By Conor Sharkey
The Strabane Chronicle
December 3, 2009
http://www.nwipp-newspapers.com/SC/free/342069172702246.php
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| Fr Eddie Kilpatrick says the Church must be less authoritarian. |
A local parish priest has spoken of his "shame" at having to face his congregation in the wake of the latest sex abuse scandal to rock the Catholic church.
Fr Edward Kilpatrick, parish priest of St Patrick's Church, Murlog, spoke out days after the Murphy Report revealed the extent sexual abuse of children in the Archdiocese of Dublin over three decades.
Published on Friday, the devastating report accused four former archbishops, a host of clergy and senior members of the Garda Siochana of covering up 30 years of sex crimes by priests in Ireland's capital.
Fr Edward Kilpatrick himself was cleared of sex abuse allegations in 1997. Speaking to the Strabane Chronicle on Monday, the Lifford clergy man launched a scathing attack on the hierarchy of the Catholic church.
"This report is extremely damaging. Damaging to the victims and their families and damaging to people's faith as a whole. We live in difficult times and with the economic downturn and the weather, people would sometimes turn to their church for help. Now they don't have a church because it has been found corrupt," he said.
Fr Kilpatrick said that he had received many messages of support since the latest scandal broke on Friday. Personally however, it was proving difficult to deal with.
"It's been a topic of conversation all the time since Friday and parishioners are coming and are finding it difficult but they remain very supportive towards me. There has been no change in attitudes as far as I can see.
"That said, I was ashamed at having to face my congregation over the weekend with this going on in the background."
Particularly galling for priests on the ground is the on-going refusal by senior officials within the Catholic church to address the Murphy Report directly, Fr Kilpatrick continued.
"The number of young people caught up in this was simply horrendous.
"But that is just one aspect. The other is the cover-up by senior church authorities.
"Apart from priests, is anyone else addressing this? The old Episcopal closed shop is still there and it's very difficult to take in and understand.
"Here we have x-number of young people who have been abused and all we are being told is if you know a priest who is involved, report them to the authorities. It's the same old mantra and it's making life dangerous."
Fr Kilpatrick said that he finds it unlikely the church will recover in his life time. He vowed however to continue to work to maintain the trust of the people of his parish.
"I think the salvation of the church will be in priests on the ground. Bishops work in offices and come out for things like state occasions and then go home again. They aren't out on the ground. We are and that's what keeps me going. Getting out and talking to people.
"Where we go from here I just don't know. There are lots of things to be sorted out and talked about.
"Lines of communication between priests and bishops are often non-existent and that needs to be seriously looked at. Bishops need to be brought more into things.
"The church needs to be less authoritarian and there needs to be more information and consultation with priests on the ground," Fr Kilpatrick added.
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