that'll fix 'em

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Aug 11, 2010

 An Irish woman wants to organize a boycott of Sunday Mass by “the faithful women of Ireland.” Her effort, and the front-page treatment accorded by the Irish Times, raise several questions:

• If these women are “faithful,” why would they voluntarily absent themselves from the Holy Sacrifice, ignoring their Sunday obligation and endangering their souls?
• A boycott is typically organized to cause discomfort for the target-- as a corporation squirms when people refuse to buy its products. How would the Irish hierarchy and/or the Vatican by materially harmed by the absence of some Irish women from Sunday Mass?
• As far as we know, just one woman is promoting this boycott. Why does the quixotic campaign of a single elderly woman merit front-page coverage in the Irish Times?
• Would the newspaper give the same prominence to a campaign to boycott the Irish Times? Wouldn’t some faithful Irish Catholics like to test that question?