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Posted on 08/25/2006 7:57:16 PM PDT by Rodney King
he Catholic church has blasted a decision by the Procurator Fiscal to issue Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc with a caution for blessing himself.
Polish star Boruc was rapped for making the sign of the cross at Ibrox in an Old Firm match last season.
The caution was issued after a six-month police investigation into the incident, which is said to have angered a section of the Rangers support.
Boruc is reported to have been completely baffled by the decision to issue him with the warning But the move has angered the church and prominent Scottish Catholics including outspoken composer James McMillan and Celtic author Dr Joe Bradley.
Last night Peter Kearney spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, slammed the move. He said: "It is quite worrying that firstly some spectators saw fit to complain, but even more so that police felt that the act merited investigation.
"Incitement to religious hatred normally involves demeaning the signs and symbols of a person's faith "So, it would be interesting to know how a gesture of reverence falls into any of these categories.
"This decision could lead us down a very intolerant road.
"What if a family in a restaurant say grace and make the sign of the cross, would they be deemed as having inflamed the sensibilities of non-Catholics?" Renowned composer and Celtic fan James MacMillan, who's spoken out in the past about sectarianism, said the fuss over Boruc's act was a 'disgrace'.
He added: "It is completely ridiculous but then cases like these always are.
"It's a disgrace that in this day and age, such a fuss is being made over an incident like this. "It is a mark of shame that people cannot express their faith in a certain manner."
Dr Joe Bradley, editor of two books about Celtic and lecturer at Stirling University, said Boruc should be free to bless himself anywhere he likes.
He said: "This seems to tie in with the police report on Boruc who had apparently upset a section of the Rangers support.
"Only when people like Artur Boruc can bless themselves wherever and whenever they want will Scotland's sectarian problem be on its way to being solved." A Crown Office spokesman said that following careful consideration it was decided to use an alternative to prosecution in Boruc's case.
Options open to the fiscal included a straight warning or a warning plus payment of a monetary penalty known as a fiscal's fine.
Celtic have refused to comment ever since the caution was issued to their Polish keeper last week.
But last night Eddie Toner former General Secretary of the Celtic Supporters' Association said the club had "hung Boruc out to dry". He said: "It is sad that Celtic as a club appear to have made no objection to or comment on the caution.
"They seem to have hung Artur Boruc out to dry. "Celtic have a responsibility to protect the community from which they derive support, especially when that community come under attack.
"Perhaps those who made the complaint to the police should have a look at themselves, as it seems that it is they who have the sectarian problem.
"This gesture is one which is made by sportsmen and women all over the world, but bizarrely it only seems to cause offence here in Scotland." Boruc is not the first footballer in Scotland to have caused controversy by making the sign of the cross.
In 1999 Rangers fans complained after Celtic's former Croatian striker Mark Viduka blessed himself during an Old firm game.
Rod McDonald of Partick Thistle received a caution for blessing himself in a match against Rangers in 1996.
The yellow-card led to him being sent off for two bookable offences.
coming soon to a republic near you
So what do they have against Christianity?
Ah ha....may I suggest that all the fans begin doing a sign of the cross whenever a particularly important move on the field is about to take place. Will they arrest all the fans?
From Luther's Small Catechism:
"Daily Prayers
How the head of the family should teach his household to pray morning and evening
Morning Prayer.
1] In the morning, when you rise, you shall bless yourself with the holy cross and say:
In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen."
This incident = Rangers complaining.
1999 incident = Rangers complaining.
1996 incident = Rangers complaining.
So, are the Rangers simply non-Catholic trouble makers; or are they totally non-Christian?
I was about to suggest the same thing! Let all believers make the sign of the cross ----again and again!
I know during the World Cup games I saw a few players making the sign of the cross, and also during NBA games, and the Olympics..
That said, I always make the sign of the cross, and say grace before meals whether I'm at home or out to eat. It drives my one boss crazy, but she has finally stopped throwing tantrums when I do it.
It's not about hatred, it's about power.
The opposing team finds it has the power to harass the other team and create disruption therefore it will use this power.
ok correct me if im wrong but isnt scotland like 95 percent catholic? why the hell would the catholic signing of the cross cause offence in a predominite catholic country? i really am confused here
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
Wow, I wish I had something more meaningful to say, but all I can come up with is that is pretty friken stupid.
They have been ISLAMICIZED.
..."Incitement to religious hatred normally involves demeaning the signs and symbols of a person's faith ...
Seems to me that the folks registering this complaint are the perpetrators of this crime!
That secularism is ITSELF a kind of faith.
And a devouedly intolerant one.
However, if in the middle of the game, some player named Abdul had tossed down a prayer rug and faced mecca...that would be OK.
One place I will never take my family. Sheesh.
Scotland isn't very Catholic at all. Presbyterian, Anglican, Methodist. I think England is more Catholic nowadays, but I may well be wrong.
ping
It's a good thing the Irish succeeded with their war for independence. For centuries the British had laws in Ireland - one for Irish Catholics and another for everyone else.
These forbid Irish Catholics from voting and holding office. They even had a law that forbid an Irish father from willing his farm to one son. This required that farms had to be broken up. No such law applied to others.
Moving up economically was simple in English-controlled Ireland - simply renounce your faith and Join the Church of Ireland (Anglican).
Perhaps it's more about getting the opposing teams players off the field so they can win. If that's the case, it's pretty pathetic to have to resort to those kind of tactics to win.
I just want to meet that kid when he's grown up. Sheesh. Beyond that, I'm speechless.
Rangers are the Protestant team and Celtic are the Catholic team in Glasgow. There is plenty of strife between their supporters. I wouldn't think either side has a monopoly on making trouble. A bunch of hooligans like pretty much all footie fans. Give me cricket or rugby any day.
-ccm
If he had sawed off the opposing goalie's head while screaming "Alahu Akbar!," he'd have gotten a Nike contract.
How does he have a criminal record? Is that what a 'caution' is?
Your wrong.
Oh, its just europe continuing down the road to oblivion.Its only ok if your a muzzie.Nobody will say anything then. pathetic.
Very different to England, where no-one cares about the Protestant/Catholic thing any more.
Although it was the English in the 18th century who brought most of the Irish Catholics to Scotland and shipped Scot Protestants to Northern Ireland in order to pacify both the Irish and the Scots.
Many of the Scots Irish couldn't stand life in Northern Ireland and emigrated to America.
You wouldn't want to be sitting in the wrong stands in Celtic-Rangers matches in Glasgow.
Hi JJ, how the hell are you?
You're dead right on that one!
Sometimes it appears that Scottish soccer is alot more about hating Catholics than it is about soccer.
It is not about being intolerant, anti-christian etc... it's about 2 rival soccer teams, one Protestant, one Catholic.
The incident in question had nothing to do with religeon, the player was winding up the opposing supporters and he was undoubtedly aware of the reaction it would provoke. It's the equivalent of giving the other team the finger.. and it happens regularly with both teams.
Most soccer matches in the UK are far from being family friendly. In Glasgow (Rangers/Celtic) and perhaps to a lesser extent in Edinburgh (Hearts/Hibs), you have 2 main teams divided on sectarian lines, combined with heavy drinking, support for Irish terrorist organisations, sectarian chants and you would have a lot of crowd trouble on your hands. The authorities are trying to stamp this out, hence the reaction by the police.
The fact that a complaint was made is not one sided, Celtic supporters complain equally about similar gestures, see JJ's picture above for example.
It's a 2 way street, they hate each other equally.
And i have to disagree with Da_shrimp about the anti-catholic bias, I'm a Glaswegian and i see both Protestants and Catholic groups put out the same arguements time and time again and both sides are full of it.
Think Shiite and Sunnis... nothing to do with religeon, everything to do with having the upper hand.
oh please, "islamicized", "anti-christian"....it'd be nice if people just didnt bother to comment on stories when they clearly know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WHATSOEVER about what said stories are referring to. the guy crossed himself in front of the rangers fans at an old firm match. at a time when reducing sectarian tensions is a very hot topic in the west of scotland. anyone who has lived in the west of scotland for more than five minutes could clearly see this was anything but a pious, innocent religious reverence. the references to islam are especially absurd considering the majority of scottish muslims would almost certainly take the side of the player anyway.
but hey, who am i to stand in the way of the denizens of this site's mission to twist every news article ever into evidence of the vast muslim conspiracy. heartwarming story about firefighters rescuing a cat stuck up a tree in backwoodstown, iowa? "imagine if this was in a muslim country, they'd be too busy blowing stuff up and beating women and drinking the blood of virgins and riding around on broomsticks to bother saving the cat...quite disgusting"
Actually, rather than having a go at the Freepers, the vast majority of whom, luckily, know very little about Scottish soccer nor life in the West of Scotland, you'd be better served to have a go at the journo who wrote the article.
The article itself is a one sided and inflammatory, (no explaination of why the gesture was regarded as offensive at an Old Firm match, no comment by anyone who isn't Catholic nor a Celtic supporter, no reference to complaints brough by Celtic supporters about Rangers players/fans doing similar).
The article was most likely designed to press the right buttons on those who don't know anything about sectarianism in the west of Scotland, which it did.
Bizarre anti-Catholicism PING
As long as I can go to church on Sunday. Pray at home then I am fine. This story is probably half being told. It is funny that we only pick certain stories to believe. Plus it is in Scotland. A different country than ours. They were not founded on christian beliefs. We were. It is time to only worry about our own country. Let Europe do what it wants. I think they are doing fine on there own.
A few years ago it was not uncommon to see signs that said things like "Bobby Sands MP" in Celtic's stadium. The anti-Catholic sentiments are just as strong on Rangers' side. You're absolutely right: this has nothing to do with secular anti-Christian attitudes. It's actually all about sectarian bigotry.
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