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Journalism of Courage
LONDON, AUG 1: The Irish bishop who married Posh Spice Victoria Adams and Manchester United footballer David Beckham has come under fire by his own Church for taking part in the extravagant wedding. Paul Colton, the Church of Ireland bishop of Cork, conducted the service at the exclusive Luttrellstown Castle near Dublin earlier this month.
The Church of Ireland Gazette, published on Friday, also criticised him for giving preferential treatment to “well-heeled” celebrities. It claimed most priests would “shiver” at the ostentation of the Beckham wedding, which cost 500,000 pounds. The England football star and the pop star were paid one million pounds by a glossy magazine for exclusive photographs of the star-studded event. “We are not suggesting awe and holiness were lacking at the marriage of David and Victoria,” the newspaper’s editorial said. “But nonetheless, many parish priests will shiver as they look at the photographs that have been published — the exotic location, the extravagance, theamount of money that must have been paid out for the pictures.”The newspaper attacked the Church hierarchy for granting a special licence to the Beckhams, enabling them to marry on a Sunday in the castle grounds.The Beckhams were understood to have been granted a special marriage licence after citing security concerns. The bishop told the Daily Telegraph that he thought the Gazette article was “naive”.
