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Irish bishop says he almost left Catholic Church for love

By
PATRICK ROBERTS
,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Friday, January 22, 2010, 7:23 AM
Updated Friday, January 22, 2010, 8:05 AM


Bishop Willie Walsh

One of Ireland's leading bishops has revealed he almost left his vocation after he fell in love, but eventually decided to stay where he was. He also stated he would like to see women be permitted to become priests.

Bishop Willie Walsh of Killaloe in Clare, who is 75 and retiring, said "There would have been a small number of people in my life that I would have felt very attracted to and would have loved the opportunity of... indeed visualizing them as a partner for life.

"Certainly, there was a small number of people. Thankfully, I don't feel that I ever exploited that friendship," he said.

"Some of them would be some of my closest friends still and to whom I would have been very attracted towards at all levels of feeling and I would feel confident that those feelings were reciprocated.

"I gradually convinced myself that this was the best way for me. There is no guarantee if I left priesthood at that time that I would have been happy in marriage," he said. "There was a period during my 40s when I did seriously consider leaving priesthood, but looking back on it now I'm glad I didn't," he said. Walsh was speaking to a local radio station Clare FM.

Asked why he considered leaving, Walsh said: "I never had difficulty about the values that Christ gave us, but certainly I would have struggled with faith and certain aspects of our moral teaching and so on.

"Also perhaps at times an over-emphasis (by the church) in the area of sexuality and perhaps not enough emphasis in the area of justice.

"I gradually convinced myself that this was the best way for me. There is no guarantee if I left priesthood at that time that I would have been happy in marriage," he said.

Walsh -- who will remain Bishop of Killaloe until his successor is appointed, also re-opened the debate on women becoming priests -- by stating that he would welcome it.

"I would certainly have no difficulty if it was seen that that was the right way to proceed. I would welcome it," he said.

"I really believe -- and I have said this on a number of occasions -- that if somehow women had been more seriously involved in decision-making in the church, I think that this dreadful tragedy would not have happened," he said.

"I certainly always find that if I am faced with a very serious human issue, I would tend by instinct -- if I wanted to consult someone -- I would consult a woman friend."

Walsh also said he would be telling the Pope during a meeting later this month how disappointed he was with the Vatican response to the sexual abuse crisis.

"I was quite disappointed with the response of the Vatican to the Murphy commission when they were asked to respond and giving excuses that it should have through the Department of Foreign Affairs.

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Posted by abbaetienne on Jan 24, 2010, 11:43 PM EST
Shows he's a real man, in tune with his own masculinity and recognising that love of a woman is holy, good and beautiful. Yet he chose to be true to his vow. Oh if all our bishops had fallen in love with a woman. Oh that all our bishops, like the bishops of old, had the choice to follow Christ in the sacrament of Holy Matrimony in which they would experience what is meant when Paul wrote "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the Church". How can an unmarried man possibly understand this?
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Posted by SingleDonald on Jan 23, 2010, 10:28 PM EST
My heart goes out to this Bishop! He did what he thought best, some 30 years ago. Others who did/do the opposite, however, should not earn our scorn. I recently posted on an old story, regarding celibacy. In it, I said that feelings for the opposite sex can't be wished away; they will always be there. I advocated that priests, and sisters be allowed to marry. I further said that nobody should object to a priest dating a woman in his own parish. If some deep counseling was performed, then a buffer zone, say a year, should be established. After the year, the female parishioner should no longer be in a vulnerable state, and the socializing could proceed. I laugh at Catholics, and fundamentalists (like Baptists) who still believe that "impure thoughts", like imagining a close encounter with Jennifer Aniston, will "send us to hell", unless we ask God's forgiveness. Any god who would do so, for such a normal activity, would be a tyrant! Sexuality should only be considered sinful if the partner is taken advantage of. So long as both are of legal age, and neither is married, the Catholic Church should stop preaching medieval doctrines to repress human sexuality, down to our very thoughts!
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Posted by kickstar on Jan 22, 2010, 10:10 PM EST
Anyone who can God in this church of idol worshipers would see no fault in their bishops, 'Portia' You are very correct in Ancient times Peoples were led in faith by Female leaders who were of course more reliable and trustworthy than their male counterparts, But in the church of graft and corruption they could not rely on them not to blow the whistle and so subsequently the only females this bunch can attract are a bitter condescending hoard of frustrated penileavertisctic sadists whom we call nuns a better name would have been Nones.
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Posted by abbaetienne on Jan 22, 2010, 07:07 PM EST
jacersisityourself....I did not say that compulsory celibacy is the cause, although, In some individuals compulsory celibacy certainly is a factor. I said there is something deeply unhealthy about the hierarchical Church and that "something" is bigger than compulsory celibacy. In any case, compulsory celibacy is built on a very dangerous foundation and eventually was forced on the Church for all the wrong reasons. In any case, to try and placate our selves we RC's have no right to try and pull the splinter out of other's eyes whilst ignoring the log in our own. Your worrying response re "Catholic-bashers" perhaps reveals more about your own fears.
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Posted by barneyjo on Jan 22, 2010, 06:48 PM EST
Bishop Walsh has his view and he is entitled to it. Lets face it, the Catholic Church is, well a broad "Church" with a range of views among its members.If that is his view, god luck to the man; and it is a view that I share in large measure. And for those who would decry his words, or his deeds, even after so many years in Ministry, look to the words in Scripture first. "Do not Judge others unless you yourself are prepared for judgment" Easier said than done.......!!!
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Posted by jacersisityourself on Jan 22, 2010, 05:21 PM EST
On the topic, Bishop Walsh is one of the most admired of bishops in Ireland. Over the years of service he’s given to the Irish Catholic Church and its followers, he’s always been forthright in his views in public, on radio and TV or in the press and has said what a lot of lay Irish Catholics would be afraid to say. His humility is wondrous to see and his ‘way of saying things’, quietly yet firmly, show him to be a good leader and an exceptionally good man at heart. It was therefore with some surprise that I saw him named in the Murphy Report as one of the bishops alleged to have failed to act. But I put it this way to you... I work in a career as Bishop Walsh does, except we are in very widely different fields of vocation. I have been aware of things that were not ‘right’ in my time but my objections to them were ignored or overruled by more senior people in my field of work. Does that mean that I should resign? I think not... I’ve let seniors take responsibility for ultimate decisions. We need perspective in these kinds of discussions.


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