymacoda, Co. Cork.