"...this storm threatens the wreck of the ship of the church; and hence it is that I, a timid sailor, cry out, "Keep watch, for the water has already made its entrance into the vessel, and the ship is in jeopardy..."These words were written by no less an Irishman than St Columbanus, to the then Pope, Boniface IV, in the 7th century - words that carry the same urgency and appeal as they did 14 centuries ago!!
The recent publication of the Health Service Executive (HSE) investigation into the Diocese of Cloyne has brought to the fore a subject which has steadfastly refused to go away for the Irish Roman Catholic church.
It will not do so until such time as it is effectively, honestly and appropriately dealt with, and not just 'managed' by the Hierarchy, who then attempt to side sweep it and no doubt hope and pray it shall remain that way.
However, after reflecting on this matter during the past few days, and having spoken with colleagues, it must be stated that even though the bishops may be giving their support and endorsement to the Child Protection Policy adopted, they very rarely actually give credence to putting them into force.
The one issue that stands out from the sage that is Cloyne is the ineffectiveness of the head of the fiefdom, Bishop John Magee, yet he remains as patron of 150 schools throughout the diocese. If that was the head of a different organisation, they would have been stepped down with immediate effect and face prosecution by the civil authorities.
On this blogspot heretofore, I have made reference to the special and cosy position the Irish RC Church has with the State and its agencies, notably An Garda Síochána (Irish 'police'), and there is no doubt in my mind and that of colleagues that this cosy cartel type relationship has yet again facilitated non-prosecution of clergy.
However, such inaction has led to the continued abuse of innocent children, the continued perverse actions of clergy going unchallenged and non-prosecution of aforementioned clergy and their superiors - in effect, the lack of action on behalf of the civil authorities is a form of abuse of the victims time and again.
One would never think that the special position of the Roman Catholic Church was removed from the Irish Constitution back in the early 1970's by a MAJORITY vote!!!
Personally, I am of the belief that;
* Bishop Magee SHOULD be stepped down with immediate effect by Rome, seeing as he is so arrogant in the belief that he has a right to remain on in his position;
* Archbishop Martin has FAILED to explicitly answer for such inaction on this by Rome, as indeed has Cardinal Brady who was in the Vatican in very recent days;
* Archbishop Clifford, Archbishop Neary, Bishops Kelly, Kirby, McAreavey, Freeman, Hegarty, and O'Reilly should be made to account for their remarks of support for Magee in this matter;
* every single one of the Irish RC dioceses in this country should be subjected to an audit, carried out preferably by an authority not composed of persons in Ireland, but rather from other countries where full, impartial and thorough investigations have already taken place;
* any archbishop, bishop or other cleric who obstructs, hinders or fails to work with such an investigation should be immediately arrested and charged for such an offence (with An Garda Síochána, they can rest easy from that happening!!), with a minimum sentence of 10 years behind bars for it;
* every single priest in this country have a full background check carried out and can only be licensed to minister once this has been cleared - this should be done every 5 years;
* any archbishop / bishop who knowingly permits a priest or religious with a questionable record to minister should be held to account for it and stepped down from office whilst under investigation;
* no deference would be shown to any clergy of any rank, most especially where the lives of children are concerned;
* ALL victims of Clerical CSA should be listened to, encouraged to participate and help find some resolution for themselves, and perhaps others, because not until the victims are helped can the church ever hope to begin to heal!!!
At this time, what also is worrying is the silence of the Papal Nuncio to Ireland, His Excellency Most Reverend Dr. Giuseppe Leanza, Titular Archbishop of Lilybaeum, (pictured here) who no doubt shall be reporting this piece to head office in Rome.
If, like myself and other colleagues, you too feel that Bishop Magee should be made step down - even if under Canon Law proviso of mental infirmity or health - then get in touch with him as follows...
His Excellency Most Reverend Dr. Giuseppe Leanza,
The Apostolic Nunciature
183 Navan Road
Dublin 7
Tel: +353(0)1 838 0577 / Fax: +353(0)1 838 0276
...and do not hesitate to let him know of YOUR dissatisfaction in relation to all of this.
The most practical way of course would be to withhold your collection money, and I for one, would not be upset at this idea because this is what it took in the USA when Cardinal Law was in charge...and we all know how that worked for him!!
Dear friends in Christ, our children are our most precious gifts to us from God, and we are ALL entrusted with their protection and once that is betrayed, then we are ALL accountable for our failures.
When we are not held to account, then the abuse continues under a different guise and the victims continue to feel unheard.
I will listen, I will help, but I cannot heal until YOU heal.
Let me finish with the words from St Columbanus further to those above, and as we read them, let us keep each other in our prayers and thoughts....
"Watch, therefore, I beg you, Pope, watch, and again I say watch!...your carelessness will be the destruction of many."
Sotto Voce