The Irish Defence Forces should not have apologised for a homily delivered by its head chaplain, Msgr Eoin 
Thynne, in response to this year’s Christmas message from the Irish President, a prominent former army officer has said.
Dr Tom Clonan, who writes for the Irish Times and who lectures lectures in political communication in the School of Media, DIT, was responding after the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Conor O’Boyle apologised after Msgr Thynne remarked on the fact that President Higgins failed to mention Christ in his Christmas address.
Speaking to the Irish Catholic, Dr Clonan said that“the chief of staff should not have apologised”.
“The comments made by Msgr Thynne are within his own pervue and are his right as a priest. His observations were correct and accurate. I am disappointed to see him subjected to hostile scrutiny for views he is entitled to articulate.”
He added that a “form of censorship” was evident in the “spin” surrounding the monsignor’s homily.
The reaction to Msgr Thynne’s words, Dr Clonan went on, was a consequence “of the hierarchical culture inherited from the British army in the 1920s”, a culture, he pointed out, which is at odds with army practice in other democratic societies where fora exist for members of the military to contribute to issues of importance to society.
Such an “intellectual tradition is now emerging within the Irish Defence Forces,” Dr Clonan said, pointing by way of example to links established with NUI Maynooth and where “today, officers engage with studies on domestic and foreign policy and complete dissertations sometimes at odds with Government policy.
“Should they be punished for their views now in light of the Eoin Thynne issue?”
Dr Clonan, who previously served with Msgr Thynne during peacekeeping duties to Lebanon described the priest as “an exceptional and highly respected chaplain” who, during a testing overseas posting, “was someone all soldiers, regardless of faith, could turn to”.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny also made no mention of Christianity in his Christmas address.
Irish leaders have bucked the trend in the Western world in their decision to shy away from any mention of Christ in their Christmas addresses.
Around the world, global leaders made various references to Christ and the Bible in televised speeches watched by millions of people from all denominations.
In Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron in his Christmas message said that millions of people are living up to the teachings of Christ by helping other people.
US President Barack Obama said: “This is our chance to celebrate the birth of Christ and to live as he taught us to love our neighbours as ourselves, to feed the hungry and look after the sick, to be our brother’s keeper and our sister’s keeper. For all of us as Americans, regardless of our faith, those are values that can drive us to be better parents and better friends, better neighbours and better citizens.”
President Higgins’ office has refused to comment on the issue.