Bishops must take harder stance to stop idolising of criminals at funerals

Parishes plagued by services ‘boasting of harm caused’

A DUBLIN priest has said parishes are ‘plagued’ by funerals that idolise notorious criminals.

Fr Joe Keegan, in Cabra West, has called for Irish bishops to take a harder stance on what is permitted at funerals, saying that people are ‘boasting of the harm’ caused by criminals.

He told the Irish Catholic newspaper that funerals that celebrate the life of notorious criminals are ‘particularly hurtful’ to parishioners who see their church ‘taken over by those who prey on the community’.

‘They are asking for forgiveness’

Fr Keegan said: ‘People are entitled to a Christian funeral – like someone who has a bad past – but the assumption is that they are certainly not celebrating their bad past, they are asking for forgiveness for anything they have done.’

Fr Aquinas Duffy, who moved to a parish in Wicklow last year having served in Cabinteely, Dublin, told the Irish Daily Mail he had officiated at a few gangland funerals in the past.

‘They are very difficult,’ he said. ‘It is not for us to set ourselves up as judge and jury, and what often happens is that family members request the funeral from their local parish. There then needs to be great care taken that it is not going to be a glorification of the criminal activities of that person. In some cases, there has a been a glorification of the criminal activities of the deceased person, and that is a terrible thing because it almost encourages young people into a life of crime.’

He said he once dealt with the funeral of a man whose parents had no involvement in crime.

‘That their son had gone astray in his life was a fact, but they were looking for a funeral for their son, and I don’t think a priest can refuse in those circumstances,’ he noted. ‘Yes, a person may be a sinner, but we all are, and part of the funeral service is praying for God’s mercy for the person.’

Fr Duffy said the priest could only control what went on inside the church and that what happened on the streets outside was a matter for the gardaí.

In July 2021, there were chaotic scenes inside and outside the Tallaght

church for the funeral of Dean Maguire, one of three men killed in a crash on the N7.

The convicted burglar, 29, died along with two associates when they crashed head-on into a truck while fleeing the gardaí.

On RTÉ’s Liveline, Fr Hugh Kavanagh, who officiated the Mass, defended his decision not to stop ‘inappropriate activity’, saying it was not his place to judge.

During the ceremony, one woman said: ‘Sorry for the language father – rest in peace you f***ing legend.’ Symbols brought to the altar honouring his life included a torch, a screwdriver, cigarettes, his Canada Goose jacket and a bottle of cider, as well as keys, sunglasses, Red Bull and scratch cards.

A poster remembering Maguire was also put on the altar which read: ‘RIP Dean. You know the score, get on the floor, don’t be funny, give me the money.’

Outside, a small number of mourners blocked off roads and intimidated passers-by.

Fr Donal Roche, who was at the funeral but not officiating, said: ‘It was the most disturbing liturgy I have ever been at. There was a sense of restlessness, and the priest officiating was up against it.’

Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh Michael Router, vice chair of the Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative, said this week that everyone was entitled to a Christian funeral. However, he said there should be ‘no glorification’ of crime.

The bishop said: ‘I realise very often that both pastoral councils and priests may feel intimidated if they try and stand against local drug dealers or gangs... and sometimes they will just go ahead and do things anyway that would be totally against our understanding of what would be a respectful and proper Christian funeral.’

In 2019, former Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin pledged that criminals would not be allowed to exploit church funerals to ‘enhance their image’. He said criminals should go for civil funerals rather than use a church for showy displays and that the parish will insist the service is modest.

The Dublin archdiocese now has guidelines for funeral services, urging ‘sensitivity’ on eulogies as ‘occasionally insensitive and indeed inappropriate things have been said at funerals’. They say symbols should ‘convey our focus on God and celebrating the Christian life of the person’.

‘Priests may feel intimidated’