Opinion

ANALYSIS: DUP displays distinctly un-Christian values in its attitude to Robbie Butler

Pope Francis with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Dublin Castle during August's Papal visit. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire
Pope Francis with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Dublin Castle during August's Papal visit. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire Pope Francis with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Dublin Castle during August's Papal visit. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire

TWO months on from Pope Francis's visit to Ireland the DUP has yet to explain why the party and its leader snubbed an invitation from the taoiseach to a civic reception in Dublin Castle.

A number of other Stormont leaders were unable to attend the event, including the UUP's Robin Swann, but they sent party representatives in their place. Born-again Christian Robbie Butler put his name forward to represent the Ulster Unionists, believing the Pope's visit was significant for Catholics across Ireland and therefore should be celebrated. He insists he didn't go to the Dublin reception as a politician but as a "good neighbour".

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“I went to Dublin as a Christian, Protestant and a unionist and I came back as a Christian, Protestant and a unionist," he told The Irish News.

Mr Butler's party has been criticised in recent years for an inability to differentiate itself from its larger unionist rival. However, the manner in which the UUP and DUP handled the Pope's visit is marked. One party demonstrated respect and good will, while the other displayed disdain and a lack of maturity – you wouldn't associate the later characteristics with genuine outreach. The DUP's attitude was all the more surprising given that Pope Francis and his followers would be largely sympathetic to many of the party's views on social issues like abortion and same sex marriage. The days when Catholicism was seen as any kind of threat to the Protestant faith have long passed.

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The antiquated language employed by former Stormont minister Mervyn Storey and the gesture used by his party colleague Christopher Stalford have rightly been described as unacceptable. To publicly speak of outreach and reconciliation yet privately mock those who show grace is hypocritical and distinctly un-Christian.

Historically, the DUP has professed to adhere to the highest moral standards but on an almost weekly basis fresh evidence emerges of a party that has mendacity, contempt and self-preservation at its core.

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