Chai Brady
The majority of The Irish Catholic readers disagree with former Irish president Mary McAleese after almost 500 voiced opposition to statements she made over the weekend.
In a poll conducted by this paper on social media about 70% of over 650 people answered ‘no’ to the statement: ‘In a recent RTÉ article, former president Mary McAleese described the Catholic Church as “an empire of misogyny”. Do you think that is a fair assessment on her part?’
Although there was mixed comments, the majority of people felt Mrs McAleese’s criticism of the Church was unfair or unfounded.
One person said that the statement “breads anti-Church/religious sentiment which is a factor for increased persecution upon the religious in Ireland in recent years”.
Another said that because the “strongest and most passionate” feminists they’ve encountered have been nuns, “there’s plenty of room for women in the Catholic Church”.
However other commenters agreed with the former president’s assertion, saying that Church structures – especially pertaining to the treatment of women – should be challenged.
One person said: “The Church should do much more to empower women and it would be much the better for it. I believe it is an injustice that women who give their lives to God as sisters are not recognised as clergy.”