The Angelus, broadcast religiously on RTÉ One prior to the Six One news, is a staple of Irish television. Love it or hate it, it is there every evening.
Except for last night (Wednesday), when RTÉ took the decision not to broadcast the sound of the bell ringing for a minute, due to the arrival of US President Joe Biden.
In a statement sent to the Irish Mirror, an RTÉ spokesperson confirmed that the Angelus was not broadcast on Wednesday night due to Biden’s visit.
READ MORE: Comedian Alison Spittle joins calls for the Angelus to be banned from RTE
"Due to rolling news coverage of President Biden's historic visit to Ireland, The Angelus was not broadcast on RTÉ One on Wednesday evening," a spokesperson told the Irish Mirror.
They added: "The Angelus is continually available on RTÉ Player to stream at any time and is also broadcast daily on RTE Radio 1.
"RTÉ has not received any complaints regarding the non-TV broadcast of The Angelus on this once-off occasion."
The exclusion of the reflective piece of television has once again brought back up the debate surrounding the necessity of the piece on Irish television. Many people took to social media to discuss their opinion on the Angelus not being broadcast.
One person commented: "But EastEnders stops for no man, apparently."
With another adding: "Sure, when God himself is here..."
Another person joked: "You'll get a Basilica full of Angeluses when Biden appears at the grotto at Knock and speaks outside Ballina Cathedral on Friday before devotions."
While one more weighed in with their opinion: "Shouldn't be there anyway.
"No religion has any place in publicly funded services, health, education, broadcasting, transport, whatever. We need to separate Church and State."
Another questioned if RTÉ has since distanced the religious connection, posting: "Don't think it's the Angelus anymore? I think RTE refer to it as a 'moment of reflection' or something non-denom like that."
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