Fr Seán Sheehy | Enoch Burke | Justice, Proportionality ⛪⚖️🙏

❓When does punishment stop being justice and start becoming something else?
As of January 16, 2026, Irish teacher Enoch Burke is once again facing possible re-imprisonment after returning to Wilson’s Hospital School just days after his release from Mountjoy Prison. While the courts continue to frame the matter as one of contempt of court, critics argue that the punishment no longer fits the offence — and that internationally, Ireland is increasingly perceived as imprisoning a teacher over a pronoun dispute.

In this episode, we take a calm, reflective, and serious look at the case from two essential perspectives:

🕊️ A theological, moral, and ethical perspective, offered by Fr Seán Sheehy, exploring conscience, proportionality, mercy, and the Christian understanding of authority and punishment.

⚖️ John Malone, examines contempt of court, proportionality, public confidence in the justice system, and the lawful alternatives that still exist.

🙏 From a Christian moral standpoint, punishment is justified only when it is corrective and proportionate. When coercive imprisonment no longer changes behaviour, serious ethical questions arise — even if the underlying court orders are lawful.

🌍 Internationally, legal nuance is often lost. What remains is a troubling perception: a European democracy repeatedly imprisoning a teacher in a conscience-based dispute. That perception matters — for Ireland’s reputation, for public trust, and for the credibility of the justice system itself.

📖 This conversation asks:
• When does authority need restraint?
• Can justice lose legitimacy through excess?
• What moral obligations does the State carry once punishment no longer corrects?
• And what lawful alternatives exist now to bring this cycle to an end?

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🕊️ Share this video with those who believe difficult issues deserve careful, humane reflection.

🙏 Thank you for watching.
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