The guardian of the Franciscan community at Dublin's Merchants Quay, Fr Ulic Troy, has stressed that the Irish-El Salvador Support Committee are welcome to celebrate Mass there in memory of Archbishop Oscar Romero, murdered by state security forces in San Salvador in 1980, as they have done for 20 years.
However, he said the Mass should be separate from the scheduled Masses there. He did not believe it fair to regular attenders at scheduled Masses there, particularly on Saturdays and Sundays, that they should be made take part in commemorative Masses which frequently involved lengthier liturgies.
He emphasised that the Irish-El Salvador Support Committee was "more than welcome" to celebrate Mass in honour of Archbishop Romero there, which they could publicise as they saw fit.
Last Sunday Brendan Butler, chairman of the Irish-El Salvador Support Committee, said they had been refused permission to have their annual Mass for Archbishop Romero at Merchants Quay. "We were told that the archbishop's anniversary was a private devotion and as such no public Masses will be allowed to honour the archbishop," he said. He was "totally disgusted with this decision".
Fr Troy was away and unavailable to comment on the matter until yesterday.
Last Sunday the committee left a letter for Pope Benedict at the Papal Nunciature in Dublin. Describing themselves as "loyal Catholics", they called for Archbishop Romero's canonisation.