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.
The used to be Calvinist, and it seems that they start to introduce Sharia law.
You're right about the supporters, but as for the Church...
(From the article.)
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.
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Now if Mr Kearny thinks that sliding to your knees and making such a gesture in front of the protestant fans is an act of reverence, he's as out of touch with reality as the supporters who use it as an excuse to beat the crap out of each other.
Or he may feel that he's in an untenable position - how can a church spokesman NOT support signing oneself?
I could have thought of some weasel words to get out of it . . . but then again maybe he's a closet Celtic supporter.
Mine too. And I ended up Catholic because of my Irish mother. Only in America.
Celtic play in green and white.And Celtic and Rangers are bitter rivals.
THATS why he was jokingly told to change his top,nout to do with Irish Catholics.
Kryptonite,Celtic goalie Boruc was charged NOT with any sign of the cross,he in fact made an masturbatory gesture at the Rangers fans.
The whole 'crossing himself' saga has been proven to be lazy journalism that rent a quotes latched onto without checking the facts.
I would be delighted if you and your family came to Scotland.It is a lovely friendly place,where you will be treated merely as a 'Yank' with friendliness and kindness....
Whilst Rangers and Celtic fans hate each other,you are well off at staing they are hooligans.
Today,they played each other.
60000 fans.And TEN arrests....TEN.
Three for abusive singing and taunting and seven for minor drunkenness.
Rangers and Celtic games have LESS arrests than an average LOWER-LEAGUE English match.
Given that Scotland can take tens of thousands of national fans to World Cups and European championships,and that Celtic fans won a fan fair play award in 2003,please DO NOT try to suggest that we Scots are afflicted with the 'English disease'.....
Personal beliefs and signs of religious belief are not under attack nor are they objected to when properly used.
Boruc used his ‘sign of religious faith’ as an inflammitory gesture because he turned intentionally to face the fans of a predominantly protestant club and made the gesture directly towards them whilst laughing and did it in a wholly disrespectful way to his own religion and to the religion of others knowing he could possibly incite trouble.
Had he done it in Saudi Arabia he would probably still be in prison.
The freedom to practice religious beliefs should not be encompassed in sports,a church/mosque is the correct place for it,and especially when the person uses it simply as a means to antagonize and offend the opposition support.
He had previously exposed a t-shirt with a picture of the pope on it after a game at Rangers simply to provoke trouble as he knew it would.He has never done it at any other game or ground.
Reducing the pope and his own belief in the catholic religion to a cheap stunt and weapons of insult to those of a different religion make him an intolerant antagonist bigot.
If a person intentionally sets out to offend those of a different religion then they are in the wrong for not showing respect to others beliefs.
For the record Rangers have many Catholics playing for them(more than Celtic at one time) who bless themselves but do it in a respectful and purely personal way which has never caused a problem or any offence.
Celtic F.C. is a club that sings songs supporting Irish terrorists who have blown to pieces pregnant British women,children,shot and killed two nuns and countless British soldiers.
These same supporters fly Palestinian flags and mocked the 9/11 attacks by making aeroplane signs at the American Rangers player at the time,Claudio Reyna.They also wore Argentina football tops and chanted “Malvinas” while Britain was at war with Argentina and while Scottish soldiers were dying in the war.
They were also closed down for a period during the Second World War as punishment for vocal and visual support(hitler salutes)for Germany and for Hitler(google it).
They refuse to fly our national flag preferring the Irish tricolour instead yet pretend they are a British team.
They are a true traitor in our midst!
For the other moronic poster, Scotland is around 60% protestant,perhaps you were thinking about Celtics true home,Eire.
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