A journalist who was mocked online for wearing ashes on his forehead on Ash Wednesday has described his critics as “bigots”.
Last week, Fionnán Sheahan of the Irish Independent appeared on Virgin Media’s The Tonight Show. Of all the panellists, he was the only one wearing ashes on his forehead - something many viewers noticed at home.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Sheahan said he had been surprised by the negativity directed at him afterwards.
“My issue isn't so much with the reaction, because that's just the moron hurlers on the ditch on social media,” he said.
“What I was surprised by was the sane and sensible people saying, ‘Oh, but you should expect to be slagged off in a situation like that.’
“To which I would say, ‘Well, why? So, somebody who now professes to be Catholic or identifies as such, should now be subject to opprobrium?’”
A priest saying mass. Picture by: robertharding / Alamy.In the Ireland of the not too distant past, a man wearing ashes on Ash Wednesday would have passed without comment.
For Mr Sheahan, who describes himself as not an especially devout Catholic, it is one of the faith’s many traditions that he likes to maintain.
“In days gone by, the fellow reading the news used to have the ashes,” he said.
“The Minister of Finance once delivered a budget [with ashes on his forehead].
“In my case, it's not a profound expression of a faith, it's actually a personal thing.
“It's carrying on a tradition from my late father and it's how I remember him.”
A man getting ashes on Ash Wednesday. Picture by: Alamy.com. It is, Mr Sheahan believes, proof that Ireland might not be as open-minded a country as people might think.
“I went down the rabbit hole and was looking at some of the comments and it was people who look back to their other posts and go, ‘Okay, you're claiming to be kind of a person of liberal and open-minded thought - but when it comes to this, you become a bigot. So, why is that?’” he asked.
“I don't know, is it potentially a Catholic thing?
“Or is it just that maybe we're not as open-minded as society as we claim to be?”
Main image: Fionnán Sheahan with ashes. Picture by: Virgin Media.
