New Ross Standard

Diocese backs vaccines as significan­t number of priests still await jab

- By PÁDRAIG BYRNE

WHILE certain figures within the Catholic Church may have cast some ambiguity over their position in relation to a Covid-19, there was a definitive response from the Diocese of Ferns that Bishop Denis Brennan is backing the vaccine, has no major anxieties surroundin­g it, would take it himself and would be urging others to take it at the earliest opportunit­y.

While Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford Lismore took a different view last week, stating that it was ‘a personal choice’ and refusing to state whether he would be taking a vaccine, Bishop Brennan was firm in his support for the roll-out of the vaccine.

Communicat­ions Officer for the Diocese of Ferns Fr John Carroll said that ‘a percentage’ of priests who serve as chaplains to nursing homes or hospitals have already had their Covid vaccinatio­n. For the majority remaining, they are eager to get it as soon as possible.

‘I think there is an appetite out there among priests to get vaccinated as soon as possible,’ said Fr Carroll, who himself has already had his jab. ‘I think the sooner everyone is vaccinated the better. We have had instances where priests have been seriously ill with Covid, but I suppose that’s common in all walks of life.’

While members of the clergy commonly have to officiate at funerals of people who have lost their battle with Covid, many are doing so un-vaccinated themselves and would be at risk. However, Fr Carroll says there’s been no push from their end to prioritise priests over any other frontline workers.

‘ Those who are attending hospitals and medical facilities are taken care of,’ he said. ‘For those remaining, I suppose it’s the same position as teachers and supermarke­t workers etc. In actual fact, they would probably be more hands on. There’s certainly no appetite for us to push ahead of anyone else, but we would certainly like to see it rolled out as soon as possible. I suppose generally as a group, we’re not the youngest bunch either.’

‘Really, I suppose, it would be nice to find out where abouts we will fall in terms of the vaccine, but we haven’t come out looking for specific informatio­n or anything like that yet.’

LOOKING out over Rosslare Europort from the viewing point in the harbour in recent weeks, a sea of blue trailers will catch the eye instantly. They belong to the global market place of Amazon and they contain all manner of items ordered on laptops and phones right across the country.

The fact is that just a few short weeks ago, these trailers weren’t a common sight at the port. But as another consequenc­e of Brexit, the gigantic tech firm, like many other multi-nationals, is seeking to avoid the complicati­ons, tariffs, taxes and general headaches that have now become associated with the ‘ landbridge’ between the UK and Ireland.

‘I think previously you would’ve ordered from Amazon through the UK website and your order would have been fulfilled through the UK distributi­on network,’ General Manager of Rosslare Europort Glenn Carr said, explaining the surge these blue trailers in the harbour. ‘Now you have all these taxes and tariffs etc from the UK, it seems they’ve made the decision to service Irish orders out of Europe and they are using the DFDS service from Dunkirk to bring the goods into the country.’

The result is that over 20 Amazon trailers roll off each sailing from Dunkirk. It seems that Amazon are in the process of re-evaluating Ireland. There are talks that a new amazon.ie website specifical­ly for Ireland is to be developed amid the creation of a huge new ‘fulfilment centre’ in Baldonnell as the company seeks to bypass the UK to fulfil Irish orders.

Rumours have even been suggested that Amazon may charter their own ships to bring goods in from the continent.

‘I’ve heard of the possibilit­ies that Amazon are going to get their own planes and ships and all sorts,’ Mr Carr laughed. ‘I’m not sure it’s quite that simple. There’s a lot of money and expertise involved in these operations and one way or another the stuff still has to come into Ireland. I think at the moment, they seem extremely pleased with the service being offered by DFDS and the two ports.’

Mr Carr points out that currently UK traffic from Rosslare is down 49% on last year. He says that this is down to customs and paperwork issues, which could be set to grow further at the UK side as they implement their full customs procedure between April and July.

‘ To be honest, I’m not surprised to see global companies like Amazon make the switch from the UK,’ he said.

 ??  ?? Diocese Communicat­ions Officer Fr John Carroll.
Diocese Communicat­ions Officer Fr John Carroll.
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 ??  ?? The blue trailers of mutli-national Amazon have become a familiar sight at Rosslare, with up to 20 arriving on every sailing into the port form the French port of Dunkirk.
The blue trailers of mutli-national Amazon have become a familiar sight at Rosslare, with up to 20 arriving on every sailing into the port form the French port of Dunkirk.

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