Shameful treatment of Ardoyne priest

Dear Editor, When I first looked at the front page of my latest edition of The Irish Catholic and saw the photograph of the ‘Ardoyne priest verbally abused during marching protest’, I was at first unmoved by what I incorrectly viewed as an unsurprising example of loyalist bile directed towards Catholic Fr Gary Donegan. How quickly feelings of disgust and disappointment surfaced when I came to realise that it was some of Fr Donegan’s ‘own’ who were surrounding an lambasting him.

What measure of self-consuming hatred must be needed to allow people to treat a long-serving – and long-suffering – priest to such abuse? Years of hard service cast aside for the sake of venting on one issue solved, but not to the liking of some who would be far better engaged in turning their ‘passion’ to building on the peace Fr Donegan has initiated.

Shameful, shameful.

Yours etc.,

Mary Connors,

Celbridge,

Co. Kildare.