Is It Time for the Irish Church to Break from the Vatican?, by Gavin Duffy, New Ross Standard, July 26, 2011

Is It Time for the Irish Church to Break from the Vatican?

By Gavin Duffy
New Ross Standard
July 26, 2011

http://www.newrossstandard.ie/sport/gaelic-football/is-it-time-for-the-irish-church-to-break-from-the-vatican-2831703.html

IS IT time for all the good priests and bishops of Ireland, and there are many, to break from Rome and form an Irish controlled Catholic Church? Do we need a schism? Why can't there be an Irish church for Irish Catholics, controlled by Irish Bishops and answerable not to Rome but to the God Catholics profess faith in.

This new Irish Catholic church would step away from Rome until the Vatican proves itself to be competent, fair and just in its handling and reparation of the damage caused by clerical child abuse around the world. If Rome proved, in time, that it genuinely put victims before itself, in a truly Christian way, then, the Irish Schism would end.

Writing in this column last November, a full seven months before its publication, I revealed that the Justice Yvonne Murphy investigation into the Diocese of Cloyne and its handling of child sex abuse by its priests would be the most shocking yet.

The reason being it would reveal Bishop John Magee and his delegate, Monsignor Denis O'Callaghan, to be still blatantly ignoring the State's Children First Protocols.

What we did learn was that a Bishop, John Magee, a secretary to three popes, Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II, had told lies about the recently convicted priest, Fr. Brendan Wrixton.

He wrote to Rome and reported that the priest, Fr. Wrixton, had admitted to the allegations made against him of sexually abusing a minor but put on record in the official diocesan files that Wrixton denied those very same allegations.

Reared as a "Roman" Catholic, I find it difficult to put the words, "Bishop" and "lie", in the same sentence. How else do you describe someone who has told two polar opposite versions of the same situation?

One obviously has to be a lie and so a Bishop, who came to us from the Vatican, has been found to be telling lies to cover up for a Priest who admitted sexually abusing a minor in the sacristy of a church. Bishop Magee told the truth to Rome and a lie to us at home. I finished the November article as follows; "Bishop Magee's resignation was accepted by the Vatican last March. But as he only resigned his Episcopal seat, he is still technically a Bishop. So on publication of the report he should make himself available to explain his actions."

Of course I said that, tongue in cheek, knowing full well that John Magee, a man infamous for his apparent arrogance, spoiled perhaps by his high office in the Vatican, had developed, what a colleague of his told me was a "disconnection" from ordinary decent Catholics. Clearly he may have only seen them as mere "commoners" to his self perceived papal royalty.

So I was pretty sure the Bishop would run away and hide, probably in the opulent palace of some foreign Bishop and would have no concern for the victims of the Cloyne Priests or the hurt he caused to the faithful of the diocese or the immeasurable damage he has done to Irish Catholicism.

ENOUGH APOLOGIES, TIME FOR ACTION

Last Saturday night Fr. Brian D'Arcy, a good priest, appeared on The Saturday Night with Miriam chat show apologising yet again for the actions of the Irish Hierarchy under the control and direction of Rome.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin appeared last week on the Six One news also apologising again. He told viewers he felt let down by some of his fellow bishops. Fr. Michael Mernagh has protested through his walks but the walking that is needed now is for the good men of the Irish Hierarchy to walk away from Rome.

Ireland more than ever now needs strong, spiritual leadership and it will never come in a Rome ruled church that is now fixated with its own preservation and retaining its vast wealth.

Our Taoiseach Enda Kenny's outright condemnation of the Vatican last week won him support from all over the world.

It is time for Archbishop Martin to consider temporarily taking the Irish Catholic Church back from Rome and, in doing so, force Rome to act honestly and properly by the laws of God and by the laws of State. It is time for Ireland to once again take a lead in the church as it did when we were famed as the isle saints and scholars. The Irish Catholic Church must now be the bedrock of reconciliation and renaissance.

One final thought, a mere coincidence. During the Great Western Schism, when Avignon split from Rome, back then too, at the climax and centre of it all, there was a Pope and his name was - Benedict.

ECONOMY AT THE CORNER

Finally, I welcome the restructuring of Ireland's debt. Sorry for referring again to what I wrote in the past in this column but back in early April I called it as follows. Ireland won't default, we can't, as Europe won't allow it. So we must wait for, about four countries, to get into debt difficulties, that is, those countries won't have any prospect of raising money from the markets, which I said will; Force "the EU, as much for its own self preservation, as anything else, to restructure everyone's debts. Ireland will end up paying a lot less but for a lot longer."

And that is exactly what has happened. Ireland instead of paying an interest of 6%, Ireland's interest rate is reduced by at least 2% and the term has gone from seven years to 15 or maybe even up to 30 years. We will get as long as it takes. We have seen the end of the beginning of our long march out of this crisis. Last week was a great week for Ireland Inc. We haven't turned the corner yet but the EU has moved that corner closer to us.