Fr D. Vincent Twomey, Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, has warned that “The project to make modern Ireland a secular state – primarily by consigning the Catholic Church to the sacristy – can only succeed in paving the path to anarchy.”Writing in the September issue of the religious monthly, The Word, Fr Twomey says: “If they really have the well-being of the nation at heart, politicians and other public figures would do well to reconsider their attitude, not to religions in general, but to the Catholic Church in particular, while it is still the religion of the majority.”
In a strongly worded article, the Editor-in-Chief of The Word points to the pervasive lack of moral courage in Irish society, namely corruption in business and politics and an electorate which apparently acquiesces in it.
“This lack of moral courage shows itself in various kinds of conformity. One must now wait for an anonymous whistle-blower to alert the public to corruption in business or politics, since individuals lack the moral courage to stand up and be counted. A politician found guilty of wrongful action as a bank employee some time ago still claims she was innocent – presumably because ‘everyone else was doing it’. And those who elected her seem to agree. It is what they call the ‘real world’”, he writes.
Some aspects of the disquiet which has dogged Irish society in recent years are highlighted by Fr Twomey, namely avarice and corruption in the planning process, the escalating levels of criminality, the pervasive abuse of alcohol and the increasing levels of divorce.
He warns that becoming a police state is not the answer.
“Avarice seems to be the driving force in most building projects that have transformed the country. Planning with a view to creating a better living or social environment is but a joke. The increase in every kind of crime points to a moral implosion and has led to a call for more and more Gardaí. The resulting police state would be the penultimate step to anarchy.”
He adds: “A colleague was shocked recently, driving over the border to Northern Ireland late on a Sunday night where a popular hotel is situated. Teenagers swarming out of the hotel were falling all over the road drunk. ‘It was like a scene from Dante’s hell’, he commented.
“A taxi driver passed a similar remark to me about the streets of Dublin in the early hours of the morning, when the night-clubs spew out their clientele. If people no longer have an inner life of the spirit, if they no longer see themselves in God’s eyes, then they soon lose all self-respect – and their conscience is dulled.”
The theologian also expresses alarm at the soaring number of cohabiting couples and the divorce rates amongst couples married for over 21 years.
“Since 1986, the number of people who have experienced marital breakdown has grown by over 500 per cent. But the most alarming statistic in recent months has been the increase in divorce rates among couples married for 21 to 30 years (70 per cent in the last four years) – even people in their 70s. Everyone doing their own thing is a definition of anarchy.”
The former student of Pope Benedict concludes: “The Church, if she is to touch and transform people’s lives and so restore their lost dignity and integrity, must first put her own house in order.”
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