'He did not represent us.' Association of Catholic Priests hits out at Conor McGregor’s White House visit

Criticism of Conor McGregor’s visit to the White House on St. Patrick’s Day has continued into another day, with the Association of Catholic Priests adding its voice to the discontent over McGregor’s audience with US President Donald Trump.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre are among those to have criticised the meeting in recent days, with the Association of Catholic Priests (ACAP) weighing in on the matter with a statement on Wednesday.

“As people who value both our Irishness and our Faith, we wish to state clearly that Mr. Conor McGregor’s speech in the Oval Office, where he purported to be speaking on behalf of the Irish people, was not representing what we value and hold dear. We believe that he confuses personal opinions with truth,” the statement read.

“The sentiments expressed by Mr. McGregor in his speech in the White House in respect of migrants and refugees are contrary to our understanding of the message of Jesus.

"His views are in stark contrast to those of the recently appointed Cardinal Archbishop of Washington, Robert McElroy, when he said: ‘Our truth is the person of Jesus Christ. The task of a Christian is to notice that Jesus’ first instinct is not to judge or condemn but to embrace people, to help them with whatever issue they’re dealing with, and to address the different elements of woundedness or exclusion they have in their lives.’”

The statement concluded: “The reasons for inviting Mr. McGregor to the White House on our national holiday are to be questioned. We wish it to be known that he did not represent us.”

McGregor’s White House visit on St. Patrick’s Day, which came five days after the visit of Taoiseach Micheal Martin to the Oval Office, has generated plenty of controversy owing to his comments before and after the meeting, particularly on the subject of immigration.

At the White House prior to meeting Trump, McGregor said: "I am here to raise the issues that the people of Ireland face. It will be music to the people of Ireland's ears because never on the main stage has the issues the people of Ireland face been spoken.

"Our government has long since abandoned the voice of the people of Ireland, and it's high time that America is made aware of what is going on in Ireland. What is going on in Ireland is a travesty, our government is the government of zero action with zero accountability.

"Our money is being spent on overseas issues which has nothing to do with the Irish people; the illegal immigration racket is running ravage on the country.”

Taoiseach Micheal Martin responded to McGregor, saying "St. Patrick’s Day around the world is a day rooted in community, humanity, friendship and fellowship. Conor McGregor’s remarks are wrong, and do not reflect the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, or the views of the people of Ireland."

Responding in turn to those remarks after meeting Trump in the Oval Office, McGregor said: "I am an employer of over 200 people, almost 300 people, in the country of Ireland. He is an employer of none. Every available metric available to us shows that the government of Ireland currently has failed the people of Ireland.

"In 10 years, Dublin City Centre has gone from one of the safest cities in Europe to one of the most to one of the most dangerous, so shame on him for saying that, speaking down on an Irishman.

"I won't speak about him personally or throw a jab; I could throw many jabs at him, I could throw jabs handily at them; however, I speak on the metrics, and the metrics show they have failed the people of Ireland they do not represent the people of Ireland."

On Tuesday, meanwhile, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said it had written to the US Embassy to express its dismay at McGregor’s meeting with Donald Trump in the White House, which CEO Rachel Morrogh described as a “very sinister event”.

Last November, McGregor was found liable in a civil case taken by Nikita Hand in which she alleged he raped her and he was ordered to pay €248,603 in damages. Speaking to RTÉ on Tuesday, Ms Morrogh said: “Yesterday's meeting was a very sinister event and it needs to be called out for what I believe it was, which on one hand was normalising sexual violence, and on the other hand an attempt to rebuild the very damaged reputation of Conor McGregor.

“What is sobering and shocking is that the office of the president of the US, which is so respected and trusted and esteemed, is being used for both of those things. And on St Patrick's Day, that office was used to launder Conor McGregor’s reputation. Every backslap, every word of flattery, every aspect of that meeting showed a really callous indifference to every survivor of sexual violence.”

“Much of what he says is unacceptable and this is something that we saw coming, it’s just one of a number of examples of President Trump putting public energy into restoring the status of strong and powerful men who have been accused of different forms of sexual violence and assault,” Ms Morrogh added.

“He is sending a message that sexual violence is something he is trivialising and the road to redemption leads straight to the Oval Office.

"There has been a really strong reaction amongst the Irish public that this is not something they agree with, and I hope that yesterday's performance doesn’t have a chill effect on people coming forward.

“It has taken decades to create a supportive climate for survivors to share what happened to them. Yesterday's events will confirm suspicions and fears that survivors have around not being believed and believe what happened was their fault.”

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