Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has urged Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny to be “courageous and frank” when he visits President Trump at the White House for St. Patrick’s Day.
In an interview earlier today on RTÉ Radio's Sean O'Rourke Show, Martin, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of all Ireland said that Trump’s executive action banning refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries would be the most important issue for the Irish leader to bring up during his first meeting with the new US president.
"I hope he will be as courageous and as frank (as when he visited Rome) when he visits President Trump and that he brings with him the concerns of people here," Martin said, referencing the outrage Kenny expressed over the Vatican’s failure to properly investigate the child sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church in Ireland and around the world.
Martin said he would like Kenny to “express the concerns that are present among the people of Ireland about some of the decisions [Trump is] making, particularly about refugees.
"Putting a ban on refugees, it's in complete disagreement with not just the specifics of international law but the culture of the Irish."
In this regard, Archbishop Martin is adopting a similar approach to his superiors at The Vatican. The Vatican’s deputy secretary of state, Archbishop Angelo Becciu, spoke against the order when asked about it during an interview this week with TV2000, an Italian Catholic television station.
“Certainly there is worry because we are messengers of another culture, that of openness,” said Becciu, who ranks third in the Vatican hierarchy.
“Pope Francis, in fact, insists on the ability to integrate those who arrive in our societies and cultures,” he told
Prior to Trump’s election, the Pope spoke about against his campaign promises to ban Muslim immigrants and construct a border wall with Mexico, calling it hypocritical to "call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee."
H/T RTE, Huffington Post
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