Comedian Oliver Callan believes the Catholic Church stopped him coming out sooner as a gay man.
The star was 30 when he came out publicly on The Saturday Night Show.
Growing up gay in Inniskeen, Co Monaghan he had so many questions about religion in society.
Oliver, 38, said: “When it comes down to the nitty gritty of where you grew up, very rarely would you have heard homophobia from the pulpit in mass itself.
“It was just never talked about, so you grow up and discover something that no one has ever mentioned to you before, growing up in similar circumstances and culture.”
The lack of openness on homosexuality in his parochial town made him question how people would react to his sexuality.
He added: “I do feel if it’s never talked about then how do you raise a subject that you know everyone is trying to avoid, or has never mentioned before?
“You wonder do those people around you even know about it, have they every thought about it, if it hasn’t been discussed.”
The famous satirist was shocked that people did not realise he was gay when he eventually opened up.
He said: “I thought at that stage because I was so late that everyone would say, Ah yeah we knew, and it would be fine, but they didn’t.”
The presenter was struck by social entrepreneur Ruairi McKiernan who in the documentary asked whether we are letting young people down by dismissing faith and making it uncool.
The 38-year old explained to the RTE Guide: “If kids are growing up in a world where they’re told spirituality doesn’t matter or is rubbish, there is obviously going to be a gap there.”
The comic said the youth of today are no longer interested in religion adding: “Any kind of religious views are embarrassing for millennials.”
“And as Charlie Chaplin said in the Great Dictator, Our knowledge has made us cynical and our cleverness has made us hard and unkind.”
The documentary maker believes we should be more accepting when it comes to religion.
He said: “If we’re so open minded about everything, then our open mindedness should extend to the majority that once controlled us and which is now a minority view, that is the Catholic faith and any kind of religious faith.
“I can’t put it in a better way, than we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.
“But with something like this you’re never trying to say this is the definitive end of this conversation, this is only the start.”
Divorcing God airs Wednesday 12 June 9.35pm RTE One
