Catholic Church wants details of sectarian attacks in Scotland

[Beorn]

Pressure is growing for the Scottish Government to publish details of sectarian attacks after the Roman Catholic Church described attempts to tackle the problem as “facile”.

The call comes after a row over anti-Catholic e-mails sent within the offices of the Scottish Football Association on the day of the Pope’s visit. The outcry led to the resignation of Hugh Dallas, Scotland’s top referee. Another worker sacked over the incident has received death threats.

A Sunday newspaper yesterday reported that former football coach Marco McIntyre has told friends he is considering leaving Glasgow after being warned he would be killed in revenge for his role in the e-mail controversy.

The Crown Office publishes the number of offences aggravated by sectarianism but does not provide details of the victims’ religion. Peter Kearney, the head of the Catholic Church media office, said: “It’s like giving someone a prescription without diagnosing the illness first.”

The call for more details was backed by Michael MacMahon, MSP for Hamilton North. “The sectarian problem in Scotland is more insidious now than it has ever been but none of the strategies will work unless the problem is identified first,” he said.

An independent analysis of sectarian crime published in 2008 revealed that 66 per cent of victims were Catholic. Official figures show there were 291 convictions in Scotland between 2008 and 2009 for sectarian crimes.

Mr Kearney said: “Until the problem is clearly identified, none of the anti-sectarian initiatives will work .Some of the existing education on anti-sectarianism is facile in the extreme.”

The Catholic Church is writing to all the Premier league football clubs in Scotland offering to send priests who have been the victims of verbal and physical assaults to speak to players and staff to explain the impact anti-sectarian behaviour can have.

The Church decided to set up its own training initiative after becoming frustrated with the existing programmes.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service on how information about religiously aggravated crimes is recorded. However, we would welcome any discussions with them on how this information can be developed in future.”

Source (http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/scotland/article2833822.ece)

[Murphy]

I'm very proud of the Church in Scotland. I swear, it seems to me that next to Poland Scotland is the last bastion of Catholic strength in Europe. Our Primate has no qualms about telling the government what-is-what and our Bishops wont back down on Catholic teaching about sexuality &c.

Amazingly our hierarchy actually knows what the fuck they're doing.

[Wyn]

I swear, it seems to me that next to Poland Scotland is the last bastion of Catholic strength in Europe.

The Scots clergy are much more on top of things than much of the world's clergy, but I'd hardly call Scotland a bastion of Catholic strength. As a country it's - as you surely know - overwhelmingly Protestant/Calvinist (which to a large degree shaped the Scottish identity imo).

But you can change all that. Get converting. ;)

[hereward]

The Scots clergy are much more on top of things than much of the world's clergy, but I'd hardly call Scotland a bastion of Catholic strength. As a country it's - as you surely know - overwhelmingly Protestant/Calvinist (which to a large degree shaped the Scottish identity imo).

But you can change all that. Get converting. ;)

Population movements from the late 1800's and the resultant demographics have been chopping away at that Calvinist majority. Sectarianism in Scotland:eek:, who'd have thought; the Government has always kept the general public ignorant of this subject, possibly for the best.

[Wyn]

Population movements from the late 1800's and the resultant demographics have been chopping away at that Calvinist majority

True, their mostly irreligious now I'd say, but the Scottish psyche is heavily influenced by Calvinism/Protestantism, and a lot of their Catholic contingent (about 15% of the country as a whole isn't it?) stems from Irish immigration (I know that some Highlanders are Catholic, but in comparison to their Protestant counterparts across Scotland generally, their numbers are minuscule).

[Murphy]

To be a bastion of Catholicism has nothing to do with demographics. But how the laity and clergy conduct themselves.

[Wyn]

To be a bastion of Catholicism has nothing to do with demographics. But how the laity and clergy conduct themselves.

In that case then Scotland can not be considered a bastion of Catholicism. And would you say that most of the Scotch Catholic laity conducts itself - on the whole - better than the Catholic laity elsewhere? Fair play if you genuinely think they do.

[Murphy]

And would you say that most of the Scotch Catholic laity conducts itself - on the whole - better than the Catholic laity elsewhere? Fair play if you genuinely think they do.

Generally yes they do.

[Paleo]

My father is a Roman Catholic, and my mother is a Calvinist (Dutch Reform Church).

I was raised in the catholic faith. On the whole I hate both. And have no desire to engage in either.

Religion is a personal thing. Its between me and god and no one else. I don't need to be told what I "should" believe.

[Graham]

Just those knuckle dragging neds who support teams like Rangers, Airdrie, Hearts.

Look at the people who go out on the orange walks, you'll never see more "wee arra peepul" bucky drinking, neddy, inbred looking fuckers. :D