Josepha’s faith is ‘strong’ despite her liberal politics
Minister tells of reconciliation with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin as her support for abortion remains firm
FINE Gael minister Josepha Madigan led her party’s campaign to legalise abortion and favours women priests, but does not believe her politics are at odds with her strong Catholic faith.
The Minister for Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht grabbed the headlines this year when a row erupted after the devout Catholic revealed that she and other parishioners were forced to step in and lead prayers in her local church when the priest failed to show up to celebrate Mass.
Ms Madigan, a Dublin TD, was subsequently forced to defend her remarks about the event after Archbishop Diarmuid Martin accused her of causing parishioners ‘considerable distress’ and said that she was using it to try to ‘push a particular agenda’.
Despite the Catholic Church not allowing women to be ordained and being opposed to abortion, Ms Madigan has told the Irish Daily Mail that she does not believe her faith and politics are at odds and that the both are ‘easily reconcilable’.
And the Cabinet minister also reveals in an interview with the Irish Daily Mail that she and the Archbishop share a ‘good relationship’ and that he recently invited her to Mass on New Year’s Day, after the two met at a ceremony in UCD that honoured her friend Fr Tony Coote.
‘I was there and the Archbishop was there, and we spoke, and he has invited me to Mass on New Year’s Day. I am down in Meath so I won’t be able to go, but I thought it was very nice of him to ask me,’ she said.
While she said that controversy ‘all blew over’, Ms Madigan still strongly believes ‘women should be allowed to be priests and [I] still believe that men should have the option to marry as priests’.
‘I am not saying that it [should be] mandatory but they should have the option,’ she said, adding that she respects ‘the ethos of the Church’.
As a backbench TD, the motherof-two introduced a private member’s Bill to reduce the waiting time for a divorce, and next year the country is expected to vote on this in a referendum. She also led the Fine Gael party campaign advocating for a Yes vote in May’s abortion referendum.
These are two other issues she has dealt with politically which conflict with Catholic teachings – but Ms Madigan believes ‘they are separate issues’.
‘I was the campaign coordinator for the Yes campaign [in Fine Gael], and I believe it is up to each woman to make her own decision for that, I don’t think I have the right to impose my decision on anybody else and that’s why I think a Yes vote was so important,’ she added.
The Minister admits that her faith has been challenged before – but she thinks everyone has this struggle from time to time.
Ms Madigan lost her sister and her father in recent years, but she said she believes it is her strong faith and religion that got her through these difficult times. ‘You haven’t really lived a life, I don’t think, if you haven’t been challenged – if your faith hasn’t been challenged,’ she said. ‘I lost my dad and my sister and you know, I have been through other things in my life that have been difficult, but it’s my faith that has got me through.
‘I think, for me, it’s really important and I think it is for a lot of Irish people, and all I really want is for the Church to respect that ultimately. But you know we can’t force people to, you know, change their views.’
Although the Minister did not get to personally meet the Pope during his recent visit here, she said she sat very close to him at the event in Dublin Castle and she praised the Taoiseach for his speech at that reception.
Referring to Pope Francis, she said she thought he ‘came across as a really humble, very genuine, very sincere, very kind man’ during his visit here.
And when asked if she thought he did enough for victims when he was here, she suggested that his words were perhaps ‘maybe somewhat overshadowed’ by her party leader’s – who she hailed as making ‘a powerful speech’.
Ms Madigan said Leo Varadkar ‘really hit the right notes in what he wanted to say, that I think the Pope’s speech was slightly overshadowed, but I actually did think he [Pope Francis] made quite a good speech’.
‘And I think, I would imagine that his eyes were maybe opened, maybe he didn’t realise the extent of the damage that had been inflicted in this country. I think it’s a really good thing that he came – it mustn’t have been easy for him. And I admire him for coming, because he could have easily stayed away.’
During the Papal visit, her Cabinet colleague Katherine Zappone gave the Pope a letter about the Tuam Mother and Baby Home scandal. And Ms Madigan said that while she hasn’t discussed this with the Children’s Minister, she believes ‘she did the right thing’, adding, ‘I absolutely respect her for that.’
‘They should have the option’ ‘Pope’s speech overshadowed’