Father Tim Jones: ‘My words were meant to shock’ (From York Press)

Father Tim Jones: ‘My words were meant to shock’

10:00am Tuesday 12th January 2010 in

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My pre-Christmas sermon was deliberately phrased to shock because, generally, we are comfortably blind to the suffering of the destitute, and deaf to those who call it to our attention.

Anyone who has heard or read the sermon in full knows what was said, which was not that “shoplifting is okay for the poor”. The message is simple and unremarkable. When people who have nothing experience delay in their benefits, they can move temporarily but swiftly from relative poverty to absolute poverty.

We all need to support each other better, stop despising people for being poor, and make sure that nobody has to wait several weeks for their meagre benefits. Failure in all that tempts people towards crime, and everyone suffers. Shoplifting is wrong and harmful; burglary, mugging, prostitution and self-harm – including neglect – are even more so. For the love of God, let’s make sure that people always have better options. Sometimes they don’t, and that is a disgrace.

Father Tim Jones, The parishes of St Lawrence and St Hilda, York.

• I think Father Tim Jones’s comments regarding shoplifting were unfortunate and quite frankly silly (“It’s okay to shoplift” says York priest, The Press, December 21).

However, I am very much disgusted with the actions of Martin Stot (Bucket shock, The Press, December 30). There are many ways that people can express their unhappiness with people’s comments without purchasing tinned food and throwing such food on a person; let alone a man of the cloth after a Sunday sermon.

We live in a liberal society and if everybody poured tinned spaghetti on each other when they disagreed, Heinz would be the only employer. I understand that Mr Stot may have had a hard life, but this no excuse. I am a working-class lad and I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing.

I take my hat off to Father Jones for not retaliating and taking the protest in good humour. I do not know how I would have reacted.

Coun James Alexander, Labour prospective Parliamentary candidate for York Outer, Holgate Road, York.