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	Anti-catholicism in Ireland - the View from America - Michael Kelly Irish Catholic August 12, 2011 http://www.irishcatholic.ie/site/content/anti-catholicism-ireland-view-america-michael-kelly Is Ireland really the ''epicentre of European anti-Catholicism''? Well, according to the from-a-distance meanderings of American Catholic commentator George Weigel it is. Mr Weigel wrote an excellent and highly-acclaimed biography of John Paul II a few years back Witness to Hope. Mr Weigel's particular bAte noire is Europe and what he perceives to be a weak form of Catholicism this side of the Atlantic compared with the 'purer' Catholicism exercised by his compatriots in the United States. (Incidentally, senior American Churchmen, including President of the US bishops' conference Cardinal Francis George, might beg to differ with Mr Weigel's view of American Catholicism. Cardinal George has frequently argued that American Catholics are too-often heavily influence by the Calvinist culture in which they live.) A clear out But back to Mr Weigel's causa finite est view on Irish Catholicism. In an article in the latest edition of the respected journal National Review, patronisingly titled 'Erin go bonkers', he suggests that there should be a clear out of the current members of the bishops' conference who have so dramatically misgoverned the Church in Ireland. Few serious observers would disagree and, it seems, this move is being seriously considered by the Vatican (see page 7). However, Mr Weigel goes further suggesting that the new bishops should be ''imported'' (presumably, he thinks, from the United States). He insists that ''men of indisputable integrity and evangelical passion who have no linkage to this sad, and in some instances tawdry, history are needed to lead the Irish Catholic reform for which Benedict XVI has called''. He goes on: ''I know no serious observer of the Irish Catholic scene, anywhere, who disputes the necessity of clearing the current bench of bishops; I also know no one who thinks that a reconfigured Irish episcopate, even one leading fewer dioceses, can be drawn entirely from the resident clergy of Ireland today.'' Commentators Quite who Mr Weigel is relying on for his analysis of Ireland is unclear. Certainly he takes nothing of the passionate interest in getting to the heart of the crisis in Ireland as say serious commentators like John Allen or Tom Roberts of the National Catholic Reporter. It is naive in the extreme to imagine that the crisis in Irish Catholicism can be healed by simply importing a batch of bishops with no experience of modern Irish society and culture. In fact, such a move would intensify and deepen the sense of alienation felt by many Irish Catholics and indeed many Irish priests at the thought of new bishops with no Irish experience effectively taking over the running of the Church. No, it will take more than superficial cosmetic reform to breathe fresh life and vision into the Catholic Church in Ireland. Models of reform Fewer dioceses and fewer bishops are certainly steps in the right direction. But if the Vatican is looking for models of reform it will do well to look beyond Mr Weigel's naive and self-serving views. As for the contention that Ireland is the epicentre of European anti-Catholicism? Well, frankly, that view is a bit over-the-top to say the least. Certainly some of the political reaction following the publication of the Cloyne Report was hysterical and tinged with more-than-a-hint of both anti-clericalism and anti-Catholicism, but, by-and-large, Irish Catholics (who continue to practise their faith in large numbers compared with other countries) love their Church and want to see it renewed and cleansed from scandal. Mr Weigel might well take a leaf out of the book of Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein who wrote ''whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must pass over in silence''. A creative approach to penitence The priests of the parish of Tullamore in Co. Offaly are to dedicate a day later this month to fast in reparation for the sins of clerical sexual abuse and the subsequent cover-up and mishandling by senior bishops. It's a brave and powerful gesture that seeks to acknowledge the terrible wrong that has been done. Of course, the priests of Tullamore bear no responsibility for what has been done, but, by stepping up to the plate they may well contribute to bringing about some healing. The local curate, Fr Shane Crombie, puts it well: ''There is no way we can mend the lives of people who have suffered so much; all we can do is ask God's mercy and forgiveness and the forgiveness of the good people who make up the Church - and do our best, with the help of God, to make sure such never happens again.'' Well done to all involved for their courage.
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