Police are investigating a report of an alleged assault on Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell after a confrontation involving jailed teacher Enoch Burke at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh.
The incident happened on Thursday 29th October, after Archbishop McDowell arrived by car within the grounds of the Cathedral. Mr Burke followed the Church of Ireland Primate from the Cathedral grounds to the door of See House, which is on the opposite side of the road.
A police spokesperson confirmed that officers had been contacted.
“Police are investigating a report of an assault on a member of the clergy at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh on Thursday 29th October. Police enquiries are ongoing.”
Confrontation outside See House
According to footage described in the report, Mr Burke repeatedly questioned Archbishop McDowell as the Archbishop tried to walk towards his home. The Archbishop was said to have appeared visibly uncomfortable and distressed, and raised his hand several times in an attempt to shield himself from a phone being used to film the encounter.
The report states that Mr Burke was seen attempting to grasp the Archbishop’s arm, while the Archbishop’s path was blocked several times. Archbishop McDowell told him that he was going about his lawful business and warned that he would report him to police if he continued assaulting him.
Mr Burke repeatedly challenged the Archbishop over his treatment and his role within the Church of Ireland. He called him “a traitor” and “a deceiver”, and said he had spent 700 days in prison while the Archbishop remained silent.
As the Archbishop and the Dean of Armagh, Very Rev Shane Forster, entered the grounds of See House, the Dean warned Mr Burke and those filming that they were trespassing on private property and that police would be called. The door was then closed.
Burke’s dispute with Wilson’s Hospital School
Mr Burke has been jailed on four separate occasions during a legal dispute that began four years ago, after he was suspended from his teaching position at Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath.
The Church of Ireland-run school directed him to refer to a pupil who was transitioning by the pupil’s new name and to use the chosen pronoun “they”. Mr Burke refused, saying that the instruction conflicted with his religious beliefs. He continued attending the school after being placed on administrative suspension.
The school subsequently sought a High Court injunction and was successful. Mr Burke was jailed for the first time in September 2022 after breaching the order and being found in contempt of court. He has since been jailed on three further occasions as the dispute continued through the courts.
Mr Burke has maintained his opposition to the school’s direction and has refused to back down. His protest in Armagh brought the dispute to the doorstep of Archbishop McDowell, who is described in the report as the head of the Church of Ireland and the patron of Wilson’s Hospital School.
What happened after the Archbishop entered See House
After the Archbishop and Dean went inside, Mr Burke described the situation as “disgraceful” before addressing the camera from the doorstep. He accused Archbishop McDowell of misleading Church of Ireland members and blamed him for his imprisonment.
Mr Burke also argued that Archbishop McDowell, as Primate of All Ireland and the person who appoints the school’s Board of Management, could have prevented his imprisonment by intervening. He said the Archbishop was a “traitor to Church of Ireland doctrine” and warned that the matter could not be allowed to continue.
The source report does not state whether any arrest or charge has been made. Police enquiries remain ongoing.