Fr Des Doyle, the priest who is chaplain of Dublin Airport, has insisted he will continue the annual tradition of blessing the planes, after it emerged that Dublin Airport had axed the 75-year-tradition.
Fr Doyle, speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, said he would keep the traction alive, “whether that be from the altar or 35,000 feet in the air” despite the revelation that the blessing will not take place this year.
Its cancellation followed a secular campaigner writing to Dublin Airport to ask if he could participate in a non religious blessing, which campaigner John Hamill claims prompted a security review and the subsequent decision to axe the traditional Christmas blessing.
A spokesperson for Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) which operates the airport, however, has insisted that the decision to stop the blessing had “nothing whatsoever to do with a secular request” but had rather occurred due to “a change of security regulations.”
In another twist, Dr Doyle of Dublin Airport Church, Our Lady Queen of Heaven, who has been facilitating the blessing for the past 16 years, said he only heard about the change in protocol second-hand, and is also unaware of any plans regarding the “new approach” DAA have said it is working on.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Fr Doyle said: “If an airline asked me to bless a plane, I’ll bless the plane – delighted to do it – I’ve been doing that since I came, so that will continue. If the airport authority say ‘you can’t go out airside’ for whatever reasons they have, I can do it from the church. As a former Archbishop of Dublin said years ago: ‘I can bless the Dublin mountains from here.
“Obviously the airline can bring me to bless their plane, alternatively I can continue doing it every Christmas from the altar, I don’t have to be standing under the plane to bless it although my favourite place to bless it would be sitting on it at 35,000 feet. As one of the great commentators of the Church today said, ‘We’re behind enemy lines’, so we have to do what we can…” he added.
The airport chaplain also said he has a “great appreciation for the airline world,” while also speaking of the strong faith community that exists at Ireland’s largest airport.
“I know that security is constantly under review and rules are constantly tightening up and that’s a very good thing,” Fr Doyle said.
“I feel very happy about that myself, because as a passenger I want to be very safe. I know it’s an area you have to be really careful. I haven’t heard anything about this one… I appreciate there are constant security reviews, I’m aware of that.
“Everybody who goes airside, the side where the planes are, they have to have a good reason for going, they have to be vetted and have airside training. I appreciate all of that and have fit in with that over the years… I suppose something else must have changed,” the priest said.
He also said he holds a special benediction every Friday at the airport church for passengers and staff, “a full blessing for everyone travelling.”
Speaking to Gript earlier this month, John Hamill, the campaigner formerly of Atheist Ireland who requested the right to take part in the blessing, said it was never his intention to have the event cancelled, saying that the move by DAA signalled a fear on the part of public bodies.
“Needless to say, we never requested or wanted the event to be cancelled, only that we could be allowed to participate. Seems a shame,” Mr Hamill told Gript.
“It demonstrates how terrified the public bodies are about anything to do with religiosity, now ditching a 75 year tradition to avoid explaining,” the campaigner added.
The move has sparked widespread controversy, with TD Michael Collins saying it was a “disappointing” move away from Irish tradition.
“I am very disappointed. The blessing of the planes is an important tradition, as is people blessing their homes. It’s a very old but loving tradition of Irish people, and we feel our homes and our property is safe once it’s blessed. I feel this is a very small thing for Dublin Airport and DAA to allow to happen,” the Cork TD said.
“It can happen in a safe environment, and it always has. There is no issue there. I am certainly very disappointed with Dublin Airport regarding the decision they’ve made, and it seems like it’s another typical move away from Irish tradition. This is something we are seeing as Irish people, bit by bit.”
Dublin Airport Authority has said that it is “currently working on a new approach” to facilitate the blessing of planes at Dublin Airport.