31 Comments

• CaliforniaShamrock | Aug 06, 2011, 02:46 PM EDT

  A good Irish American nun once taught me that just because a man was ordained he wasn't always right. I think the Irish are smart enough to figure that out - loyalty to the church as the People of God doesn't mean accepting clericalism - and abuse of power.

• barneyjo | Aug 02, 2011, 07:23 AM EDT

  @MCNamara31 - I quite agree. And like yourself, I have made a conscious decision that I will not walk away from a faith and church that has shaped me in so many positive ways, leaving aside the damage I now realise I sustained in terms of my social, personal and sexual growth and awareness. I dunno. I am only one man. I am however determined to do what I can to help to rebuild my church. Regrettably, before that can happen, I think that it will have to fall much further. If, as I believe it to be the case, Christ is with his people at this time, then renewal WILL happen. That is what will happen!! To quote the poet Seamus Heaney "Believe that far shore IS reachable from here" At least that is my hope. And if I dont have that, then what do I have??

• McNamara31 | Aug 01, 2011, 09:57 AM EDT

  barneyjo.. The moral compass instilled in us by parents and church teaching is what makes us quite certain silence is not the answer rather it's the very problem. We parents had an especially hard time trying to rationalize the actions of evil men within the church from the church itself.My children were in catholic school from the time of the 2002 Boston scandel to now. Many times I have gotten to the point of leaving however my Irish mom always said:"men will never make me leave my church" and her words continue to echo in my ears.The other great sadness is that they have destroyed the legacy of these faithfull people who did without to build the churches and schools. In the US the NYT recently noted in the past few years the church has closed over 1500 churches.

• pilib04 | Jul 31, 2011, 01:38 PM EDT

  CitizenWhy, those similar words to what my dad said to me some 50 years ago. He said don't trust priests (and presumably other members of the hierarchy) when it comes to politics. He said that priests don't work for a living so they don't have the same attitudes that workers do. what he meant was that priests did not earn their living through physical labour.

• barneyjo | Jul 31, 2011, 09:57 AM EDT

  @McNamara31 - Simply put, but right on the money. In my mind I keep coming back to Sean Brady in 1975 when he committed two child victims of Brendan Smyth to silence upon pain of their own salvation. Never mind how a priest could square that with his conscience, how could any decent man? I wonder does the Cardinal have nephews or neices, or both? Would he have taken a different course of action if one of his own kin had been abused I wonder. Same goes for those posters on here who support the continuation of the status quo. Have any of them ever heard directly from a survivor of clerical abuse about how it was the ruination of their lives and of those close to them like I have? Have any of them ever talked to the parent of an abuse survivor who has taken their life because to continue living is hell? I rather suspect not, because if they had, they could not possibly hold the strident views that they appear to do. And I can only pity them for that!!

• McNamara31 | Jul 30, 2011, 10:26 PM EDT

  AngelPrecious.. I applaud Enda Kenny. How can you close your eyes to the sin and evil that has been concealed by "our" church. Do you think Christ would have stayed silent or wanted us to remain silent as children suffered?Our voices are what is correcting this evil. Without our voices nothing was done for decades.

• barneyjo | Jul 30, 2011, 07:40 AM EDT

  @AngelPrecious - Hey, dont shoot the messenger. They are not mine alone. You called me a catholic basher, I am not. I AM a Catholic who is no longer prepared to give blind obedience to the church in light of what I now know what was done, ostensibly in my name. From here on in, I will be looking for both the presence of true spirit of christ, and sincere and abject remorse in the teachings of my church. @HELMET365 - dont misunderstand me, I am severely p ed at the leadership of my church for their absolute failure in the stewardship of the church and for the consequences of their actions or rather inactions. I had thought about walking away (I still do) but why should I give up on a faith that has sustained me through some very bad times in my life because of the failings and sins of those senior clerics who have brought my church to ruin. Call me stupid if you will, but I intend to do what (little) I can to help to renew my church; and that includes opening the minds and eyes of those, like AngelPrecious who remain in denial, or cannot bring themselves to see that OUR church has tolerated for far too long, broken minds, broken bodies, and broken spirits. NO MORE. NOT IN MY NAME, OR IN THE NAME OF MY CHILDREN!!!!!

• CitizenWhy | Jul 29, 2011, 08:55 PM EDT

  My father, a regular Mass goer, used to say: "Priests are wonderful people, but don't listen to them when they talk about politics or religion." Of course he also said of politicians, "Not a good lot but sometimes some of them are right."

• helmet365 | Jul 29, 2011, 08:36 PM EDT

  Barney, Being a Mich myself i admire your loyalty to the church. Unfortunately it is this very loyalty which has allowed the clergy to get away with massive abuse as they have people like you to defend them. Clergy abuse should be zero. I refer you the an article in The Age newspaper Melbourne Australia.july 30 2011,refering to two catholic clergy child abusers with the heading 'Sex abuse led to 26 suicides:policeman.Can you name two lay people in the whole of Ireland who have done anything like this? Maybe look to the clergy to find a contender. Don't follow the sheep.

• barneyjo | Jul 29, 2011, 07:30 PM EDT

  @AngelPrecious - I am!! Catholic father of five kids, all still attending mass. I dont have any more or any less guilt than most people I guess. I KNOW I have none of the guilt that might come from crimes of child abuse, or from allowing it to happen, and then covering it up. You're right when you say that there will always be one holy catholic and apostolic church. I hope I will always be a member of the church, but I hope that it becomes the church that it was always meant to be and not the dangerously flawed version we have now!!

• gordongoblin | Jul 29, 2011, 06:54 PM EDT

  I remember when people assumed that all priests were good, or that at worst there were just a few bad apples. I hope those days are gone forever. Despite what Angel says, her holy church is not to be trusted.

• AngelPrecious | Jul 29, 2011, 06:17 PM EDT

  I would bet that NONE of the people here bashing the Catholic Church or her priests are Catholics that attend Mass every Sunday. Such Catholics would KNOW that the vast majority of priests are good, holy men of God. Methinks the guilt your soul is feeling is rationalized and turned into this hatred of anything holy because believe me, the Church is still and will always be the ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, and APOSTOLIC Church

• AngelPrecious | Jul 29, 2011, 06:13 PM EDT

  I definitely agree, Trealach, a much more appropriate comparison.

• Trealach | Jul 29, 2011, 05:55 PM EDT

  Fr. Daley would have been more accurate in his comparison of Kenny and Satan - both evil losers.

• greensod | Jul 29, 2011, 05:45 PM EDT

  Kenny needs to have this priest checked out by the Garda.He seems to be on the worng side of right.As for the apology,a big joke.

• themurphia | Jul 29, 2011, 04:34 PM EDT

  This is the most self serving excuse for an 'apology'... not even an apology... as usual the problem is with those who read it not those who wrote the original headline... If I was An Taoiseach I would not accept it...try again FFather...!

• Brolaur | Jul 29, 2011, 03:56 PM EDT

  Hard to imagine! These priests and I'm sure there are more than Daly, are so used to power that they cannot imagine being questioned. Their day is over. Their power is gone. Daly should be removed. Most priests would be appaled by his remarks.

• billyjustin | Jul 29, 2011, 03:03 PM EDT

  And nothing about the children who suffered under the ( priests and christian brothers ), in the war the vatican gave the nazis access to the jews to save their rotten city.The priests dressed in black and hide in the shadow of evil.. Billy..

• themurphia | Jul 29, 2011, 02:01 PM EDT

  The best place to hide a tree is in a forest...!

• glorybe1929 | Jul 29, 2011, 01:21 PM EDT

  FATHER DALEY COULD BE JUST ANOTHER CATERER TO THE DEVIL...HE CAN'T SEE THE FORREST FOR THE TREES. HE NEEDS TO FIND THE REAL GOD.

• glorybe1929 | Jul 29, 2011, 01:19 PM EDT

  HITLER WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE PEDOPHILES IN THE CATHOLIC cHURCH SO IS ENDA. I HOPE ENDA LEAVES THIS HELL HOLE OF A PLACE THAT CALLS IT'SELF A CHURCH AND CATERS TO THE DEVIL.

• Silling | Jul 29, 2011, 01:10 PM EDT

  I Can remember the Blue Shirts and their Fascist salutes. Perhaps Father Daley is not too far off the mark !! PS. Fine Gael were the Blue Shirts.

• Paradigm | Jul 29, 2011, 01:09 PM EDT

  What a grovelling and unworthy apology - Father T Daley is a downright disgrace - surely he owes his decent parishoners and church faithful an apology too. I'm sure most of them know by now what he was defending - dreadful!!!

• Portia777 | Jul 29, 2011, 12:24 PM EDT

  Nice to see the daily gravel.

• Silling | Jul 29, 2011, 11:42 AM EDT

  I think father Daley should be apologizing to Hitler for comparing Enda Kenny to him.

• joma5004 | Jul 29, 2011, 11:39 AM EDT

  Force this "priest" out of Iredland and out of the priesthood.

• devlenboy | Jul 29, 2011, 11:29 AM EDT

  Hi! Perhaps the wiskey priest is still on it.Even the apology smells,Imagine what the sermons are about to all the devout senior who do come to church

• nicgearailt | Jul 29, 2011, 11:18 AM EDT

  sometimes ,in life ,the most important decisions you make are..Say Nothing...and Do Nothing.Reflection is such a gift!!

• IAPRINCESS | Jul 29, 2011, 10:34 AM EDT

  Too late, He has to eat his words, if you ask me. I hope they taste like the worst laxative!

• themurphia | Jul 29, 2011, 10:25 AM EDT

  'Heil Herr Kenny'...'I regret the headline and 'misunderstandings'...I am not comparing Enda Kenny to Hitler...' Huh???...What 'misunderstandings'...? What other understanding was he trying to convey...In the context is there another Enda Kenny to whom this could apply???...If he wasn't comparing Enda Kenny to Adolf Hitler WHO was he comparing him to..? Call that an apology...??? seems like more dissembling/distorting of the actualite to avoid a possible defamation action...How much clearer could this comparison have been short of including a picture of An Taoiseach with a Hitler moustache...?

• biggles008 | Jul 29, 2011, 10:11 AM EDT

  He had to apologizes when all the country agreed with Enda.