"MURDER IS MURDER.”

Hokitika Guardian, 4 February 1921, Page 3

"MURDER IS MURDER.”

BISHOP COHALAN SPEAKS* OUT. LONDON, Dec. 16. One of the strongest pronouncements vet uttered by a leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland against crimes of violence has been made by Dr Cohalan, Bishop of Cork. After strongly denouncing murder, he said that if any member of the Church refused to hear the Church’s teaching about murder there was only the extreme remedy of excommunication from the Church. In other passages, Dr Cohalan said: Murder was. murder, and arson was arson whether committed by agents of the Government or members ol the Volunteer organisation, and it was the duty of a Bishop to denounce murder and arson, from whatever source they came. In face of the destruction of the city,' it was the duty of everyone to condemn and try to put a stop to outrage, murder, kidnapping, and ambushes, with which, unfortunately, they had become too familiar. It was a safe exploit to murder a policeman from behind a screen when tjiere was no danger of reprisals. There was no J danger to the general community, but even leaving aside the moral aspect of the question for the moment," what had the country gained politically by the murder of. policemen. Some Republicans said that districts had been delivered from British sway when police-

men were murdered and barracks burned. That was a narrow view. W’ho would now maintain that a district had been delivered from British rule by the murder of R.1.C., and the burning of barracks? No. The killing of the R.I.C. was murder, and the burning of the barracks the destruction of Irish property. Reprisals began there alter the murder of Lord Mayor Mae Curtain, and now it looked like a devil’s competition between some members of the I RA. and agents of the Crown in feats of murder and arson. Recently ambushes had taken place with serious loss of life. The ainbushers came from nobody knew where, did their work, and then disappeared, nobody knew to what destination. There was not much risk to the ainbushers personally. But by this time boys or men taking part in them must know that by their criminal act they were exposing numbers of a whole countryside, perhaps a town or city, to the danger of terrific reprisals.. With time to disperse-to safety, they left the lives and property of numbers of innocent people unprotected, and in danger of the fury of reprisals at the bauds of servants of the Government. That was not very valiant. Above all, there was the moral aspect of these ambushes. Let there bo no doubt about it, these ambushes weie murders, and every life taken in an anihush was murder. There was danger of even becoming familiar with murders, simply considering a successful ambush as a nice exploit, and i o shooting of a policeman, as the shooting of game or a wild animal. H ■ feared sotne of their young men ha i got wrong advice from people who should know better. Notwithstanding repeated condemnation of murders, and repeated warning, terrible crimes had been committed within the last few weeks. As a result of the ambush on Saturday night at Dillon’s Cross, they had suffered as much damage at the hands of servants of the Government as Dublin stiffen'd during’ the ichellion of ]'.)](;. It was all very well to talk grandiloquently with the city nearly in i iiins. ami the ruins the icsiili ot outrage and murderous ambush. If any section or member of an organisation refused to hear the Church's teaching about murder, there was no remedy except the extreme remedy—excommunication from the Church.

The Bisfiop has followed this state- ] meat by promulgating the following decree: “Besides the guilt involved in these acts by reason ot their opposition i to the law of God, anyone who shall i within the Diocese of Cork organise or , take part in an ambush, or in kidnap- , ping, or otherwise, shall be guilty ot , murder or attempted murder, shall incur by the very fact tlu* censure of excommunication.” 1 “The Times” correspondent, leferring to the decree, says it is an event of the first importance, “it lias been welcomed by men of all views ill every part of Ireland, and is likely to have an immediate effect in Dr Cohalan's own diocese. A similar decree, issued j not by one bishop only, but by the whole hieraichy under the most solemn ) auspices of the Church, would be a : most valuable contribution, not only to the cause of morality and public order, but to the cause of political settlement. There is reason to believe that none would welcome it more sincerely than the rank and file of Sinn Fein, and a majority of those leaders with whom the Government is now trying to estah- | lisli political contact.” i The Cork Corporation rejected by an almost unanimous vote a resolution submitted by Sir John Scott, welcoming efforts made with a view to securing peace in Ireland and offering cooperation to the Archbishop of Tuam. The Council instead adopted a motion declaring that the Irish nation was de- . sirous of an honourable peace consist- , cut with its position of “a Sovereign , State.” They further declared their . determination to seek no truce or peace ■ save such an international agreement , as might lie, arranged between Dail Fircami and the English Govermhent. , .Mr J. J. Walsh, M R. for Cork City, at the same meeting Bishop Cohalan’s manifesto condemning the ambush of police and military, and ( threatening those guilty with excommunication. The present condition ol , Cork, he said, should have caused resentment to one in the Bishop’s position, hut, after the city had been decimated, bis lordship made no protest, and saw no better course than to add insult to injury. He protested against, “dictation or interference from- bishops | or anyone else.” The l.ord M.ayoi j agreed, but Mr Walsh’s’ suggestion that the Council should express rt-gret at “tlie untimely and unfair action” of

bis lordship was deferred tor more mature consideration, the Town Clerk having pointed out that the procedure was irregular.