Of snakes and Ireland

From the often amusing Eye of the Tiber:

Ireland Approves Reentry Of Snakes Into Country By Popular Vote

Ireland overwhelmingly approved a referendum to allow “snakes” back in the country on Saturday, becoming the first country in the world to allow such a move by popular vote. Though the final tally is yet unknown, the referendum achieved the support of an estimated 65 percent of the population.

Michael Fitzpatrick, prominent supporter of the “Hell No” campaign, conceded the referendum’s defeat Saturday morning.

“It is a said day now that Ireland has approved reentry of paganism,” Fitzpatrick said, explaining how, although snakes have never actually existed in Ireland, that the referendum would now allow the “pagans,” which he believed the snakes represented in the time of St. Patrick, to take back their country from Catholicism.

Supporters of the reentry of paganism erupted with jubilation in Dublin, which has long been a liberal stronghold. But the referendum received support throughout the whole country.

As a result of the referendum, which amends Ireland’s constitution to approve of snakes “without distinction as to length or toxicity of their venom,” pagans in the country will be permitted by law to begin deconstructing everything Catholicism has built as soon as this summer.

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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12 Comments

  1. TC says:

    I notice they also have an item about a certain priest/blogger installing electric altar rails:
    http://www.eyeofthetiber.com/2013/02/18/fr-zuhlsdorf-installs-electric-altar-rails-2-women-injured/

  2. Max says:

    And now certain German bishops and other apostates are having secret meetings to try to change Church teaching so they can be popular instead of faithful to the teaching of Christ’s Holy Church. Read it and weep:
    “Confidential Meeting Seeks to Sway Synod to Accept Same-Sex Unions”
    http://m.ncregister.com/daily-news/confidential-meeting-seeks-to-sway-synod-to-accept-same-sex-unions/#.VWXsJ129LCQ

  3. discens says:

    As a New Yorker (naturalized, not native) I’m always reminded of the old joke: When St. Patrick expelled the snakes from Ireland they all swam across the Atlantic and joined the New York Police Department. Sometimes, unfortunately, the joke is cruelly true rather than funny.

  4. rodin says:

    Judging by the recent reports it seems the snakes have long since returned to Ireland. Pity.

  5. Gregorius says:

    Funny, you also happen to feature on the homepage, Father, for those electric altar rails you installed a few years back.

  6. Bosco says:

    For Heaven’s sake our very Constitutional preamble states:
    “In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, from Whom is all authority and to Whom, as our final end, all actions both of men and States must be referred, We, the people of Éire, Humbly acknowledging all our obligations to our Divine Lord, Jesus Christ,…” a declaration surely rendering this amendment ‘blasphemous’ at best even by the dictionary definition of the term.
    “But the chief priests and elders had persuaded the multitude to ask for Barabbas and have Jesus put to death; and so, when the governor openly asked them, Which of the two would you have me release? they said, Barabbas.” Matthew 27:20-21
    The main point to be taken away from that Gospel passage here in Ireland seems to be that Barabbas won in a free and fair election and therefore his freedom was a triumph for democracy.
    Notwithstanding, one only has to read the overwhelming result of the “Yes” vote to surmise the vigour and sentiments of the Catholic shepherds.
    Let us not delude ourselves about the tepidity of our Catholic shepherds.. Their failure to vigorously intervene in the perpetration of public blasphemy and societal disintegration, much less offer frequent, public, and reasoned objections, gives countenance to the evil done.
    Better for the integrity of the Catholic Faith they quietly profess had they passionately fought for rejection of the referendum and lost 99% to 1% than hunkered down in their bunkers until the shelling stopped when the war was over. In fairness, however, these men here in Ireland were as tellingly mute as Rome was throughout.
    When the crowd chose for Barabbas, and Christ was condemned to death, the crowd jeered “His blood shall be on us and all our children!”. And so, I fear, with all of us Irish now.

  7. Bosco says:

    By the way, and I’m not joking here, when I heard the result of the “Marriage Equality Referendum” here I played Warren Zevon’s 1978 “Lawyers, Guns and Money” over and over (link below). That’s the state of play here in Ireland now for what’s left of the Catholic Church.

    “Well I’m hiding in Hondouras/Ireland. I’m a desperate man. Send lawyers, guns and money the…” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP5Xv7QqXiM

  8. juergensen says:

    Another great job by the bishops.

  9. WYMiriam says:

    Nice piece of satire! Unfortunately, its author unwittingly perpetuates the myth that an “overwhelming” number of Irish voters gave their electoral blessing to same-sex “marriage.”

    The total vote count was 1,935,907, which was only 60 percent of those who could vote. 62 percent of the actual vote count comes out to 1.2 million — which is only 37.5 percent of the total number of Irishmen who could vote. 37.5 percent is hardly “overwhelming.”

    Look at it this way — let’s take a family that has 10 children. The mother calls all of them in to dinner, and 60 percent (six, by actual count) actually come. And then, only 62 percent of those 6 (3.7, by actual count) actually partake of the meal. I’d venture to say that Mother wouldn’t be a very happy camper with those results!

    Let me be clear — being of Irish ancestry on one side of the family, I was horrified by the number of the Irish “yes” votes. Please, let’s not make it any more “wonderful” than it is by calling the vote “overwhelming”.

  10. Grumpy Beggar says:

    Bosco says:
    “By the way, and I’m not joking here, when I heard the result of the ‘Marriage Equality Referendum’ here I played Warren Zevon’s 1978 ‘Lawyers, Guns and Money’ over and over (link below). That’s the state of play here in Ireland now for what’s left of the Catholic Church.

    ‘Well I’m hiding in Hondouras/Ireland. I’m a desperate man. Send lawyers, guns and money the…’ “

    LOL – I already know the song Bosco : Thanks for the smile :)

    Maybe we could change the lyrics a little. The syllables fit perfectly if we remove ” Send lawyers, guns and money” and we replace it with “Send down your Holy Spirit” (well we’d still have that problem about rephrasing the fan part though , I guess – but I’m serious too : a lot of contemporary prayer groups are praying for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all of mankind.)

    Maybe, just for a smile, we could just take out the “lawyers” and the “money” and change it to : “Send rosaries, guns and Sarah . . .” , or better still “Send rosaries, Burke and Sarah . . .”

    In the immortal words of the other Burke:

    “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
    (Edmund Burke)

  11. St Donatus says:

    Though we can lay this disaster at the feet of the Irish bishops, the Church can and is turning back to true Catholicism in many areas of the US. Thankfully we have bishops with backbones such as Bishop Morleno in your state there Father Z. He is a great man and seems to be bringing Catholicism back to my home state. I was there visiting a parish where he has brought in some Spanish priests who are not afraid to teach the truth. Sadly, many of the Catholics in those parishes rebelled and went to other more ‘cafeteria’ parishes in the area. But in those parishes where these Spanish priests are located, there are many vocations (five in one parish alone in just seven years) and strong Latin Mass communities. Now these same parishes that were decimated by rebellion against Catholic teachings are growing again but with more solid Catholics, those willing to fight for their God and their Church. These new priests will bring true Catholicism back to that area. I pray that many more bishops will follow his example.

    Of course we can’t forget the wonderful FSSP and other groups offering a more substantial and true Catholic future. These are all growing despite the efforts of some bishops. Sometimes I wonder why bishops fight the return to true Catholicism. Is there something diabolical behind it?

  12. AnnTherese says:

    St Donatus: I wonder how you can know for sure that those who left the parishes you described did so out of “rebellion,” or that those who arrived are more “solid” Catholics. Only God truly knows the hearts, actions, and experiences of those parishioners, those priests, that bishop, and the complexities of the situation. Only God knows and is worthy of judging one’s spiritual life.

    As for Ireland, I trust that the Holy Spirit is at work, and that God will use this for good–somehow, in God’s time. Let us continue to do our part: “act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God.” (Mic 6.8)

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