ONE man inspired a congregation of several hundred Mass-goers to stand and applaud the priests of their parish on Sunday.On the day the Pope’s pastoral letter was published, prompting walk-outs at Masses in Dublin, and a verbal attack on Bishop Bill Murphy in Kerry, Joe Manning, a long-serving minister of the Word in Ballincollig, Co Cork, led a remarkable show of public support at 12.30pm Mass in the town’s Christ Our Light church.
Having read the Prayers of the Faithful, Mr Manning turned to Fr McSweeney and asked for permission to address the congregation.
He said there is a real danger that all priests could be tainted by the clerical sexual abuse scandal.
He said he wanted to thank Fr George O’Mahony, parish priest, Fr James McSweeney, Fr Billy O’Sullivan and Fr Michael O’Mahony, for their work on behalf of the town.
The congregation stood spontaneously and applauded.
Fr O’Mahony, speaking yesterday, said it was wonderful to see someone like Mr Manning, "with conviction and courage," make such comments.
"It was a nice feeling, but at the same time it doesn’t take away the hurt of abuse victims or, those whose cases have been mishandled and dealt with badly," he said.
"It is a tough time to be a priest, but it is also very rewarding. I still have people coming to my door, wanting to talk about trauma, like abuse."
He also praised the involvement of lay people and said the priests’ work could not continue without that commitment.
Meanwhile, Fr O’Mahony will be among dozens of priests from the diocese of Cork and Ross due to meet Bishop John Buckley tonight to discuss child protection policies.
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