By Enda Dowling
Laois Nationalist
August 2, 2011
http://www.laois-nationalist.ie/tabId/153/itemId/11331/A-parish-priests-anger.aspx
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PORTLAOISE parish priest Mgr John Byrne praised his congregation at a recent Sunday morning Mass for simply showing up.
His comment was made despite what he described as “the just frustration and anger of the country with the Catholic Church”.
Mass-goers were impressed with Mgr Byrne’s homily during the 12.30pm Sunday Mass, in a week where many priests in the country shied away from talking about Enda Kenny’s Dail speech and which saw a Co Louth priest go in the opposite direction and liken the taoiseach to Adolf Hitler.
Mgr Byrne relayed not only the “disgust” of the nation “at the abuse of children by some priests, but the actions of those in authority in putting the reputation of the institution ahead of the protection of children.”
“Great damage has been done to us all” said Mgr Byrne.” You are wonderful people to be here at all, given the serious betrayal of trust by the institutional church”.
“The Cloyne report shows that those in authority in that diocese were not, in fact, following norms and practices around child protection that we thought every diocese has signed up to” said the Monsignor.
Three hundred boys and girls received their First Holy Communion in Portlaoise church not long ago and a further 250 received Confirmation. There are over 80 altar servers in the parish and Mgr Byrne stressed that “safeguarding our children is a sacred trust”.
“I would like to repeat that safeguarding children is, and will remain, a top priority in our parish. And we can be assured that our parish and our diocese of Kildare and Leighlin is committed to following to the letter all the codes of practice agreed”.
Mgr Byrne went on to say that what had the large attendance in Mass last Sunday was “not the institution, not the Vatican, not bishops or hierarchies” but instead the faith of the people.
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