45 YEARS ON CAPITOL HILL
Posted By: December 02, 2023
Fr. McManus and Congressman Ben Gilman at Speakers’ Patrick’s Day Lunch. 2010.
45 Years on Capitol Hill Keeping Congress Focused on Irish Justice
Sunday, December 3, 2023 —one week in advance.
On International Human Rights Day, December 10, 1978, the Irish National Caucus opened the first Irish office in history on Capitol Hill to lobby the U.S. Congress on Irish unity, justice, and peace—with an end to England’s rule and oppression. And today, the Caucus is going as strong as ever.
No one was in a better position to assess the importance of the Irish National Caucus than the late, great, Jewish-American Congressman Ben Gilman (R-NY), former Chairman of the entire House Foreign Relations Committee. Here’s part of the statement he made on retiring from Congress in 2003, titled “In Praise of Fr. McManus”:
Throughout those 30 years, Father McManus has been constantly by my side — encouraging, guiding, and giving invaluable advice from his unsurpassed knowledge of the Irish issue. No one has done more than Father Mc Manus to keep the U.S. Congress on track regarding justice and peace in Ireland. Indeed, I believe historians will record that no one since John Devoy (1842-1928) has done more to organize American pressure for justice in Ireland. (The only difference being that Father McManus – in keeping with his priestly calling –- is committed to nonviolence).
In the past 30 years, the fingerprints of Father McManus are all over every piece of Congressional action on Ireland: from the formation of the Ad Hoc Congressional Committee For Irish Affairs in 1977 (which in turn sparked the formation of the Friends of Ireland in 1981) to Congressional Hearings on Northern Ireland, once banned until I became HIRC Chairman in 1995; from individual human rights cases, like the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four to the political assassination–cases like Pat Finucane and Rose Mary Nelson; from the Hunger Strikes of Bobby Sands and his nine colleagues to the general mistreatment of political prisoners; from individual cases of anti-Catholic discrimination to the full, frontal and triumphal campaign of the Mac Bride Principles; from stopping the sale of U.S. weapons to the RUC to putting human rights conditions on U.S. dealings with the Northern Ireland police.
In a word, Father McManus’s doctrine “the United States must not subsidize anti-Catholic discrimination in Northern Ireland” has now become U.S. law and policy. And it is my honor to have given Congressional shape to Father McManus’ dream for his beloved Ireland.” END OF GILMAN QUOTE.
Going as strong as ever
Regarding the assertion at the beginning, “And today, the Caucus is going as strong as ever,” here are some examples:
In our campaign against England’s Legacy Bill/now an Act, we sent our key Irish Congressional Briefings to Congress every week, often twice a week, even three times a week.
We have written, produced, and narrated 40 Short Videos. Here’s the link to all of them—http://www.irishnationalcaucus.org/fr-sean-mcmanus-social-media-video-links-and-video-texts
- In our campaign against England’s Legacy Bill/now an Act, we sent our key Irish Congressional Briefings to Congress every week, often twice a week, even three times a week.
- We have written, produced, and narrated 40 Short Videos. Here’s the link to all of them—http://www.irishnationalcaucus.org/fr-sean-mcmanus-social-media-video-links-and-video-texts
- We are about the only ones in America and Ireland who have “spoken truth to power,” challenging and exposing the appalling bigotry of King Charles’ Anti-Catholic Coronation Oath, vowing to forever stop a Catholic from being King or Queen, as demanded by the sectarian, anti-Catholic, unwritten, un-codified British constitution. This brazenly justifies England’s centuries-long persecution of the Irish. It also, in effect, condones and endorses all the discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland since the “Partition Act,” on December 23, 1920. Just imagine, for example, the outrage if any other Head of state vowed before God and the entire world to stop a Black, Jew, or Muslim from ever being Head of State. It also shows the wisdom of the Framers of the American Constitution, who—being aware of the inherent injustice of England’s system—refused to have an Established Church, which means no separation between Church and State. Therefore, no one should use the old canard that because the monarch is also Governor of the Church of England, the monarch cannot be Catholic. In a modern democracy, Church and State should be separate as in the American system.
- See our articles on King Charles III. http://www.irishnationalcaucus.org/20191-2/
- Our online “One Ireland Petition,” hosted by Change.org, has over One Million petition views (1,129,131) and over 31, 383 signers. Indeed, Change.org tells us when we get 35,000 signers our Petition will be one of the largest it has hosted. So, also, please help us to reach that target— https://chng.it/pjRvJz2bRX
- But please realize that donations made on the Change.org site do not go to the Irish National Caucus but to Change.org. To donate to the Irish National Caucus, click— http://www.irishnationalcaucus.org/
Fr. McManus said:
“Through collusion between Church and State in England, I was exiled (‘transported’ used to be the old word for England getting rid of individuals) to the USA on October 2, 1972—to silence me from speaking out against England’s oppression in Northern Ireland. But, thank God, I was transported to the one place on earth where I could do the most good for Irish justice.
From October 1972 to the summer of 1975, I was based in a parish in Baltimore, MD.
On February 6, 1974, I founded the Irish National Caucus.
From the summer of 1975 to the Fall of 1978, I was based in Boston, MA. until I moved to Washington, DC.
On the very symbolic day and date of International Human Rights Day, December 10, 1978, the Irish National Caucus opened the first-ever office on Capitol Hill to lobby the Congress on Irish Justice. On that day I also entered a full-time Special Ministry of Justice and Peace. (All the details are recorded in my Memoirs: My American Struggle for Justice in Northern Ireland —2023 U.S.A. RE-PRINT.
Available on Amazon and from Irish National Caucus—
http://www.irishnationalcaucus.org/20034-2
My lifelong Special Ministry of Justice and Peace was inspired by and is based on this prophetic, official declaration of the Catholic Church:”… Action on behalf of justice [is] a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel…and [a constitutive dimension] of the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.”(Justice in the World. World Synod of Bishops. 1971) … And after all these years (I will be 80, February 6, 2024), I believe this teaching more than ever before, thank God. I absolutely believe with the eminent American Protestant Old Testament scholar, Rev. Walter Brueggemann, that, ‘In Biblical faith, the doing of justice is the primary expectation of God.”
The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament make it crystal clear that Faith must be ‘the faith that does justice’; and that Love of Neighbor means, in effect, the doing of justice on this earth because one cannot love others and then deny them justice. We all not only have the right but the duty to proclaim justice and oppose injustice. This is really the only proof we have that we love God. And at the same time, because justice is so fundamental, it can unite people of faith and people of no faith, but of good will, who also believe in the importance of social and economic justice.”
Fr.McManus concluded:
“I am deeply grateful for all the help given to me by great, dedicated, and generous Irish-Americans, the late Richard L. Trumka, President, AFL-CIO who helped us launch the World Peace Prize throughout the AFL-CIO and American Organized Labor. This is now an important part of his great legacy. My thanks, also, to Sean O’Brien, the Teamsters’ new General President who has applauded our linking the World Peace Prize and American Organized Labor. In memory of President Trumka, I now call American Organized Labor, ‘Organized Love of Neighbor.’ And, of course, I am profoundly grateful to Members of Congress, of all backgrounds and religions, who have stood up for Irish justice and peace.
Most of all, I pay high praise and give special thanks to my colleague Barbara Flaherty, Executive Vice President, Irish National Caucus, since 2003. I could not have done this work without her. Barbara’s leadership, ability, and dedication are inspiring.”
END
Fr. Sean McManus
President, President, Irish National Caucus
Chief Judge, World Peace Prize.
P.O. BOX 15128,
Capitol Hill,
Washington, DC 20003-0849.
Tel. 202-544-0568. Fax.202-488-7537.
IrishNationalCaucus.org; WorldPeacePrizeWashington.org
