Now it's a known fact that religion has been the catalyst for more conflict than we care to recall. No more so than in Northern Ireland. Now Ger's mother came from Northern Ireland and when we were still together we had to attend her brother's funeral.
Now Sean committed a cardinal sin in that he had a rush of blood to his head. He was born a Catholic and later in life decided to try the Anglican faith for a change. Shock horror, he would have been better off, and be better understood, if he had become a serial killer.
When he died, he was laid out at home and as his wife was a Catholic the house was in a Catholic area and there was a steady stream of Priests and Nuns arriving at the house in order to reclaim the lost soul.
He had made final wishes that the service be held in the Anglican chapel. His wife respected that wish but only because he would then be buried in the Catholic graveyard. So off we went to the service and there was a huge crowd of relatives and friends outside the church. They would not go in for fear that the minute they passed though the portal of the opposition they would be consumed in God's vengeful fires of retribution.
The family had swallowed their particular prejudices and were going into the chapel and cast a lonely sight as they filled up the front two rows only. As I passed through the door I was pleasantly surprised that I did not turn into a pile of smouldering ash. We had to endure the Anglican minister's speech about how Sean saw the light and found religion on their side of the fence, wasting no opportunity to put the boot into the Catholic religion. Gabrielle's family were spitting feathers in the front row.
Service over, we carried the coffin outside and there was no shortage of people willing to assist the coffin down to the Catholic graveyard. It was shouldered all the way down and the crowd milled around happy to join in now it was away from the opposition's lair.
We walked into the graveyard and at the graveside were at least 20 priests & nuns using force of will to welcome the sinner back into the fold. The gist of the eulogy was that he had strayed but, hah, now we have got him back. They also wasted no opportunity to put the boot into the Anglican religion.
It's little wonder that religion causes friction.....
