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Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is best thing the International Eucharistic Congress has going for it

Eucharistic Congress returns to Ireland

Irish Voice Editorial,

Published Saturday, June 9, 2012, 8:31 AM

Updated Saturday, June 9, 2012, 8:32 AM

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Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin

Photo by Google Images

The Eucharistic Congress is about to return to Ireland for the first time since 1932 and it will occur in a country where the Catholic Church has taken a harsh beating in recent years.

The fact that it is in Dublin, where the one archbishop who has risen to the occasion resides, is the best thing the Congress has going for it.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has shown how a caring prelate, intent on seeing justice done, can deal with the issue of sex abuse and still remain personally popular and relevant.

Unlike fellow leaders in the Irish church, Martin has faced up to his responsibilities and maintained a dignified and coherent response to crisis after crisis.

The aim of the Congress is to encourage a revival in faith among millions of Irish Catholics.

Whether it succeeds will depend much on the message from Rome, which reaches the masses. If it is business as usual then it will surely fail.

Nster.com

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handsome68 | Jun 09, 2012, 08:17 PM EDT

In 1932, an uncle whom I never knew, Hugh Earley, attended that International Eucharistic Congress. A younger brother of my dad, Hugh died at age 18 later the same year. Fast-forward to sometime in the 1990s, when Peter Dolan, wannabe but never successful biographer of John McCormack, showed (me) some movie footage from that Congress. I remember seeing, e.g., the cardinals of both New York and Paris, joined by a clearly inebriated McCormack, all on a cigarette break from the ceremonies. Of course, I was hoping to see if Uncle Hugh popped in to ask "Anyone for tennis?" "Anyone want coffee?", or whatever. No such luck, I'm afraid. God rest them all.

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Bythebay | Jun 09, 2012, 03:31 PM EDT

Irish Voice editorial wrong again, who wrote it Debbie McGoldrick O'Dowd? Martin is a dismal failure as far as actively doing anything about abusers -- the Pope believes that as well and sent Cardinal Sean O'Malley from Boston to work with Martin to get him to understand what he has to do about the abusers and abused. The Irish Voice editors don't have experience in Ireland in Dublin with Martin's catastrophic failures for decades. The Congress was held in Dublin because it's the largest city in Ireland and most easily accessible. Not because of anything the failed Martin has done which is nothing.

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hermitTalker | Jun 09, 2012, 10:04 AM EDT

Portia; You seem to have no real understanding that the Eucharistic Congress is about JESUS who became FLESH and stays with us in Eucharist/Mass/Communion. Every single human is subject to some authority from babies to parents to teachers to simple games to Government. The Gospel is catholic, universal, we follow the Bishop of Rome because he succeeded Peter who was renamed Rock by Jesus because he told Him You are the Christ the Son of the living God and is buried underneath the High Altar in St Peter's because the atheists, "liberals" and idolators did not like to agree with Jesus. Same choice for YOU and me today. JESUS or CAESAR whatever shape he takes, paying the bankers on the backs of the poor and most vulnerable, pushing murder in the womb as a right or butting into Jesus' business in the Church.

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Portia777 | Jun 09, 2012, 09:28 AM EDT

Whether it succeeds will depend much on the message from Rome, which reaches the masses." Why are Irish Catholics under Roman Rule in 2012? Rome will spin their yarns like any mind controller. Exactly, if the masses tune into their controller, then they will hear subliminally and obey like good cult members, but if they do not turn on their TV etc, they are free.Up to every sheep to make their own decision now.

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