Church remains open despite clergy attacks

Parish Priest at Saint Joseph's, Heywood, Father Paul Daly

Attacks on clergy have hit the national news this week following the revelation by National Churchwatch, which provides personal safety advice, that clergy are attacked more often than professions such as GPs and probation officers. Their shocking advice to clergy is to take off their dog collars when they are on their own, to reduce the risk of being attacked.

Parish Priest at Saint Joseph's, Heywood, Father Paul Daly explained he has been attacked and, having dialled 999, received an on-foot visit from a PCSO who detained the man and then let him go!

Father Daly added that only last week two drunken men were kicking at the front door at 1.00am in the morning. He explained: "After 20 minutes I called the police who came pretty quickly, searched the men and took them in the van back to Middleton!"

Father Daly said that despite the risks Saint Joseph's remains open during the day and he believes that is the right decision saying: "we need oases of calm in this busy world".

Councillor Liz Thirsk, who was educated by the Catholic Sisters if Charity, opined: "The reason for the attacks on the clergy are similar to the reasons for the attacks on the old and the young. These cowards recognise either a vulnerability or a lack of natural aggression within these sectors."

Her poignant question is: "Have we left it too late to instill discipline into the yob culture"?