Fr Shay Cullen Davis Clark
A prominent Irish Columban missionary has denounced priests who arm themselves, saying clerics should not be “ready to kill”.
Almost 200 Catholic priests have applied for gun permits in the Philippines this year against a background of a series of clergymen being murdered. The murders have led the Philippine National Police to categorise priesthood as an “inherently dangerous” occupation, enabling priests to apply for gun ownership and firearms training.
Nobel Peace Prize-nominated Fr Shay Cullen has, however, joined the country’s bishops in condemning attempts by priests to secure gun permits.
“I don’t have a gun and the bishops have warned the priests to get rid of them,” Dublin-born Fr Cullen told the Irish Mirror.
“It is unseemly for priests to be armed and ready to kill someone. We are under threat for our human rights’ advocacy, so I have to take precautions, but to carry a gun and shoot when attacked is not part of our vocation,” he continued. “I am standing for non-violence and peace-making dialogue and reason.”