Politicians
and the media have been accused of subjecting the Church to “attack and
ridicule” by the Bishop of Meath, Michael Smith. 
Speaking in Knock he said: “Over recent times our Church has been the object of
sustained attack and ridicule, It is interesting that it is only the Catholic
Church that seems to be the object of this attack. Sadly politicians have
jumped on the bandwagon. If they are looking for cheap publicity or
sometimes trying to divert attention from a difficult problem they know that a
compliant media is only too happy to join in the fun.”
He
added: “Balance, fairness, engagement with the real issues involved are so
often absent. Truth sadly is also too often absent in such public
discussion.”
Bishop
Smith said that the
recent attacks on the
Church are a means for God to test our faith like he did with his apostles who abandoned him during his Passion.
He stated that the struggle for our Catholic
Faith is the most important struggle in our life as Pope Benedict said during his visit in
Britain in 2010.
Echoing Pope Benedict, he told
the congregation in Knock: “If we abandon those values that our Christian heritage
has bequeathed to Europe, where do we find the ethical foundation on which
moral judgements are to be made? Where do we find a foundation for truth, for
justice, for respect for life, for fairness, for honesty…If we throw aside
the values expressed in the ten Commandments and the Beatitudes with what do we
replace them?…Faith is never lived in a vacuum. It must give witness before
all. Putting into practice the words of today’s Gospel, we must be constantly
ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks”.