We look at the stories that were making the headlines this week in 1984
Editorial
IMMORAL, according to the dictionary, is "not to be concerned with the distinction between right and wrong." So Cardinal Ó Fiaich was in something of a dilemma when asked if it was immoral to be a member of Sinn Fein.
The Catholic Church in Ireland has pronounced again and again over the past 100 years, the immorality of the Irish people using force to free themselves from the domination of a foreign power. Even the most rudimentary perusal of recent history shows that the Irish hierarchy is alone in Europe in adopting this stance. There may have been denouncements of force in other countries, or even strong condemnations, but statements of the immorality of force would seem to have been too sweeping for other hierarchies.
Even Cardinal Basil Hume of England would seem not to agree with the Irish hierarchy in its definition of the immorality of force, since he not only refused to denounce the Falklands campaign as immoral, but went on to say that there might have been some justification for it!
Therefore, if the Church's teaching on the actual use of force is so unclear and diverse, is it any wonder that the Cardinal was in such a dilemma when asked to pronounce on the membership of Sinn Féin, an organisation which openly backs the use of force to resist English rule in Ireland, but which nevertheless does not use force in any of its own activities. For the Cardinal to have pronounced membership of Sinn Féin immoral would, in our view, have called into question the morality of belonging to very many political parties throughout the world today. Would the morality of belonging to the English Conservative Party not have been questioned, since members of that party not only back the violence of the British army but also physically direct its activities, as was witnessed in the sinking of the 'Belgrano' during the Falklands conflict on the express instructions of the leader of the Conservative Party.
Even Gerry Adams' worst enemy would not accuse him of controlling the IRA's military campaign to the extent that Mrs Thatcher controls the British army. If the church was consistent on this moral question, would the Pope have been justified in granting an audience to PLO leader Yasser Arafat who is, after all, the political leader of a very violent organisation. In our view, both the Catholic and Protestant churches' views on the use of force "in fight for freedom" situations is as full of anomalies that they are in no position to pronounce on the morality of the subject at all.
Looked at in this light, we believe that the Cardinal's conclusion that it was the right of the individual to make his own moral judgements, was the correct one in the circumstances. Until such times as the church has a uniform and consistent policy on the use of force by all violent organisations, including those controlled by the state, then to pronounce moral judgement on a "non violent" political organisation like Sinn Féin would be totally ridiculous.
House daubed in paint
A Broadway woman is demanding a halt to the activities of vandals who have twice daubed her home with paint within the last three months.
Mrs Lucy Walsh who lives at 36 Broadway Road, says she cannot understand why she has been targeted for this harassment.
The first time this happened to me was about five years ago when the front door was splashed with white paint,” she said.
“I never found out why it had been done and I just put it down to the work of young vandals.”
However, in October 1983 and this week, the house was again attacked during the night with paint. Mrs Walsh described the latest incident.
“Paint had been thrown and smeared over the side door, front door and windows. It was a very thorough job and obviously whoever did it spent about half an hour outside my home.
“A neighbour told me the next morning that she heard the army outside her window during the night. She heard a lot of tittering and laughing and one voice saying, “Which house is it?”
Mrs Walsh has made an official complaint to the RUC and a sample of the paint used was taken away for examination.
“I can’t imagine any reason why the army should pick me out for their treatment. I’m not involved in anything political and couldn’t tell you one group from the other,” she said.
“Workers from the DoE cleared the paint from tarmac outside Mrs Walsh’s house while her front and side doors have had to be stripped down for re-varnishing.
She hopes publicity given to her plight might deter further attacks.
“It’s terribly annoying and upsetting and I only wish it would stop,” she said.
