Catholics generally tended to do what some feminist groups couldn’t, and set aside the matter of republicanism entirely when assessing the Armagh women. Unlike the feminists who were objecting to the inequality the women experienced, Catholic responses tended to do otherwise, characterizing the women as helpless and in need of saving, as in the following appeal:
“To deliberately organise a large group of men to beat a group of helpless women would appear to be an action of peculiar heinousness. To do this on women who are imprisoned and helpless is worse, to misrepresent the truth about it is worse still, and to punish further the unfortunate women who have been beaten severely and indecently is the worst of all” (Weinstein, 32).
In fact, responses from the general Catholic community were in total conflict with those of the feminists. The ideology, even more pervasively so than within the Republican community, was so incredibly engendered. One observation defines the role of women in this ideology,
“We have apostrophised the country itself as a mother. The concept of Mother Ireland has met with wholehearted national approval. The message has been unequivocal. The proper place for women apart from the convent is the home, preferably raising sons for Ireland” (Weinstein, 31).
This response, above all others, did the opposite of what the women intended, and dis-empowered them entirely. Popular Catholic ideology at the time was incredibly restrictive on the role of women that it promoted, and in juxtaposition to an attempt at progress, proves incredibly ironic. The Pope defined the role of women in their ideology,
“May Irish mothers, young women and girls, not listen to those who tell them that working at a secular job, succeeding in a secular profession, is more important than the vocation of giving life and caring for this life as a mother” (Weinstein, 30-1)
Certainly these views did not adhere to the goals of the women in Armagh, but rather the attempt at support actively attempted to reinforce the roles from which the women were trying to escape. This reaction also ignored one of the main goals of the protests, which was in the name of treatment of republican prisoners, not solely women.
Catholic Responses Republican Responses Feminist Responses