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E-mailLeading Irish Catholic priest: Child sex-abuse scandal 'goes right to the top in Rome'
Fallout spreads in Ireland from Church scandal
Published Sunday, November 29, 2009, 9:13 AM
Updated Monday, November 30, 2009, 8:43 AM
- News / Irish Bishop under pressure from government minister to resign over church child abuse report / Clck here
- News / Irish American group wants scandal bishops out / Click here
- Niall O'Dowd column: Ground Zero in Irish Catholic child sex abuse scandal / Click here
- News/ Damning report on cover-up shocks Ireland / Click here
- Father Tim column / Time for Irish Catholic churchmen to head to the airport / Click here
- Video / TV report into shocking child and sex-abuse, cover-up by Irish Catholic Church / Click here
- News / Christian Brothers to pay $250M to abuse victims / Click here
One of Ireland's best-loved priests, Father Brian D'Arcy, has called for the resignation of clergy who knowingly covered up for child sex-abuse priests.
Five bishops who once served in the Dublin Archdiocese when the abuse was taking place and took no action have faced resignation calls over the Murphy Report, which found child sex-abuse rampant.
D'Arcy, a well-known media figure and commentator, said the findings of the Murphy Report were "absolutely sickening." And he said that when he served on the Council of Priests in Dublin during the 1990s, he never even "heard a hint" of accusations of abuse
"This is not just in the Diocese, this goes right to the top in Rome," he said.
"I must have read about a dozen reports from all over the world, from Boston right through to the Ryan Report, the Ferns report, the Dublin report and reports from Australia, and they seem just the same," he told the the "Eamonn Keane Show" on Newstalk Radio
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Posted by jacersisityourself on Dec 05, 2009, 06:29 PM ESTI am very firm and consistent, not squirming, in posting my thoughts on IC. I do take an adversarial approach against what I see as Media Misrepresentation and postings of untrue and derogatory comments. As was said recently, the Media (and I add, their lackeys - that would include hate-filled anti-Catholic, un-Christian people) have to be careful that they do not become the ‘New Oppressors’. I will not shirk from anyone - including wiz, kickstar, media people or others - unjustifiably (note I said UN-justifiably) attacking the goodness of the Church that I’ve firmly and freely chosen after much soul-searching to practice my faith in Jesus through (I’ve been privileged to visit the tombs or relics of most of the original Apostles, said me prayers etc in front of the relics). I often criticise my Church as it is today and some of its priests and practices, yet I know its goodness and Truth better. Over some years, in private with friends I did say, and now unashamedly in public, do call for bishops named in the Murphy Report and others to resign their positions because they failed to protect the vulnerable, as Jesus protected a vulnerable Mary Magdalene. I don’t know all the facts about Pope Benedict’s role in these Irish events (and elsewhere for that matter) but on the face of what is so far presented, I’d even call for him to look at what he may have failed to do and consider abdication before his and our Christ. New leadership is needed, right now. If defending my chosen Church against unjustifiable attacks on its wholeness makes people sick, I am sorry... I pray speedy recovery through the love and forgiveness of Jesus.
Posted by jacersisityourself on Dec 05, 2009, 06:19 PM EST
I have never once attempted to belittle the horrors delivered upon children nor have I ever defended abusers as my postings here and elsewhere on IrishCentral hopefully show. I have been a regular contributor to various debates on IC since last March. It is a pity that the new format on IC no longer allows any one of us IC readers to check back to our previous contributions and those of others’ because everybody including wiz would have been able to see what I posted on IC on any topic in the past. I repeat here what I’ve said previously (mostly under Fr. Tim’s and Megan Finnegan’s articles) - that the Catholic Church and its hierarchy and those of other Christian Churches, including all of the Orthodox Churches, must return to the simple practices of Christianity as they were in the first centuries after Christ. I pointed out then that the earliest Christians had celebrated ‘Mass’ in their own homes DAILY with no priest present or a Bible to hand to read from (‘cos it wasn’t written until some 80 years after Christ’s time on earth and certainly wasn’t mass-distributed in those early centuries, neither could most people read or write back then). In those times too, almost all family and media things were by word of mouth. To me personally that means the Bible is slightly secondary to Christian Tradition (word of mouth), though these are regarded equal in Catholicity today. (More...)
Posted by jacersisityourself on Dec 05, 2009, 06:11 PM EST
I am humbly happy to accept wizardofoz’ apologies and appreciation that most priests are good. My main points in this debate have been to: 1) defend the majority of priests who are good and 2) attack media printing headlines worded in such ways as to daub ALL priests, of whatever rank of the Catholic Church, as evil abusers. In the way that media print headlines, I am not unaware of the use of words, fonts and editorialist practices. The way that many media make headlines is designed to make it eye-catching, shock-prompting, must-readable, and therefore a buyable, money-raking rag for the company/medium presenting these kinds of headlines. Gutter-press exercises. How many media moguls on our planet can you count on your 10 fingers/digits? How many popes of media does make up? It is these practices, going right to the top, that daubed good priests everywhere with the sins of the evil ones and which I fight against in this debate. (More...)
Posted by jacersisityourself on Dec 05, 2009, 06:05 PM EST
Barneyjo will probably appreciate this. I’m back from a bit of Christmas shopping in today’s miserable wet Irish weather, sipping some soup. Fortunately, I kept a copy of my failed postings and now re-post them, hoping they get through the internet ether or past a ‘maybe-anti-jacers’ IC sub-editor. Yes, I agree barneyjo: St. Isadore, the Patron Saint of computer users and others, including schoolchildren, may have stepped in! But I’ll have a go and see if my slightly-edited re-postings get through with or without St. Isadore’s permission. (Believe this or not – before I post anything online in debates relating to religion, I say a wee prayer to the Holy Spirit of Wisdom. I have several times reviewed pre-typed up comments and cancelled posting them. Amazing how that’s happened not a few times; goes to show that I and potential readers of me thoughts are beholden to a careful Spirit. My previous postings, the ones that failed to get through, and hopefully now following, will get through. Like B’jo, I’m happy to let God be the Judge in His love (More... In chapters, feranbegawdsake forgive me!)
Posted by jacersisityourself on Dec 05, 2009, 07:48 AM EST
I've posted a couple of replies to posts by others but they've not it made online. Probably like barneyjo's comment under another article, they've disappeared in the internet ether. Or blocked by some IC sub-editor posing as a commentor who knows my points are too strong in truth. Alas...
Posted by barneyjo on Dec 04, 2009, 06:19 PM EST
Wizard, thanks for your follow-up post on this. I think where we differ on this point is I am content to let the Judgment of our Lord and Saviour to be the final verdict on paedophile priests, and others who have committed the same henious acts. My piddling viewpoint is going to count for very little in the History of the Universe.No, we will all stand in Judgment before God to account for our thoughts words and deeds - best not to presume what God's Judgements might be, even less put those judgements to the test.....just in case our humanity might get in the way.
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