AUSTRALIA
The Irish Times
Padraig Collins
Mon, Sep 8, 2014
Speaking in Sydney yesterday, former president Mary McAleese argued for a greatly increased role for women in the Catholic Church, saying: “The old boys’ club are going to have to go.”
About 1,000 people came to Sydney Town Hall to see Mrs McAleese interviewed by ABC radio presenter Andrew West.
In a reference to an Australian Catholic newspaper refusing to run an advertisement for the event because of Mrs McAleese’s views on homosexuality and the ordination of women, Mr West said: “We have to thank the Catholic Weekly for a full house today.”
Mrs McAleese said after the advert ban was reported by The Irish Times and other media “I had emails from friends in America and Japan saying ‘what’s going on in Sydney’?”
She said trying to be heard by the Catholic Church hierarchy was comparable to shouting at children: “If I’m yelling it’s because you didn’t listen to me when I said it nicely . . . I look at the curia and I don’t know too many of them who have gone through equal opportunity training.”
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