RSS
Opinion


Home Page > Opinion > The Irish people should help choose Catholic bishops

Blogs


 Helpful Links

comment on article 11 Comments
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail

The Irish people should help choose Catholic bishops

Church must be answerable to the faithful

By
TIM PAT COOGAN
,
Special to IrishCentral.com
Published Friday, January 8, 2010, 2:22 PM
Updated Saturday, January 9, 2010, 2:47 PM
Read more: Christianity, Culture and Lifestyle, Religion, Roman Catholicism, Vatican, Rome, Ireland


The fallout of all the abuse in the Catholic Church has cast a dark shadow on Irish life.

Given the scale of what is happening in the Irish Catholic Church, the only meaningful departure would be that of the Pope himself.

As Cardinal Ratzinger he was probably the best informed man in the Vatican, being both Prefect of the powerful Congregation of the Faith and Dean of the College of Cardinals. These offices mean that he was privy to the ever swelling tide of reports on clerical sex abuse which poured into the Vatican during his tenure in office from every diocese in the world.  

Even non-Catholics are free to access the vast accounts of clerical abuse, available on the web, like a vast open sewer.

But apparently the Pontiff has no intention of resigning. Instead, he intends to send Ireland a letter. Presumably it will be prepared by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, as were Pope John Paul II’s Irish speeches prepared by the then Bishop Daly.

If that letter ever does get sent, it will be the most unpopular, and ineffective, Papal missive to arrive in Ireland since the Papal Rescript of 1888 which the British-inspired Pope Leo X111 issued condemning the Plan of Campaign, which was a plan to help tenant farmers. 

Instead of arguments over whether or not a handful of bishops should be hung out to dry, the Irish public should be discussing how they, the people, who in the end pick up the tab for all that is happening in both Church and State, should be concentrating on developing a mechanism whereby the laity would henceforth have a say in the selection of future bishops.

I would strongly urge that our Government tell Rome that henceforth a small, but experienced, lay panel be appointed to vet any short list prepared to fill Episcopal vacancies. Ideally the panel should include a mother, preferably with some knowledge of psychiatry.

Secondly, as a direct  response to the arrogance and tardiness of the Papal Nuncio in Ireland dealing with the Murphy Inquiry,  that we close down our embassy to the Holy See and henceforth deal with the Vatican through our  embassy in Rome.

These are not matters of faith. The question of clerical sex abuse is one which has serious  financial, educational and emotional implications for an Irish society struggling to find a new economic and psychological identity for itself in the midst of chaos.

The money from the sale of the beautiful, but costly, Vatican embassy could go to restoring the Budget cuts in facilities available to blind persons for example. 

1 2 3 4 Next page >

Vote now - Buzz this story up!


The Irish people should help choose Catholic bishops | IrishCentral


print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


Most recent comments - See all comments

Report abuse
Posted by MAGHNUS on Mar 16, 2010, 04:55 AM EDT
Oh yeah, they should help them alright, right into the prison cart where they belong...child molesting fags. They can have their own special mob of butt buddies in jail, whereas they will be the new choir boys....see how they like it. (They probably would)
Report abuse
Posted by Temerity on Feb 28, 2010, 05:45 PM EST
Well then while we are at it let us further this witch hunt take up arms against fathers, grandfathers ,uncles ect.who perpetuate incest and pedophilia .Violence against women and children in all kinds of sex abuse serious and real physical violence , as well as not so serious ect. and who are protected within families this would then include wives and mothers who do not protect themselves or their children who simply hide it behind closed doors. Let us then turn to parents and ask them why they do not bring up their children to have enough character and self respect to repell these predators.Then men and women who breed children and then desert them and they have to be brought up in intitutions. And finally let us look at the majority of cared for children within the Catholic system who were never molested sexually who were happily brought up and educated by good nuns and brothers.The majority friends.The majority. How about atacking the porn on the Internet ,producers and directors of dodgy films the list goes on and on.Why just the Church? What
Report abuse
Posted by McNamara31 on Jan 19, 2010, 04:35 PM EST
TonydeNewYork...Google Fr. Tom Doyle, Vatican canon lawyer sent to investigate and produce report on "sex abuse" problem within the church over twenty years ago. Then, you will understand why people feel Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict was aware of everything.
Report abuse
Posted by hrhhrhhrh on Jan 12, 2010, 08:29 PM EST
TonydeNewYork writes, "This is one of the most hate fill (hate-filled or hateful?) anti(-)c(C)atholic article(s) i(I) have ever read. If speaking the plain truth is anti-Catholic, then you are correct. BTW, Tony, why not take that course in remedial English now. You REALLY need it.
Report abuse
Posted by TonydeNewYork on Jan 12, 2010, 07:15 PM EST
This is one of the most hate fill anti catholic article i have ever read.
Report abuse
Posted by LilPaddy on Jan 11, 2010, 11:09 PM EST
Mr Coogan is saying so many of the things that I as a 58 to 1960 abused 'Daingean resident' offered as input in this story (to Niall O'Dowd; but I guess he is too busy to reply to voice and/or emails). As I wanted to include my experience there, and why I now feel that we (particularly us Irish) 'may be allowing' the throwing of (non pedophile and/or sadist types) Archbishops and others UNDER THE BUS for having surcum to a 'Vatican enforced Indoctrination/Culture of SILENCE AND OBEDIENCE'... KEEPING IN MIND..NOT ALL GERMANS WERE NAZI'S.... Well anyway, if any of you have influence with Mr. Pat Coogan, and think he would be inclined to print what it was that I offered Mr O'Dowd? Have him call u.s. 951-264-7103 or www.icvmbf.org


IrishCentral on Twitter




remember me on this computer
forget your password?     
IrishCentral.com is also home to Irish Voice and Irish America magazine