Senator Catherine Noone An earlier version of this article has been corrected to reflect the fact that the homilist at Knock Shrine was Fr Tom Keane rather than Fr Tom Doherty as referred to in the original article. We apologise for any confusion this error caused.
A Fine Gael senator has apologised for offensive remarks she made on social media about Easter Sunday Mass where the priest preached about the sanctity of all human life.
Catherine Noone – who chaired the Oireachtas Committee on abortion and is a leading campaigner for repeal of the Eighth Amendment – attended Knock Basilica with her parents on April 1 and tweeted following the service: “Easter Mass in Knock Basilica this afternoon with my parents – an octogenarian priest took at least three opportunities to preach to us about abortion – it’s no wonder people feel disillusioned with the Catholic Church”.
She subsequently deleted the tweet after facing sharp criticism online, saying she did not need the “negativity” that came in response to it.
Her comments led one well-known Co. Mayo priest, Westport-based Fr Charlie McDonnell, to take to Twitter to say he had been saddened by what he described as an “attack” on the priest. “My response will be to speak on #Savethe8th ASAP,” he wrote.
Ms Noone has now issued a public apology to Fr Tom Keane via Twitter explaining that she had realised her error and that all people have a right to express their view on the matter.
The post reads: “Sorry Fr Tom@knockshrine token of esteem is in the post. I’d like to call to Knock to chat. Passionate & immersed in the debate, I overreached. I removed my tweet realising my error. You rightly expressed your view, discourse is vital, all opinions should be voiced.”
Fr Charlie McDonnell also responded to the apology online, stating: “Fair play to @senatornoone for a very gracious tweet. All sides of the debate need practice respectful discourse.”