THE PRIEST who allowed a church to be used for a protest meeting about medical card cuts this week said he had “absolutely no regrets” about his decision.
A crowd of between 1,000 and 1,800 people packed St Andrew’s Church in Dublin’s Westland Row on Tuesday for the Age Action meeting over the removal of the universal right to a medical card for the over-70s.
The elderly crowd heckled and booed Minister of State John Moloney when he stood up to speak and he eventually left the altar without speaking.
Fr John Gilligan, St Andrew’s Church administrator, said he would not apologise for allowing the church to be used because many of his parishioners were involved and they needed his support. “It was a social justice issue,” he said. “The church belongs to the community.”
The Alexander Hotel had been booked for the meeting but the crowds were much larger than anticipated and Fr Gilligan was contacted by a parishioner to see whether the church could be used.
Fr Gilligan said holding the meeting in the church was “not disrespectful in any way”. He said misinformation had been spread suggesting Masses had been cancelled to allow the meeting. “That was not true. Everything went according to plan afterwards.”
Speaking earlier on RTÉ’s Liveline, he said he was surprised at behaviour of the crowd when Mr Moloney was prevented from speaking. “I have no problem apologising for the behaviour in the church,” he said. “It was just the anger that was voiced and probably some of the people felt some of the people weren’t listened to, but I suppose you have to understand the great anger that people were experiencing.”
Age Action spokesman Eamon Timmins said politicians should look at the reasons for the anger shown rather than wondering whether someone had been offended. “We would regret that John Moloney was not allowed to speak but we are not apologising for the people’s anger,” he said.
“They were frustrated that politicians were not listening to them.”
