A move by high profile Catholic prayer app Hallow has sparked outrage among users after the app announced it would be joining forces with Irish actor Liam Neeson.
Hallow, which claims to be the most popular Catholic prayer app, offers guided prayer, meditations on Scripture, and Biblical study with high profile Catholic contributors like Fr. Mike Schmitz, Chosen actor Jonathan Roumie, Mark Wahlberg, and Sister Miriam James Heidland.
However users were quick to point out their shock and disappointment that someone with a history of publicly supporting abortion would be partnering with the app.
In the run up to the 2018 abortion referendum in Ireland, Neeson released an ad in conjunction with Amnesty International Ireland entitled ‘Chains’ which accused Ireland’s pro-life laws of “blindly” bringing “suffering” and “death to the women whose lives it touches.”
The video, which was uploaded to Amnesty International Ireland’s YouTube channel on the 19th of October 2016 features Neeson’s voice reading a script over images of a graveyard which says,
“A ghost haunts Ireland, a cruel ghost of the last century still bound to the land.
It blindly brings suffering, even death to the women whose lives it touches.
Feared by politicians this is a ghost of paper and ink,
A spirit that lives in a constitution written for a different time,
It is the shadow of the country we’d hoped we’d left behind,
Ireland doesn’t have to be chained to its past.
It’s time to lay this ghost to rest.
Repeal the eighth.” (A reference to the eighth amendment of the Irish Constitution which guaranteed the right to life of unborn children with due regard to the right to life of their mother)
Neeson has joined Hallow as part of an Advent series in which he will read excerpts from C.S Lewis.
Speaking to actor Jonathan Roumie who plays Jesus in the hit series The Chosen, Neeson said he was “really excited” to join Hallow and that he would be “going through meditations largely from C.S Lewis,” describing Hallow as “a great prayer and meditation app”.
Users of the app were quick to point to Neeson’s history of openly supporting abortion with many saying they would be cancelling their app subscription in protest.
“I pray that as Liam steps further into prayer himself that he considers publicly reversing his 2018 position on supporting abortion.” said one instagram user.
“Interesting choice…he also lended his voice in commercials to legalize abortion in Ireland. Praying he has had a change in heart. Otherwise I am rethinking my hallow app” said another.
One woman commented, “I have cancelled my subscription to Hallow. It is such a shame because this App has really encouraged me in my faith. But as a matter of principle I cannot subscribe and fund an app that will put a man that actively campaigned for the direct and intentional killing of unborn children while skating and mocking the Catholic Church, on a pedestal. What’ll we have next? Lady Gaga leading us in Advent hymns? Jo Biden leading us all in the rosary on Hallow?”
“Using Liam Neeson on Hallow is a slap in the face to faithful Irish Catholics and to all ProLife supporters everywhere!” said another.
Another commenter said, “I’ve noticed that neither of them are talking about Jesus, just very vague mentions of faith and prayer. As other people have said, Liam has also done projects supporting abortion and when he was interviewed about playing Aslan, he talked about how God was accessible through many different paths and that there is “something for everyone” on the road to finding heaven. He probably came up with some nice things to say for the camera, but it sounds like he doesn’t know half of what he’s talking about here because he’s clearly not a Christian.”
“Shame on you @hallowapp I will not be supporting your company as long as you employ people who promote abortion.” said another.
Another commenter said, “Just cancelled my subscription to Hallow,”