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WHEN GOD SAYS NO!

Some years ago I needed a massive FAVOUR – a massive YES from God.

In the event, God said a thundering NO to me.

This led to great pain and humiliation for me.

People gloated at my predicament.

Should I stop walking with God, was a real question for me.

But I simply had to give the same answer that Peter gave to Jesus when Jesus asked him if he was also going to leave him:

“Lord, to whom shall I go? thou hast the words of eternal life. “And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:68–69).

TOO MANY CHRISTIANS/ CATHOLICS THINK THAT PRAYER AND PRAYING IS ABOUT US ASKING GOD FOR THINGS WE WANT.

They also think, for some reason, that God is always supposed to say “YES”!

But, prayer, is, at its very root, not about asking God for favours.

Prayer is about being in the presence of God, communing with God and offering Him the worship and praise that is His due.

But, of course, there is, in Christian tradition, the phenomenon of Intercessory Prayer.

And this is rooted in Scripture

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”. Matthew 7:7.

We Christians believe that God has given us humans free will.

But we forget, that God is free too – in fact infinitely free.

His arm cannot be twisted – at least if He is not willing to let it be twisted.

Even Jesus, the Son of God – knew that there were limits on what He could demand if His Father.

He did not want to be crucified.

In fact He prayed:

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me“. Luke 22:42

But then He finished that prayer with:

“Yet. I want your will to be done, not mine”. Luke 22:42

As Job in the Old Testament said

JOB

Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble”? Job 2:10

IN CONCLUSION

We can ask God for what we want or think we need.

God is free to say YES or NO.

And if He says NO we must be able to say

75 replies on “WHEN GOD SAYS NO!”

Fr Aidan McCann in court today to face charges relating to voyeurism in shopping centre.

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He’s toast. Maybe prison for him. Certainly should not be allowed to continue in ministry. Although, I suspect they will send him to MIA status and support him for ever. Because he’s a priest. Ah, bless…. !

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Reply to; Fr Aidan McCann – Court Verdict todaysays:
Oct 21, 2022 at 12:09 amSexual violence
McCann is not alone, far from it.
The former Roman Catholic bishop Santier of Créteil France sanctioned by the Vatican for voyeurism
Sexual violence file
Roman Catholic Bishop of Créteil since 2007, Mgr Santier resigned in 2021. He had admitted having indulged in voyeurism on two young male adults in the 90s.
Michel Santier, in 2015. (François Guillot/AFP)
by LIBERATION and AFP
published on October 15, 2022 at 10:43 am
One has to wonder how many Roman Catholic priest are enable to be voyeuristic in Confessions. Own up all those who have been thrilled to hear some confessions, no wonder the priest asks to be prayed for as you leave…………(lols)
This is an interesting article.
Cole Porter — ‘I get no kick from champagne. Mere alcohol doesn’t thrill me at all. So, tell me why should it be true, that I get a kick out of you?’
Voyeuristic priests used Confession ‘in an erotic way, drawing …https://www.irishtimes.com › culture › tv-radio-web › voy…

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Pat I do enjoy queenies comments clearly very intellectual can I not meet her in person or will your blog and you not allow it ? Can’t understand why I am denied that prove large through this blog

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Last known publicly available residence listed in court reports on Fr Aidan McCann.

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+Pat, you say that prayer is NOT about requesting favours from God.
Get real!
Yes indeed some, a relatively few, pray solely thanking or praising their version of God. And even that subliminally seeks to build up Brownie point credits.
But for the most part, the vast majority of prayers are indeed imploring favours from God, either for beneficial future outcomes for the living, or benefits, eg. for the deceased. ( Indeed an absolutely preposterous notion!)
To be repetitious, as per your blog on Madame Calment, “Way to Live” 15th Oct.
” The essential assertion of prayer is that it influences some all powerful Being to favour the supplicant’s request.
This is surely ridiculous, especially in relation to prayers for the deceased whose destiny according to orthodox religious belief, is already determined, or the two opposing warring nations whose religious leaders each “pray” for victory for their own side .
Prayer is an oleaginous salve.
Mind you, as QuennieP rightly pointed out, some people do need to have something, …..anything!…..to cling on to: sticking plaster, …..clutching at straws…..?

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Kieran not everyone who has an opinion is clutching at straws ,certainly not on a blog with an average of a 1000 members a day. Some of us actually achieve things. Far greater than this blog

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Do you , @ 2.11, mean that your prayers achieve things?
Which prayers: whose prayers: and when?
And what about the other “non answered” prayers? Why not?
How do you distinguish between those answered and those not?
And your evidence is….????
Show me.

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Cotrection – 6000 to 10,000 per day.
If you take the daily average figure you see that the Blog is read by over 2 million yearly.

The WORDPRESS stats for my readers are as follows

2019. 1.7 million
2020. 2.1 million
2021. 2.6 million

2022 – 1.1.2022 to today 2.4 million

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By Post Author

“offering Him the worship and praise that is His due” !! Would you wise up. How on earth is this sensible? What sort of a tosser would create people and then demand praise and worship from them?

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Bp Pat 6.34, it sounds like you spent too much time around the Romans, materialistic jansenist-jesuitists. Of course the real God wants to pour good gifts on us all especially providence for us and our countries that’s why we should ask away. I believe in shopping list prayer without price Is. ch 55, in “so great” not “so small” salvation.

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1.01 when I read about the suffering young, I feel so inarticulate I just string lots of Glory Be’s one after another (I can’t count them), the real God knows who it is meant for and how. That’s the complete opposite of quietism as far as I’m concerned.

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1.01. Perhaps instead of an ineffective stance on the sidelines(a bit like waving to the drowning man! ) why don’t you channel some energy constructively into doing something positive ?
The prayer thingy might make you feel better (sanctimoniously?), but is it really achieving anything? Evidence? Please.

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Just one of these sleepless nights and I contemplate the Rosary. I’ve never presumed on God. I was taught that the best attitude or prayer each morning on wakening is one of gratitude to God. St. Ignatius said gratitude opens us up to God for the gift of each moment. It’s true. Gratitude then leads to trusting in God for the day ahead, believing he knows what we need even before we ask or pray for it. “Ask and you shall receive…” A lovely invitation that draws us into the mystery of God’s generosity and love. St. Padre Pio said, “Prayer is the key that opens the door to God’s heart”….A lovely thought. Prayer is our presence with God, his presence to us. In this presence we grow in relationship, often in difficult silences. What is essential about prayer is that, like in Jesus’s life so often, we step aside to commune with God. When i was younger i often argued with God because of his absence. I grew to learn the art of sitting mindfully or meditatively, allowing phrases of scripture repeat word after word. Then genuine prayer composes in your heart and flows like a river. Despite not always receiving what I pray for, I do receive far more that I’m aware of or give gratitude for. For each person who prays, there’s a different way. Even in disappointment I never lose hope in the God of Jesus: “Do not let your hearts be troubled”. “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want”. Saint Therese said – “All will be well…:”. In the end, ultimately only God can satisfy the human heart. ” You O Lord have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you”. (St. Augustine).

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In the light of the IICSA Report, the BBC website has a harrowing video featuring the daughter of Lord Devlin, who abused her when she was a child.

Lord Devlin was famous in the debate following the Wolfenden Report that argued for the decriminalisation of homosexual acts between adults in private. This Report, and the controversy surrounding it, used to be considered in detail in the ethics course taught in Maynooth in the philosophy degree there.

The issue of legalizing homosexuality and was investigated by the Wolfenden Committee headed by Sir John Wolfenden. The Report claimed that it is not the duty of the law to concern itself with immorality. Prof Hart, and Patrick (later Lord) Devlin contributed to the debate.It was argued that homosexuality should be decriminalized on the basis of:

1) Freedom of choice

2) Privacy of morality

Devlin’s position was that law without morality, “… destroys freedom of conscience and is the paved road to tyranny”. Devlin appealed to the idea of society’s “moral fabric.” He argued that the criminal law must respect and reinforce the moral norms of society in order to keep social order from unravelling.” Societies disintegrate from within more frequently than they are broken up by external pressures. He said that there is disintegration when no common morality is observed and history shows that the loosening of moral bonds is often the first stage of disintegration, so that society is justified in taking the same steps to preserve its moral code as it does to preserve its government… the suppression of vice is as much the law’s business as the suppression of subversive activities.”Devlin, “The Enforcement of Morals” (1959).

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Moral fabric at 7.46am
Shocking re a well known political figure up.
IICSA report illustrated the need to get tough with these bishops.
If you named a priest rather than not naming a priest that would set rcc in back foot big time.
One such blog that tells a story about a priest in Scotland that is not named. That’s not good enough but I have to think about legal side of things cos possible defamation without proof.
Had a friend of mine who lived in Cavan back then but now he’s in the States. He was telling me about a neighbour whose name was Gilhooley. I never heard his name but he was or still a priest in Scotland?.
He spoke about bishops and abuses etc which was why he left Scotland and resided in Cavan for some time. Then friend of mine went to the States as gilhooley left for Switzerland later, I think. He wrote a book something like pajamas. Bishops tried to stop that book I guess.

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His personal moral depravity doesn’t invalidate his public position, at least in a general sense. Laws protecting children, teens and the vulnerable (ie the neuro-diverse not welfare professionals or lifers), living creatures like animals, public sexual activity (which Fr Aidan McCann appears to have forgotten about) are some very necessary interventions in personal morality. The other absolute position that the law cannot concern itself with private morality is thereby impossible, except in conditions of great brutishness, which society does not accept, and should not. Like often a moderate position between poles seems the best.

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There is no reason to mention the irrelevance of his part in the decriminalization of homosexuality except your own hate, ignorance and, presumably, wish to start a row on the blog.
Scum.

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@4.54pm
It’s clear from your intemperate response that a raw nerve has been hit with you, but it is unclear as to who your are directing your abusive comment.

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Just checked, an in spite of the ground shaking criticism delivered yesterday by IICSA of the RC Church in respect of safeguarding and the criminal abusive activities of so many of their priests, Archdiocese of Westminster and Archdiocese of Birmingham have nothing on their website in response. What an insult ! They can’t even be bothered to respond in some timely fashion. Another two fingers to the victims. Nichols and Longley should be ashamed of themselves. They will be hoping that everything that is going on politically will give them cover so they can scurry away and bury their heads in the sand. Truly shocking.

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@ 8.03
We will be advised by Our Senior Counsel and Legal teams not by someone with an agenda totally against us.
The victims are paramount to us and always will beand that is first and foremost.
I notice you do not comment on the Church of England / Anglicans having a worse record than the RCC but that does not suit your agenda.
One victin in Our Church that being the Roman Catholic Church is one to many.
Safeguarding is Paramount and it is not cheap however we will not shy away from Our responsibilities anywhere in Our World Wide Chuch.

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@ 10:36am

You know who is on again about ‘Our’ legal teams as if it belongs to her personally. ‘Our’ world wide church. What a twat she needs to get over herself, you can tell her a mile off.🙄

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@10:36.
By saying “we” in response to @8:03 one might reasonably assume you comment as, or on behalf of the RCC.
That you comment/reply and indulge anonymously in typical deflectionary legal consultation “whataboutery” speaks volumes about the small minded self protective stance of the RCC and its devotees……even if you’re not an RCC representative and only an unthinking indoctrinated cathbot.
Thank you for enlightening me.

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Not sure who your referring too bu they are a twat with zero understand of how anything legal works

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Sometimes my prayers don’t get answered due to my unforgiveness.

From reading ‘miracle ship’ by John gillespie, he explains why reasons why prayers weren’t answered or dont get answered.

These things that rcc priests don’t talk about such involvement in new ages or doing occult practices, curses, family tree problems et al.

It was interesting cos I didn’t know these things due to lack of proper Catholic education in cabra and also my experience with Catholic Church itself via deaf schools ran by nuns and cbs plus few priests.

Once I tried these as suggested by his book, my problems got less over time. I have to be careful to what I say. Cos it could be negative or a curse etc.

Curses is one of biggest problems in Ireland I might think. Cos I got cursed by someone on this blog last year as I felt it spiritually.

That was where I said about JPII and his denial cos he wanted Marciel money worth of 25m or more I think.

Next day my arm got fractured cos I was cursed by someone – I felt it the day before re curse.

Argument of Gillespie book was rcc taught us the wrong way re prayers , priests refused to preach about the dangers of new age et al, where he got barred from preaching from churches to hotels conference rooms etc.

His little book of prayers was powerful in some areas. I tried it as it worked re blood leak stopped.

He was very decent and unassuming something which I didn’t expect. He had very sensitive spiritual antenna which I caught him looking at me at one stage.

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DG, Dan Allender in his book “Bold Love” explains that kinds of forgiveness towards i ) the evil, ii ) fools (the lustful and codependent) and iii ) simpletons (in a non derogatory, biblical sense) (fairly normal people) should all look very different and be done by us in very different ways.

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Maynooth is asking Kildare County Council for the Graf to be rezoned for housing. That will make profits in the millions.

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4.31 congratulations on providing yet another daily reminder of what the Roman Catholic Church “thinks” of females and for your blatant demonstration of how “children” can be “weaponised” in RCC self interests Fr/Volunteer. BTW it’s the year 2022 NOT 1822. 🤮

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4.31 Actually my kids do more with me than they do with their father as he suffers from a back injury. Get a life.

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&11.42 Is that all they do in Killaloe Diocese, property deals? Bishop Monahan was overriding the old lady that left him land on the planning the other week & now the even the nuns in Ennis wheeling and dealing! God got thrown out church windows around Ennis yonks ago it seems.

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Don’t remember the precise wording (and I haven’t the time to look it up), but doesn’t Jesus say something like this: which of you, if he goes to his earthly father and asks for bread will be given a stone? Or for a fish, and will be given a scorpion? If your earthly father knows how to give you good things, how much more your father who is in heaven?
God NEVER says ‘no’. If we ask him, with faith in his goodness and love, he always answers our prayers, but on his terms.
No one who approaches God in this way will ever leave with empty hands. But if they insist on ‘my way or no way’ , then they may end up seeing God as miserly and uncaring, and then lose their faith in him.
God ALWAYS says ‘yes’. Never, ever, doubt this, and you will see his hand at work. But if you doubt, you won’t. If you grow demanding and angry, you won’t either.
God will never ignore sincere prayer.

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@12:35. I’m told that ‘homo sapiens ‘ refers to intelligent humans.
Do you belong to that species?
I ask in all sincerity, for your comment makes me wonder.

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Which part of my comment has you wondering? To answer ‘all of it’ would make no sense, because those words from the Gospel are actually IN the Gospel.

So, which part?

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Anon 12.43. ALL of it !
Anyone who relies on oul texts of dubious authenticity as a basis for belief in some imaginary God organiser of a universe with humankind as a central entity in a symbiotic relationship with the creator organiser certainly gives rise to much wonderment!😇😉🤣

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So, that’s your issue : you’re a (militant?) atheist.

Why didn’t you just say so at the beginning, instead of implying that you had intelligent counter-argument? Would have saved us both time. 🙄

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1.07

Hello, MMM.

Your preference for long, laboured and breathless sentences gives you away.

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‘If we ask him, with faith in his goodness and love, he always answers our prayers, but on his terms.’
You have just described at best a nightmare relationship with a narcissist and at worst an actually abusive relationship.
This is the reason Catholics have such trouble with abuse: their god is abusive. Would you consider a relationship or friendship with someone who wants everything their own way? No.

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5.05
When I was a child, I resented my parents not allowing me to carry a penknife around. I couldn’t understand why they were being so mean, so unfair. I understand their paternal care better now.
God is not a narcissist; everything is ordered to our salvation. It means sometimes his denying our requests, but it never means his giving us nothing.
My parents allowed me to play with my penknife, but strictly under their supervision. They answered my request, but on their terms, and, looking back, in a way they knew was best for me.
Could I expect my heavenly father to behave any less caringly?

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Alvin at 12.53pm
Unforgiveness is a ‘spiritual blockage’ which JG said it. In order to receive healing, we need to forgive those who have hurt us in the deepest sense.
Fr Rookey (deceased) spotted my problem as he said I need to forgive to move on. I didn’t understand that concept cos I was stuck in that until JG came along and said it more clearly .
In other words, unforgiveness hinder progress. I have had huge difficultie of letting it go in the past. Still work in progress in my view.
There are different levels of forgiveness but the deepest one in the core especially abuses ones at early young age are very difficult to deal with it. Cos only way we as deaf kids could describe 1st school as evil (we had no education that time, didn’t know meaning of the word such as evil until we got older, then we could apply that word to describe it to what we were experiencing at that time).
We couldn’t fathom how that nun was allowed to continue unchecked for years. Hence the problem of unforgiveness for long time. Its not only me, other deaf kids now adults as well.

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Deaf Guy
I really don’t accept that the forgiveness has to be initiated by me. My reason for this is that putting the wrong right is not for me to do.
It also isn’t a function of me living the best life I can because that doesn’t depend on me forgiving him.
As it happens the priest who raped me and pled not guilty so we had to go through a trial, died in prison and never to my knowledge expressed any sorrow.
If I meet him in the hereafter I will give him the kicking he fully deserves.

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I simply cannot believe in the power of prayer for myself, even a a child I felt the same way. I neither love it, nor hate it. However, I noticed the relief to those who do believe, by shifting the responsibility of their particular problem to another, outside their sphere, psychologically it appears to help some.
Does it give the person praying more time to think?
Are they more likely to accept a negative outcome?
Is it simple “A trouble shared is a trouble halved”?

My very good and, religious Mother would pray earnestly with us children our night prayers, one especially, beseeching her God, for there to be no sudden deaths in the family,
her brother fell to his death from a roof, died the same day,
her Grandson was killed instantly in car accident,
her son dropped dead.
How ironic, for her, not deterred she ploughed on with her praying, even into her dotage listened to Mass on the radio.
Remarkable, she believed less in the power of prayer the older he got, but continued to derive comfort from it.
It is a fascinating subject, why do people for instance have to go to a particular place to pray? Fatima, Hajj Saudi, Jerusalem, even a church.
Do they think their prayers will be more effective at those place, or more importantly, why?

1)The Science of Prayerhttps://www.psychologicalscience.org › news › the-scie…

2)Sample Chapter: The Psychology of Prayer – Guilford Presshttps://www.guilford.com › excerpts › spilka
PDF

3)Prayer and Mental Health: What Does Research Say?https://psychcentral.com › blog › new-study-examines-t…

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Good points, especially that about prayer locations.
I wonder whether believers pray in these locations, because they inspire them to pray more attentively. ‘Better’, as it were.

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Reply to; No timely response to IICSA, sadly…..says:
Oct 21, 2022 at 8:03 am
Haven’t you learned yet, they and, their ilk are not to be trusted ever. They will always if possible, put the Roman Catholic church first.

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I believe in the power of prayer but not everyone prayers were answered.
Some people have had the gift of power of prayer such as Fr Rookey and Fr A o Brien which I felt it personally. Not everyone have it just a good few.
QP at 1.30pm
Good point re locations, effective prayers stemming from locations. Hard to know it but two places in the past that helped me to pray naturally or better was Lourdes and Loreto.

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We find out about some people when we say no to them. We can find out something about ourselves when someone says no to us.
Some people pray to St. Mary. She might intercede on their behalf.
The feminist secular society know all about saying no. If they yes however, they can be reluctant to take responsibility for their actions.
Thank you. I am sorry. Love or hate. People have a choice.

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Lord Devlins daughter went to see Cardinal Herman – ie she reported it – Heenan counselled her to endure the abuse and to say nothing for fear of destroying her fathers reputation – he was in an anti vice ticket but a predatory child abuser – sound familiar?

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FairPlay to those women protesting the hijab …going back 20 years they wouldn’t even dare let alone now but happy for them and FairPlay !

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What comes naturally to us ,doesn’t for them ,so glad their using their voices….finally!

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8.14. Do you mean the court’s legal verdict, or the court of public opinion? Mind you the latter’s views are fairly clear.

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With all due respect. This blog courts public opinion and lacks any kind of fact. You talk about evidence daily but haven’t never shown one scrap.
^ of course you won’t share this as you prefer to peddle your own narrative. McCann deserves to be treated with the same respect ant other person could expect until found guilty. Perhaps this blog will try and gain some sense of integrity.

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Why is the court verdict so important to you. Are you a regular churchgoer? Are you a parishioner of Keady parish or the archdiocese of armagh. Maybe you’re just a nosy prick.

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I would of loved to have learned that languash…Latin the forgotten language like Irish ,it’s a beautiful language

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