An Irish Catholic priest is refusing to pay a fine for celebrating Mass in a public gathering that was in violation of the country’s COVID-19 lockdown.
“The guards attacked me and accused me of spreading the virus,” Father PJ Hughes told the Irish Times after Irish police set up checkpoints around the church. “A guard told me that I was putting the lives of elderly people at risk. It’s a sad day that three Garda cars are circling around this church. Have they nothing else to do? God help us.”
“They intimidated me going into Mass. They intimidated me, and they intimidated the people,” he added of the incident that occurred last month in County Cavan.
He received a fine of €500, just under $600, for breaking virus restrictions. Ireland has been under Level 5 lockdowns, which restrict residents from traveling about 3 miles from their home, worship services are held online, and weddings are limited to six people.
“This is sectarianism. This is against our faith. It’s a sectarian act against our Catholic Church encouraged by the government who don’t believe in God anymore,” Hughes added.
He said that officials could put him in jail, adding that it wouldn’t be because he broke a law but instead for celebrating Mass.
“They can put me in jail if they want, but it will be for saying Mass, not for committing a crime, for saying Mass. And it’s a sad day to think this government has decided it is a criminal offense for priests to celebrate Mass in public for 10 people. My God, I cannot believe that.”
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The reports on Hughes come as videos out of England and Canada show other officers entering churches to shut down services in violation of virus restrictions.
“Nazis are not welcome here! … Do not come back, you Nazi psychopaths. Unbelievable, sick, evil people. Intimidating people in a church during the Passover! You Gestapo, Nazi, communist fascists! Don’t you dare come back here!” Pastor Artur Pawlowski was heard shouting at officers in Canada who entered his church during Holy Week.
This is how you handle police who enter a church without a warrant. They’re lucky they only got a tongue-lashing: s. 176 of the Criminal Code makes it a crime to disturb a church service. Those @CalgaryPolice thugs were breaking the law (and knew it). pic.twitter.com/0XhAuwv0yg
— Ezra Levant ? (@ezralevant) April 4, 2021
“Unbelievable. We’re living in a total takeover of the government, with their thugs, goons, the brownshirts, the Gestapo wannabe dictators,” Pawlowski said. “Coming to the church armed with guns and Tasers and handcuffs to intimidate during Passover celebration? Well, I guess that’s what it is. They want to enslave us all like the Egyptians did. They want to be the pharaohs of today, that’s what they’re doing. Unbelievable. People, if you don’t stand up, wake up, I don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” he added.
