| Priest in angry clash with Martino over GM foods (6/3/2006) | |
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1.Priest in angry clash with cardinal over Vatican's GM foods stance EXCERPT: "The Cardinal [Martino] became really angry and accused me of running a world protest campaign against him," the Columban priest, who is based in Navan, Co Meath, told the Irish Independent. "He asked me why I was running a campaign against him on the issue, and that he was receiving letters from all over the world in opposition to GM food." "I told him that I was not campaigning against His Eminence personally, but was arguing publicly against the immorality of producing genetically modified food, an issue which has a major impact on one billion Catholics throughout the world." (item 1) 1.Priest in angry clash with cardinal over Vatican's GM foods stance AN Irish priest has revealed that he was involved in a private row with a senior cardinal of the Roman Curia during a major conference on social justice at Croke Park this week. Fr Sean McDonagh, an internationally-renowned expert on the environment, confirmed yesterday that he had a heated argument off-stage with Cardinal Renato Martino, the head of the Vaticanës Council for Justice and Peace. The angry exchanges occurred on Thursday, after the two had clashed openly at the conference over whether or not the Vatican had given its moral blessing to the production of genetically-modified foodstuffs. Speaking from the floor, Fr McDonagh had argued that GM foodstuffs were morally irresponsible, and he accused Cardinal Martino of being one of the main proponents of GM food production. In reply, the cardinal claimed that Fr McDonagh had misrepresented him, and he insisted that the question of its morality was still open because the Pontifical Council had not yet made up its mind. Afterwards, the Cardinal and the priest re-engaged with one another in private. "The Cardinal became really angry and accused me of running a world protest campaign against him," the Columban priest, who is based in Navan, Co Meath, told the Irish Independent. "He asked me why I was running a campaign against him on the issue, and that he was receiving letters from all over the world in opposition to GM food." "I told him that I was not campaigning against His Eminence personally, but was arguing publicly against the immorality of producing genetically modified food, an issue which has a major impact on one billion Catholics throughout the world." 2.Monsanto and trade talks team Madam, - Your edition of February the 23rd contained a report of a press conference held by those opposed to genetically modified crops, especially the new breed of potatoes, being grown experimentally in this country. The headline was "Monsanto link to trade talks delegation denied". In the body of the report Sean MacConnell states that "the Department of Agriculture yesterday denied a claim by Independent Senator David Norris that a representative of the chemical company Monsanto was on the official Irish delegation to the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong last December". I stand by my statement. I cannot understand how the Department of Agriculture can deny such a claim. I have been provided with a list of the Irish delegation, a photograph and eye-witness accounts. The person in question is a full-time employee of Monsanto, being a senior political adviser to its operation in Brussels. In recent years Monsanto has managed to insert representatives into Irish delegations. They are provided with full accreditation, badges, access to all areas, etc. Another newspaper carried a similar denial but in this the Department of Agriculture indicated that the Monsanto representative was not part of a Department of Agriculture delegation. I never said she was. She was part of the Irish delegation as a whole. - Yours, etc, Senator David Norris, Seanad Éireann, Dublin 2. Irish Senate, transcript of Order of Business discussion, 23 February 2006 Senator David Norris: I wish to raise a matter that I hope many Members of the House will be interested in, genetically modified food and experiments that are proposed for County Meath involving a German potato crop. It is of no relevance to Irish agriculture. I ask for a debate on the issue, and I would like the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Coughlan, to be present. I stated at a press conference yesterday that a senior representative of Monsanto was included in the Irish delegation to talks in both Hong Kong and Cancun. This representative was given full accreditation. A representative of The Irish Times telephoned the Department about the matter and was told this was not true. The Cathaoirleach would not allow me to name the person and I will not do so. I have a photograph of her as part of the delegation. She had access as a delegate to areas to which she should not have had access. Her title is the director of government affairs, Europe-Africa, Monsanto Services International. She is based in Belgium and I have a hard copy of the list of delegates. An Cathaoirleach: We will have a debate on the matter. Mr. Norris: She was brought in under the cloak of IBEC. An Cathaoirleach: They will be very important points in the debate. We cannot have a debate during the Order of Business. Mr. Norris: We must get the truth, not more obfuscation and bluster. A Senator: Name her. Mr. Norris: It is incumbent on newspapers of record such as The Irish Times to probe and not just accept the prevarication of the Department of Agriculture and Food. |
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