The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) has stood down a Galway fund committee that last year allocated €45,000 to a resource centre for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Galway.
The move follows a disagreement over governance arrangements between the SVP at national and local level.
Catholic Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan last year objected to the allocation, saying that homosexual activity was “morally wrong behaviour” and funding could not be put at the service of what was believed to be morally incorrect.
Last year, an SVP spokesman said the organisation had no formal association with the Catholic church or bishops but that “relationships at a local level were very strong”.
Good times.
SVP stands down committee after LGBT centre allocation (Irish Times)
Wow, and their new TV ad campaign almost got me. Damage limitation spin in 3, 2, 1…
Ah, the theocracy still has some teeth left in it.
If we say it’s morally wrong, everyone else has to stop doing…
actually the point is missed. SVP are supposed to help the poor.
A resource centre for LGBT is not that .
Poor folk regardless of sexual preference need help , i’d argue the LGBT community have plenty of money and a powerrful lobby group without having to resort to charity handouts.
Certainly my SVP donation was made with the intention of feeding/clothing/ paying bills for the poor not on social crusade of a LGBT centre.
my donation this xmas will go elsewhere.
Very well said, totally agree.
Given the high rate of homelessness amongst LGBT teens, it may not have been outside the remit of SVP to give an allocation.
and addiction, and exclusion, and mental health problems, and risk of suicide.
bishop drennan needs a kick up the @rse!
Agreed, but 45K is a lot of allocation. I guess you would really have to know the size of their funds.
“Given the high rate of homelessness amongst LGBT teens”, any facts to back this up?
homeless presentation assessments don’t ask sexual identity, religion etc.
While I agree to an extent, your donations were completely separate as this all came from the legacy of the late Maureen O’Connell, who left her pub on Eyre Square in Galway city to the SVP for spending on local projects. It was specifically for local projects.
I know this as I read the article in question. It generally helps to solve ignorance. You should try it sometime though I reckon you are off the same persuasion as the bishop, whom I seriously doubt would have described it as “morally wrong behaviour” if it had gone towards something not related to homosexuality.
yikes I did read the article. It solved my ignorance alright , cos I’d not heard of this till I read said article ..
The fund left to SVP was left to the SVP for local project under the remit of the SVP . A resource centre for LGBT is not that.
I also read Amachs website where the aims make no references to housing homeless LGBT teens – so maybe it’s you who is wrong in your rush to condemn anybody who doesn’t give “hi-5s” to everything done in the name of LGBT.
I like the LGBT as much as the next man so please lay off the assumptions that I’m of teh same thoughts process as the Bishop but they aren’t a sacred cow for whom no criticism can be leveled at … stop being so over sensitive.
From the SVP website:
“Our goal is to fight poverty in all its forms through the practical assistance to people in need.
We offer direct, personal assistance that is non-judgemental and based on the need of the individual or family.
In addition we provide a wide range of services for vulnerable people through our local offices, shops, resource centres, housing, daycare and holiday schemes amongst other things”
They all vulnerable people, not just poor people. Please explain to me why it housing homeless LGBT teens for it to pass your remit of what should help vulnerable people?
‘The fund left to SVP was left to the SVP for local project under the remit of the SVP . A resource centre for LGBT is not that.’
Clearly you are incorrect since such a project existed under the auspices of the SVP, and I put it to you that the SVP are more aware of what is or is not within their remit, both the letter and the spirit, than you are.
The Bishop would certainly strongly disagree with their interpretation, it appears Nigel.
I wouldn’t let a Catholic bishop be the magnet in my moral compass, Sido.
Neither would I Nigel. But that’s not the point is it?
“I put it to you that the SVP are more aware of what is or is not within their remit, both the letter and the spirit, than you are.”
Maybe this would explain why The St Vincent de Paul Society has stood down a Galway fund committee.
The fact that it existed in the first place without being particularly controversial – other than in the ‘how come gayz iz so speshul’ whinging, which I remember and which is here in this very thread – and that it took an intervention by a bishop to end it, and then for reasons of purest bigotry, suggest that HSCD up there is full of poo.
This is absolute gibberish from Sido the usual reactionary droning guff
There is no absolute mandate for SVP to only serve one sexual orientation in their communities and last time I looked they were helping anyone who needed it eg starving middle class families who are defaulting on their mortgages etc
Agreed.
Something’s will never change….
Granda’s will often did, fickle as he was.
Sour grapes.
Is it morally wrong to label people as “intrinsically disordered”, to mock them as teens, to alienate them from society to the point where the thought of ending their lives becomes an option?
As a society, we grew up this year, accepted ourselves, family & friends for who they are and who they love.
Hopefully, the need for support services will diminish over time.
But for young vulnerable young people who will still need help, i hope the donations will still keep coming.
They do tough, just from different sources which is great. SVP should provisioned for helping poor people straight and gay.
Whatever about the bigoted nature of the Bishop and church, why are SVP giving money to the LGBT community? I would hope any SVP donation I make would help the poor.
Bishops being morally wrong yet again? Surprise surprise….
“The fund committee had administered a 2007 legacy of the late Maureen O’Connell, who left her pub on Eyre Square in Galway city to the SVP for spending on local projects.
A spokesman for the SVP told The Irish Times that a Maureen O’Connell Fund grant to Amach! had been approved by its national management council in May last year”
A legacy left specifically to help local projects in Galway, so completely separate from their usual donations.
This donation was from the Maureen O’Connell Fund. You may recall Maureen O’Connell left her pub in Eyre Square, Galway to the local SVP. One of the purposes of this fund is to help community groups in Galway City and County. The Amach LGBT group is a community group in Galway and so fulfils the criteria for assistance by this fund. It is worth noting that this grant did not come from the general day to day SVP funds which are used to tackle poverty. And despite it Catholic origins SVP operate a Christian non-judgemental policy when requests for assistance are made. It’s a pity the Bishop wasn’t so Christian and non-judgemental.
…the local SVP where I am do great work and I like to support them whenever and however I can…never thought I would say this as an atheist because a sanctimonious pall seemed to hang heavily over them. They have seemed to make efforts to remove the perception that they were merely a church organisation that dispensed alms to needy catholics and the Galway gesture was evidence of this.
It doesn’t mention if the committee has been wound down because the fund was exhausted which seems most likely to me actually. If it hasn’t been spent by now, it should have been.
Don’t write this Amach place off as some bauble for privileged gay kids to brunch in.
A lot of my peers used services like BelongTo and Outhouse when I was a teenager – they’d been thrown out of home, or just constantly verbally abused by their families, had depression, some suicidal, dropped out of school due to bullying etc – all massive risk factors for homelessness and poverty. We’re finally moving away from that pattern for gay kids but while there’s a problem, it’s a legitimate thing to have safe spaces of intervention for damaged LGBT young people.
Sort the poor and needy out first SVP as per your mandate. Then when poverty is eradicated you could maybe do something for the sick? Then and only then should you even consider giving money to the likes of gay and lesbian groups. Who will then use the money to promote the fact that they’re gay and lesbian and proud of it, by rubbing it in everyones face, which of course will help dispel prejudice. Sure.
I’m sensing it’s a while since anyone was willing to rub something in your face, Eoin, babes.
Eoin’s only dying for a big old bear to rub himself in his face
Other than poo?
“by rubbing it in everyones face”
Sure, yeah. It’s all about you. Everything is about you.
they eat the poo-poo don’t they?
Sort the poor and needy out first SVP as per your mandate….. which says, working for “social justice” for all, and not to discriminate groups.
I’m sure that’s what you meant.
What about the poor sick queers? Do they tick all your boxes?
does panti have anything to say about this….
Well, that’s one less donation this Christams
From you? How comes?
If I can, I like to avoid donations going to the judgmental and discriminating, that’s all.
Irish Times link above no werky !