AN IRISH priest has called for the Church to accept it has 'lost Christmas' and abandon the word as it has been hijacked by commercialism.
Catholic priest Fr Desmond O'Donnell who ministers in Co Fermanagh urged Christians to accept the term 'Christmas' does not have any sacred meaning anymore.
Fr O'Donnell told the Belfast Telegraph: "We've lost Christmas, just like we lost Easter, and should abandon the word completely.
"We need to let it go, it's already been hijacked and we just need to recognise and accept that."
Fr O'Donnell insisted he was not a Scrooge, and did not wish to deny non-believers their festive celebrations.
"I am not seeking to take anything away from anyone, I am simply asking that space be preserved for believers for whom Christmas has nothing to do with Santa and Reindeer.
"My religious experience of true Christmas, like so many others, is very deep and real - like the air I breathe.
"But non-believers deserve and need their celebration too, it's an essential human dynamic and we all need that in the toughness of life."
Fr O'Donnell said he was trying to 'rescue' the reality of Christmas by replacing the name with another word.
"I'm all for Christians choosing to celebrate Christmas by going out for meals and enjoying a glass of wine, but the commercialisation of anything is never good."
"I'm just trying to rescue the reality of Christmas for believers by giving up 'Christmas' and replacing it with another word."
He also admitted that he wasn't hopeful about the Church being willing to change, but warned that its refusal to do so will have consequences.
"It will mean that secularisation and modern life will continue to launder the Church.
"It will start to institutionally break down, I've already seen it happening around the world in Malta, Poland and Uruguay, and it's starting to happen in Ireland.
"It's like watching the same movie over and over again - the Protestant Churches are battling too."
The Dublin-based Oblate priest added: "For many people God is just a word representing someone to blame in their calamity or a crutch to lean on in a time of distress, and the reality is that 'Christmas' no longer means Christmas."
