A leading Donegal solicitor has strongly condemned plans to remove the Chapel at Letterkenny General Hospital and replace it with a ‘Peace Room.’
Since the hospital was flooded in July, the Chapel has been closed because of severe damage.
But it has now been revealed that the Chapel may not re-open.
Letterkenny-based solicitor Cathal Quinn has condemned the plans saying this is not the first time the HSE have acted the wishes of the Catholic population.
“It should come as no surprise to us that the latest Catholic target of the HSE is our Chapel in Letterkenny General Hospital (LGH), and with it the permanent public presence there of the Blessed Sacrament for the adoration and immeasurable consolation of its Catholic staff, patients, their loved ones, and those bereaved.
“Many of us have not forgotten that it was the HSE that compelled the Catholic Chaplains of the LGH to remove a tabernacle housing the Blessed Sacrament from a “shared” prayer space for those of all faiths in the Donegal Hospice, claiming that its presence there was inconsistent with their notion of such a shared space.
“And what does the HSE now propose to substitute for our Chapel in the LGH – why, a shared prayer space for the use of those of all faiths, of course, where, once again, and in keeping with the HSE’s idea of consistency, there will prove to be no room for Jesus in the reserved Blessed Sacrament.
“If nothing else, the HSE’s announcement might be considered seasonal,” he said.