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Manhattan Diary by Cahir O'Doherty

If abuse won't cost your job in the Church, what will?

Posted on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 02:15 PM

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This morning The Irish Catholic reported that the reluctantly offered resignations of Irish Bishops Eamonn Walsh and Raymond Field have been rejected by Pope Benedict XVI.

The pair, who were both auxiliaries, were bishops during the period covered by the Murphy Comission (Bishop Ryan was in the diocese of Ferns and Bishop Field was in Dublin).

But instead of accepting their resignations the Pope has decided that Bishops Ryan and Fields will instead remain as Auxillary Bishops and will be assigned 'revised responsibilities within the diocese.'

Reassigning priests has led to a lot of trouble for the Church, but reassigning bishops is a whole new frontier. What are we to make of it?

Today an infuriated Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, told the press: 'The two bishops said, when announcing their resignation, that they hoped to bring peace and reconciliation to the victims. The pope's callous decision has done the opposite.'

I can't imagine what it must be like for a group of gravely wronged lay people to lay siege to an organization as large as the Vatican's, especially when their campaign to have the Church accept it's responsibility results in high-handed and enraging dismissals like the one the Pope just delivered them this morning.

It must hurt them, beneath all their anger and outrage, it must genuinely hurt them - I mean, emotionally and in their souls. Because through his bewildering decision the Pope has diminished their suffering.

In their joint Christmas statement, when they originally announced their decisions to retire, Bishops Walsh and Field said they hoped their resignations would 'help to bring the peace and reconciliation of Jesus Christ to the victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. We again apologize to them.'

This morning the Pope made it clear they really didn't need to apologize for anything.

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WoundedKnee | Aug 14, 2010, 05:28 AM EDT

Carroll09: Excellent post. And note how holaback subsequently backed off from her disgusting claim. These men are guilty of incompetence, they are guilty of maladministration, they are guilty of all sorts of things, but they are not guilty of abuse, contrary to O'Doherty's dirty lie.

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JOHNTOBIN | Aug 14, 2010, 02:50 AM EDT

I would like to remind glorybe1929 that the Catholic church wrote the bible in the first place.

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hollabackgurl | Aug 14, 2010, 02:18 AM EDT

Either way, they enabled abuse to continue by looking the other way. That's what the Murphy Commission made clear.

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Carroll09 | Aug 13, 2010, 05:02 PM EDT

Hollabackgurl - given that the article is about the auxiliary bishops Walsh and Field, the headline "If abuse won't cost your job in the Church, what will?" certainly DOES infer that they are guilty of abuse. The headline clearly does not fit the story. But saying "If failing to take adequate action doesn't cost your job in the Church, what will?" doesn't create as much of a stir...don't you know that old media trick - why let truth and balanced reporting get in the way of a juicy (though unfair and possibly libellous) headline.

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knowthyself | Aug 13, 2010, 03:33 PM EDT

This is a perfect example why the church is on the decline people are leaving by the thousands churches are closing. By actions like this. I say everyone should stop supporting and giving money to the vatican.Hit them in the pocketbook. maybe they will wake up. and stop the corruption. there is nothing Holy about the Vatican. its a House of Evil with evil men in charge it should be called a House of Satan.

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hollabackgurl | Aug 13, 2010, 03:10 PM EDT

The article does not infer they abused anyone, I take it to mean they were implicated in the Murphy Commission for failing to take adequate action. Then the Church failed to relieve them of their posts (when even they had seen fit to offer their resignations).

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GeorgeDillon | Aug 13, 2010, 03:01 PM EDT

"If abuse won't cost your job in the Church, what will?" What a disgustingly mendacious headline, sadly typical of this columnist. These two men abused nobody. Retract your filthy slur, O'Doherty.

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double11 | Aug 13, 2010, 01:49 PM EDT

pope and church suck the scumbags

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ripley838 | Aug 13, 2010, 11:50 AM EDT

Abuse won't cost you your job, but calling the abusers to account will. Benedict should resign.

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corkkerry | Aug 13, 2010, 11:30 AM EDT

Drop a note in the collection plate. Clean up your act; then get back to me.

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JamesMurphy | Aug 13, 2010, 11:19 AM EDT

The best thing to do is ignore the Vatican altogether. It's an institution stuck in the Dark Ages, e.g. celibacy, male-only priests, marriage not allowed. Dear oh dear, what a ridiculous outfit.

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KathyCallahan | Aug 13, 2010, 11:16 AM EDT

The Pope in concert with Ray Field and Eammon walsh wrote the Irish Catholic church's Death Knell.

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Godscre | Aug 13, 2010, 10:37 AM EDT

'Holy Father'? Jesus was humble, and loved the Body of Christ. He became angry to protect His Father's church to be a house of prayer. St. Paul, and St. Peter loved the Body of Christ. Beware of wolves in sheeps' clothing. Let the Holy Spirit teach us and lead us. It's time. Archbishop Martin is to be commended for being a 'whistle blower' by telling the truth, when the Vatican should be transparent, yet they still want to keep things secret (ie. resignations denied, etc.). Everyone, will be held accountable. God is the final judge.

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Portia777 | Aug 13, 2010, 09:33 AM EDT

That is correct the Roman Church sacred texts say that raping women and children is not breaking their law.So, these men of god have themselves covered on all sides. Remember to them rape and abuse is not a crime, in fact their logic will tell you the child asked for it and is to blame. The woman is accused of tempting the male. The logic of it all is crazy.The male is so supreme, yet he cannot help himslef from being tempted by innocent children and eve ill women. This all male cult wears the same clothes as the ancient priestesses of the temples, yet it despises women. This all male cult hates the sacred feminine yet built its churches on the sites of the Goddess- Pagan temples. This all male cult despises women yet uses the same ceremonies that Mary Magdalene taught Jesus when she initiated him into the rite of sacred alchemy. She annointed him in the ancient rite of christos. Yet the "bible" tells us Mary Magdalene was a whore- but the true word is HORASIS-the ancient sexual rite of union of male and female energies which was bestowed upon the male by the female priest. Such a shame these men in dresses have been lying for thousands of years in order to keep sheeple under control

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Carroll09 | Aug 12, 2010, 07:20 PM EDT

Hollabackgurl - Dr Martin did not say he had no confidence in the auxiliary bishops:he called on those who were criticised in the report to "take responsibility"- this could mean resignation, but that isn't the only way to take responsibility. Dr Walsh was not found to have acted inappropriately- your insinuation that having "held key positions" in the archdiocese would have given him knowledge of what was going on is not supported by the report: do you realise the extent of the lack of communication that is outlined in the report? The report is clear that even Dr Field's actions were restricted because of this lack of communication. Also it is also wrong to claim that victims have asked for "all those who were part of the governance of the archdiocese when sexual abuse was being covered up to resign"- because they have asked for every head but one: that of Diarmuid Martin. Dr Martin was governing the diocese for at least 18 months of the period of investigation, yet no one asked for his resignation. Why? Because he is (rightly) perceived to have done what he could. Others who were found to have done their best with the information they had are being blatantly scapegoated. Maybe that's justice for you; it certainly isn't for me. By the way,one of the most heavily criticised bishops in the report, Cardinal Connell, has just disappeared- if anyone knows what the auxiliary bishops knew and did not know, it is him, yet those who have put so much pressure on the other bishops have allowed him to remain silent. Again, this doesn't seem like the actions of those who are truly seeking justice and truth.

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