Sacked church editor not going meekly

A LEADING religious newspaper is facing a boycott amid claims of "un-Christian behaviour" over the sacking of its editor.

Hugh Farmer, the editor of the Scottish Catholic Observer, was dismissed by Otto Herschan, chairman of the Catholic Herald group, who is a Papal Knight, an honorary title awarded by the Pope for services to the Church or society.

Mr Farmer's sacking apparently followed disputes over a liberal priest, a "too pious" nun and remarks made about a controversial priest, Father Noel Barry.

But Mr Farmer is not going meekly, and one of his most vocal supporters, Father Steve Gilhooley, an Edinburgh priest who opposes the blanket rule on celibacy for clergy, has instigated a boycott of the weekly newspaper. Mr Farmer, meanwhile, intends to fight his dismissal and intends to call Cardinal Thomas Winning, the leader of Scotland's Catholics, if the case goes to court.

The deeply conservative Observer has a circulation of about 45,000 - almost all picked up on Sundays as congregations leave mass.

The trouble started last summer when Mr Farmer resisted an edict to fire two columnists - Fr Gilhooley, 35, and a nun, Sister Mary Agnes, who was "too pious". "I had to sack Steve Gilhooley because he was too liberal and then I had to sack Sister Agnes, a cousin of Cardinal Winning, because she was too pious. The logic was just silly," Mr Farmer said. But he believes his fate was sealed just before Christmas when he publicly rebuked Fr Barry, who sued The Sun newspaper and won substantial damages over a report implying a sexual affair. Fr Barry, an aide to Cardinal Winning, had "scandalised the church", Mr Farmer said.

When the Austrian-born Mr Herschan visits the Scottish arm of the publishing company, he dines with Fr Barry, who is reportedly a friend. Mr Farmer, 62, is determined to fight the Herald Group decision to sack him and is taking legal advice. "I will be bringing members of the hierarchy to speak on my behalf about my stewardship at the Observer and one of those people could well be the Cardinal," he said. Fr Gilhooley said: "To behave like this towards Hugh, after all he has done for the paper, is, let's say, less than Christian. People should boycott the Observer until this is sorted out."

Sales of the paper at Fr Gilhooley's Church of Our Lady in Currie dropped from 40 to one or two after his column was scrapped.

Mr Herschan was not prepared to discuss the issue, let alone the biblical parallels. Contacted at the Observer's Glasgow office, he declined to comment yesterday.