DUBLIN WAY OF THE CROSSTHE EFFECTS of betrayal of trust on society, on those abused and by those who failed to protect the abused, were addressed by Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin during “Way of the Cross” ceremonies yesterday.
“Think of the harm done by infidelity. Fidelity should be a pillar of economic relations,” he said.
“Think of the harm done to the fabric of society, when a climate of mistrust is created by a culture where quick profit may be more important than building a sustainable future for all,” he said.
“Think of the harm done by infidelity, by those who acted in the name of Jesus, by those who abused and those who failed to protect. Think of the many promises made to the poor of the world: international commitments, goals, packages and agreements, which remain unfulfilled and are replaced by more of the same.”
He was speaking at the Papal Cross in Dublin’s Phoenix Park yesterday at the completion of a “Way of the Cross” procession which began at the Wellington monument at 12.30pm. It was organised by Communion and Liberation and about 400 people took part. At each of the five stations there were readings from the gospel, singing of hymns, readings from various spiritual works and a reflection by Archbishop Martin.
At the Wellington monument he spoke of Jesus on the cross surrounded by “ordinary respectable good citizens, looking for and enjoying vengeance”. He prayed to “keep us away from all sense of vindictiveness, of rejoicing in the humiliation of others who may be much better people than we are”.
The second station marked the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. “Judas does not just betray: his very presence is hypocritical,” he said. “He feels he can somehow be with the company of Jesus and still lead a double life. Judas, that sad figure, hears the words of Jesus: ‘You are clean, but not all of you’.” Judas “followed Jesus in the hope of achieving power and success. Poor Judas: he is the easiest to condemn. The other disciples are no great examples either. In so many ways we are so like Judas.”
At the third station, Jesus is denied by Peter. The archbishop pointed to the serenity of Christ as the mob bay for his blood. “We could all quote cases where loud voices of support and political correctness turn out to be as short-lived as the promise by Peter never to deny Jesus,” he said.
“Peter feels that by denying one time after another, somehow his untruth would go away, would be turned into truth. Falsehood leads only to deeper falsehood. Lack of integrity and authenticity has damaged Irish society; lack of integrity has damaged the body of Christ.”
At the fourth station Jesus is sentenced to death. Here the archbishop warned against tailoring the message of Jesus to the fashion of the times. “Our interpretation of the message of Jesus can move rapidly from being authoritarian and uncompromising and bound with the past, to being all too accommodating and ‘modern’,” he said. “We do not have designer crosses,” he added.
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