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FAIR City bosses were forced to issue an apology to a “heartbroken” priest after a controversial scene at the weekend.
Sunday’s episode featured Ger Lynch, played by Tina Kellegher, asking Fr Liam Plunkett to hear her confession.
She then went on to make the shock revelation that the cleric, played by Phelim Drew, is the father of her daughter Hayley.
To add salt to the wound, the episode was broadcast on Divine Mercy Sunday – which focuses on the sacrament of confession.
Kerry priest Fr Kevin Mcnamara blasted the event as “disrespectful” and “hurtful” and admitted it “broke his heart” to watch the scene on TV.
He said: “To come in that night and sit in front of the television, it really broke my heart to see confession being portrayed in such a disrespectful and very hurtful way.
“Taking place in a church, with an altar, taking place with cigarettes and alcohol and the whole issue of the seal being brought into repute.”
Despite initial reports, Fr Kevin said he wasn’t calling for people not to pay their licence fees, however he hit out at soap bosses for similar storylines in the past.
He told RTE Radio One’s Today With Claire Byrne: “Firstly, for clarification, I am not advocating a non-payment of a licence to RTE – I think they make very fine programmes.
“It’s Fair City’s second time doing this. The other incident was the seal was broken. A priest in a former episode was told something in confession and went on and broke the seal.
“I think it’s a very human story and I have empathy and the two characters Ger and Father Liam are played excellently I know.
“And they’re depicting the hurt but to bring the confession into it was totally absolutely wrong. Confession should not have been mentioned, it should not have been brought in.
“In my 40 years of priesthood, I have spent a large amount of time trying to break down barriers where people are fearful of confession where they had a bad experience.
“Ger even said she didn’t like it when she was seven and it has grown on her since.”
Fr Mcnamara has written about the issue in this week’s newsletter in his parish in Moyvane in a piece titled “Fair City – Not Fair on Confession.
However, he said he has forgiven the soap and spoken with an executive producer to clear the air.
He added: “They were very very understanding about my position and apologised and whatever.
“I have forgiven them and I’m not one of these guys saying don’t pay your licence or whatever – absolutely not.” “That’s a misquote.”
Fr Kevin said priests have feelings too and he has never watched Father Ted.
Asked if he found UK hit Fleabag, in which a woman had a fling with a priest, problematic, he explained he has never watched it either, but has walked out of weddings due to constant nagging about it.
But with many priests “hooked” on Fair City, he explained its insulting
to watch the seal “downgraded”.
Fr Mcnamara added: “You would go to weddings years ago and everyone would be saying, ‘Go on, go on, go on’. There were receptions I have walked out of.
“We have feelings as well. All I know is with Fair City that a lot of elderly parishioners here would be hooked on it and that’s an insult to them as well to see confession downgraded.”
In a statement, RTE said the timing of the episode was an unfortunate coincidence.
The response read: “There was no intention to cause offence with this story. It is most unfortunate that this episode transmitted on Divine Mercy Sunday.
“This was a complete coincidence, which occurred because of episodes dropped from the schedule for reasons of Covid-19 and restrictions in filming.
“There was absolutely no intention to align our story with that particular day, and we can understand how that might have seemed targeted and therefore specifically disrespectful.
“Fair City apologises for that unfortunate coincidence.”
It really broke my heart to see confession portrayed in such a very hurtful way
FR KEVIN MCNAMARA
KERRY YESTERDAY