Katherine Zappone’s Beliefs
Links: 1 Witchcraft is a Positive Force // 2 Christianity is a Danger to Society
Approximately 2 years into her term as Minister for Children, the Irish Sun ran a story about Katherine Zappone’s beliefs in June 2018. “Zappone studied witchcraft and its power to raise the ‘psychic energy’ of participants [and] was an expert in feminist spirituality before entering politics.”
This should have come as no surprise. Firstly, Zappone publicised her beliefs in a book entitled The Hope for Wholeness published in 1991. In summary, this book outlines Zappone’s close relationship with witchcraft and her repudiation of traditional Christian theology.
Not only does Zappone espouse strong anti-Christian beliefs, her beliefs form a major motivation for her policy-making. For example, her tireless promotion of LGBT, her push for abortion rights, and her fixation on criminalising “homophobia”. Zappone’s strategy is to take her radical beliefs and transform them into policy changes which affect everyone.
A selection of these radical beliefs, supported with quotations from her book, are shown below. Most importantly, at What She Funds I look at the policies that Zappone advocates in greater detail.
Witchcraft is a Positive Force
1. Zappone believes that witchcraft or “Wicca” spirituality is a positive force. This force must be included in the “conversation” if wholeness is to be achieved (p. 43).
Wicca religion (also called Pagan Witchcraft) is a duo-theistic belief system, worshipping Goddess and God. Described as occultic, it is virulently anti-Christian. Firstly, its basic form is a coven, usually consisting of 13 people in mockery of Christ and His 12 disciples. Secondly, Wiccans often perform in the nude, and sexual rituals are key to their ceremonies.
Researcher Joanne Pearson describes the Wiccans ritual space in clear terms. A “space of resistance, in which the sexual morals of Christianity and patriarchy can be subverted”. (Pearson, Wicca and the Christian Heritage, 2007) Indeed, since its inception, Wicca has become extremely popular among dedicated feminists. Wicca is especially appealing to those who abhor the idea of authority emanating from God the Father.
Wicca is a duo-theistic belief system which is virulently anti-Christian, worshipping Goddess and God.
Wicca, witchcraft and abortion
Zappone, a supporter of abortion rights, holds high respect for Wicca, where abortion holds key ritualistic significance. For example, Abigail Seidman, whose mother was a practitioner of witchcraft, stated the following in an interview:
“There were a lot of things that were not talked about outside of the [Wicca] group… You had to have had an abortion. That was considered the initiation rite [into Wicca] and you didn’t get to learn about certain things or go to any kind of ceremonies until you’ve had your first abortion.”
YouTube Video, “Abigail Seidman: Pagan Religion and the Abortion Industry”
In her book, The Sacrament of Abortion, Professor Ginette Paris, a radical feminist, discusses the overlap between ‘goddess religion’ and abortion. In short, she justifies, not only the importance of abortion in Wicca, but the legitimacy which Goddess religion gives it.
“Abortion is a sacred act…and expression of maternal responsibility.” …“In most Goddess religions … It is morally acceptable that a woman who gives life may also destroy life under certain circumstances.” …“It is not immoral to choose abortion; [but] simply another kind of morality, a pagan one.” …“Our culture needs new rituals as well as laws to restore to abortion its sacred dimension, which is both terrible and necessary.”
Professor Ginette Paris, The Sacrament of Abortion (Spring Publications, 1998)
Zappone’s beliefs provide the foundation for the social policy changes she is spearheading and has advocated as Minister.
Witchcraft and LGBT
Exalting sexual activity to a place of religious significance is standard practice in witchcraft. Unsurprisingly, paralleling Zappone’s embrace of witchcraft is her fulsome embrace and promotion of LGBT-ism. Indeed, this approach is underpinned by Zappone’s own biographical writing.
In their book, Our Lives Out Loud, Zappone and Gilligan wrote that “The most likely place for her [Zappone] to experience sacred essence is in her love partnership with Ann Louise.” (p. 187)
When Christians ‘put a bullet through her soul,’ and when [Katherine] witnessed her beloved Ann Louise suffer at the hands of Church leaders, [her] spiritual grip of the Christian God dissolved, and slowly Katherine, with others, began to chart new territory for faithful feminists… Katherine meets sacred presence now, uninhibited by the ongoing male mediation of a Father and Son God. The most likely place for her to experience sacred essence is in her love partnership with Ann Louise.
Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan, Our Lives Out Loud, p. 187.
In witchcraft and Satanism, the only boundary to sexual practice is that of consent. This stands in contrast to the control of sexual impulse in almost every major religion in the world.
However, in Wicca, sexual amorality is the creed. For example, as one Wiccan author states, “physical pleasure is an act of worship…[we] connect with the God or Goddess through ecstasy” [Ann-Marie Gallagher, Wicca for everday living, p.24].
Promoting Wiccan beliefs in public policy
It is little surprise then that Zappone’s policy making has served to advance the cause of LGBT-ism. Since taking office, promoting LGBT-ism among the country’s youth has been prominent in her policy making. In 2016, she initiated the creation of an LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy, the first of its kind in the world.
The Strategy suggests that (i) all professionals in the teaching and health sectors of the public service undergo LGBT training, (ii) that schools have gender-neutral toilets and uniforms, and (iii) that sex-education be pro-LGBT. Such policy initiatives adhere closely to Zappone’s own beliefs, as a homosexual who has practised witchcraft.
It is unclear as to whether Zappone’s advisors share her passion for witchcraft. However, one of her two special advisors, Jerry O’Connor, was in a homosexual relationship as of March 2018. Subsequently, Mayvine Guriyan, the “husband” of Jerry O’Connor, was convicted of a sexual assault on a homeless teenager in Dublin.
Since this, it appears that Zappone has made no comment on the case. Further, Jerry O’Connor remained her special advisor, on a salary of €95,441 until leaving in 2019 to work for an oil industry body. However, as of January 2020, O’Connor states as one of his achievements while working for Zappone on his LinkedIn profile. “Communicate[d] across all media platforms reform of supports for child victims of sex abuse.”
Mayvine Guriyan, the “husband” of Jerry O’Connor, Zappone’s special advisor, was convicted in 2018 of a sexual assault on a homeless teenager in Dublin.
Christianity is a Danger to Society
2. Zappone has suggested that Christian beliefs are not just a delusion but a real danger to society.
Zappone’s book The Hope of Wholeness contains a fulsome critique of many key aspects of Christian theology. For example, Zappone refers to Scripture’s account of the origins of humanity in Genesis 3:1-20, as “sexist and ecocidal” (p. 125). She also criticises the “patriarchal ideologies of Scripture” as having a destructive influence on society, particularly women (p. 9, 40).
(Zappone, The Hope of Wholeness, p. 125).
Zappone critiques Christian beliefs as “irresponsible”
In many ways, it is the framework of the Christian message which Zappone despises. For instance, she sees the Christian portrayal of God as Father as irresponsible, as this image “does not support human responsibility for the world” (p. 90). That is to say, worshipping a “Father God” makes one negligent in caring for the earth.
Likewise, Zappone blasts the Christian religion as, in “innumerable ways” having “sustained woman’s inferior position in society and in the spiritual journey” (p. 123). The message of Jesus Christ that the kingdom of God is at hand is to Zappone “totally unacceptable” as this, through history, is what “legitimates and sustains the power of the military” (p. 90).
“Patriarchal rituals” are “dangerous to our health” – Zappone
Even the simple gathering of the faithful is not off-limits to Zappone’s criticism. Rather, the weekly worship of Father God by Christians all around the world is dangerous to their health. To clarify, in Zappone’s own words, “to continue to seek nourishment and Sacred presence within the rhythm of patriarchal ritual is dangerous to our health” (p. 148).
However, Zappone sees her own views as a valuable alternative. In short, embracing her dogma would be a “healthy uprooting of past assumptions and beliefs, especially for those who inherited the stories and symbols of biblical religions” (p. 111). Likewise, Biblical religion and its influence must be uprooted and replaced with the insights and values of witchcraft.
In Zappone’s eyes, the weekly worship of Father God by Christians all around the world is dangerous to their health.
From beliefs to policy
For Zappone, belief is the foundation of action and policy. Therefore, in a recent comment to the Irish Times, she described herself. ” As somebody who has already been keen on getting things done, combining my radical, idealistic spirit with a pragmatic approach“.
In conclusion, laws are a vehicle for Zappone. That is to say, laws are the means by which society is shaped and her vision of the world advanced. Consequently, Zappone had no reservation in making this clear during a speech in Christchurch, Dublin in May 2015. Describing her interpretation of the Old Testament term “Promised Land”, she declared. “The ‘Land’ that I and many other human rights activists seek is a set of laws, systems, social and environmental conditions“.
Zappone could not have been clearer. For her, laws and the drafting of legislation hold almost spiritual significance as she shapes the world into her image.
“The ‘Land’ that I and many other human rights activists seek is a set of laws, systems, social and environmental conditions“.
Katherine Zappone, The Promise of Freedom Address, 17 March 2015.