Chai Brady
Fr Hugh Mullan’s grave in his native Portaferry, Co. Down. Fr Mullan was shot dead by the British Army as he ministered to a dying man in 1971 in what became known as the
Ballymurphy Massacre. There are growing calls for a priest who was killed while facing down a “hail of bullets” to anoint a wounded parishioner in Belfast to be recognised as a martyr.
Fr Hugh Mullan was one of the ten people shot dead by the British Army during the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971. Last week an inquest ruled that all ten were “entirely innocent” and their killing had been unjustified.
His brother, Patsy Mullan (81), confirmed to The Irish Catholic that work towards his cause for canonisation is “in progress” and he should be considered due to “the circumstances of his death – helping somebody else – which was normally what he would do and always had done”.
He welcomed the recent inquest, with the coroner dubbing Fr Mullan a “peacekeeper” who was killed “while performing his spiritual duties as a priest”.
“I’m 81, I’m sure I don’t have a terrible long time to live and sometimes Rome is very slow at moving,” Mr Mullan said, “The news [from the inquest] was good so we’re just hoping for more good news from Rome.”
Fr Paddy McCafferty PP of Corpus Christi parish said there is a “growing impetus and there has been for some time”.
“Fr Mullan didn’t hesitate. All that morning, Fr Mullan was literally carrying children to safety and getting families to safety. He lost his life doing that,” he said.
He added that both Fr Mullan and Fr Noel Fitzpatrick – who was shot dead 11 months later in the Westrock-Springhill Massacre – should be recognised as martyrs as they were examples of “what a true priest is and does”.
“These two men who were selfless, who were good, devoted priests to their parishioners, died as they lived. They could have done nothing else but go into danger, they went out into a hail of bullets and they didn’t think of themselves and they didn’t think of their own safety – they thought of their parishioners and they wanted to be close to someone who was dying,” said Fr McCafferty.
“The fact that they were shot dead in those circumstances, exercising their duties, they are martyrs to the priesthood and the Church doesn’t require miracles for a martyr. There would be a lot of devotion, their memories are very revered and what they did made a deep impression on the people,” he said.
At a time when the Church is praying for vocations, Fr McCafferty said these two priests can be looked on as “true examples of the priesthood”.