The Catholic hierarchy here has called on Catholics to show concern and respect for Muslims living in Ireland.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Trócaire, the development agency, has called on the Government to ensure through its chairmanship of the UN Security Council that innocent people are protected in the course of the response to global terrorism.
The Catholic bishops' statement is the second in the past week from senior churchmen expressing concern about the treatment of the 18,000 or so Muslims living here following the terrorist attacks on the United States.
Already, in a joint statement, Cardinal Connell and the Church of Ireland's Archbishop Walton Empey had expressed their dismay about reported insults suffered by Muslims residing in Greater Dublin.
Since then, controversy has erupted about remarks by Fr Aidan Carroll during a sermon last Sunday at Dublin's University Church quoting writings highly critical of the Islamic faith.
Meeting in Maynooth this week, the Catholic bishops called on Catholics to show concern and respect for Muslims living in Ireland. Trócaire Chairman Bishop John Kirby said that he was particularly concerned with the demonising of Islam by many people who are ignorant of both the religious beliefs of Muslims and the current political reality.
Dr Kirby said that before resorting to war the international community must exhaust all other means to deal with the atrocities in the United States. He said that the Government, which assumes the Chair of the UN Security Council next Monday, must ensure that international law is upheld, that the innocent are protected and that hatred is not deepened.
