The pastor became the target of direct and virtual slander and insult.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BALLYHAUNIS – A priest said he received a lot of reproach and abuse from fanatics who opposed his actions for allowing two clerics to say blessings during mass last April. Irish Pastor Stephen Farragher said he had been subjected to direct and virtual slander and insults.
A group identifying themselves as Síol na hÉireann, the Irish Patriot Party, accused Farragher of “bringing foreign demon worshipers” into the church and of being “heretics”.
“I am overwhelmed by the messages I have received from hundreds of people across the country these past few days. I mean, what I have experienced online by the crowd is called Church Militant [dugaan kelompok sayap kanan AS] and people screaming at me on the phone, “Pastor Farragher is quoted as saying on Irish Mirror, Friday (21/8).
He also claimed to have received a message calling him a ‘traitor’ which was sent in large red writing. Father Farragher said the group of about 12 people, who were not from Ballyhaunis or Co Mayo, also carried banners reading ‘No Sharia in Ireland’ onto the church grounds.
Last April, Pastor deliberately broadcast mass on local radio Ballyhaunis, where he contacted two priests as a form of solidarity between religions. He asked priests to say a blessing at the end of mass at St Patrick’s Church in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo on April 3. Father Farragher said they were reciting an Islamic call to pray and pray that God’s mercy will help all those suffering from Covid-19.
“What they don’t realize is that many of these people have more in common with us than they realize. Okay, maybe they worship God under a different name but in terms of values and living a good, moral life [ada banyak kesamaan], “said Pastor.
Ballyhaunis is one of the most diverse places in the country. According to Father Farragher, the real work of integration at Ballyhaunis takes place where citizens have different cultures, nationalities and religions, but also voluntary organizations and sports clubs that continue to strive to be inclusive.
Father Farragher said multiculturalism flourished when the late Pakistani businessman Sher Mohammed Rafique first brought Muslim workers to the city of Co Mayo in the 1970s.
Source: https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/priest-targeted-letting-two-muslims-22553277
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