Catholic MP with Ashes on Her Forehead Causes Stir in the [House of] Commons [UK]

The Catholic Herald (UK) ^ | 3/3/17 | Staff Reporter

[marshmallow]

Carol Monaghan said that most people did not know what the symbol meant

Catholic MP Carol Monaghan has said that having ashes on her forehead at a Commons select committee meeting turned into a teaching moment when a number of colleagues did not know what the symbol meant.

The MP for Glasgow North West told the BBC that she was not embarrassed to appear on television displaying the mark.

“When I came into committee, one of the members asked me about it. I said ‘it’s Ash Wednesday’ and they said ‘but this is going to be broadcast’.

“I think they just thought I didn’t want to be embarrassed – but I was not going to rub it off,” Monaghan said.

She added that most religions display their faith visibly through symbols and clothing and that Catholics shouldn’t feel embarrassed to do so too.

Before becoming an SNP MP in 2015, Monaghan was a physics teacher at a state school and said that because of that experience she was used to people asking questions about the meaning behind the mark.

[BenLurkin]

I said ‘it’s Ash Wednesday’ and they said ‘but this is going to be broadcast’.

[Gay State Conservative]

I'm not a fan of the SNP but I've gotta admit that this is a brave woman.

[Celtic Conservative]

Damned sassenach pagans.

CC

[utahagen]

Agree that this woman is brave, but Glasgow sounds like a weird place if it takes guts there not to rub the ashes off your forehead on Ash Wednesday! I live in New York, and lived in Los Angeles for years, and never have considered rubbing my ashes off. In both cities, saw many others with ashes on their foreheads and got a hard time from ZERO people.

[wideminded]

I once saw a politician being interviewed on TV on Ash Wednesday who had the mark on his forehead. And it struck me that maybe he is just trying to show off how religious he is. The motivations of politicians are always suspect.

BTW Catholics are not the only Christians who observe Ash Wednesday.

[tiki]

She got a nice, neat cross.

[pbear8]

Scotland is very anti-Catholic, she was brave.

[stevio]

She does. Mine usually looks like a smudge.

Unfortunately we went at night this year. We usually go in the morning and wear it throughout the day. I work with some hostile atheists this year and wanted to wear my faith. All things for their purpose I suppose.

[utahagen]

Yes, I had heard that Scotland is anti-Catholic. Do many of the (anti-Catholic Scots) go to Protestant churches every Sunday? Most Christian Europeans are so blasé about religion, it seems odd there's any left who can muster up the energy to be anti-ANY other kind of Christian!

[pbear8]

Like most people in Europe they are now mostly pagan. I had a Scottish friend who told me in the 80’s that until recently Catholics and Protestants had separate buses.

[married21]

I used to work with a Catholic from Scotland. They exist, but I don’t know how plentiful they are, ever since Mary Queen of Scots bit the dust.

Speaking of which, on my husband’s side of the family, the anti-Catholic feelings ran so strong that, the family legend has it, his ancestor was hung for protesting against Mary Queen of Scots. He stood on a bridge and spat on her as she was passing underneath. The guy is probably rolling in his grave, considering he now has descendants who are Catholic.

Personally, I’m looking forward to the Kingdom of Heaven— no Greek, no Jew, slave or free, woman or man— just members of His Body.

[Mr Radical]

Probably the BBC were worried that it would offend some muslims.
Glasgow has a large Pakistani community btw.