Catholic Hierarchy Must Follow Leader

The Herald Scotland
November 17, 2013

http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/herald-view/catholic-hierarchy-must-follow-leader.22717837

The behaviour of the Catholic hierarchy in Scotland over the sexual bullying allegations made in the book Crisis In The Priesthood by Father Matthew Despard stands in stark contrast to the words and deeds of the man who sits at the head of the church:

Pope Francis.

In Blantyre yesterday afternoon, the hierarchy descended on the parish of St John Ogilvie's and suspended Fr Despard over claims he made in his book in the wake of the Cardinal Keith O'Brien scandal. The sacking took place before parishioners - many of whom wept and reacted with shock and anger.

We may be just nine months into the tenure of Francis as Pope, but the draconian behaviour of the hierarchy in Scotland already smacks of another time.

Francis is rapidly becoming a byword for progressive and truly Christian values in a church which has been beset by reactionary beliefs and spiritual hypocrisy for too long - one need only cite the position of the church when it comes to gay relationships, and the on-going horrors of priestly paedophilia as evidence. In his short time in the Vatican, Francis has made encouraging comments on gay relationships, the rights of women, the poor, the environment and what he terms the "terrorism" of child abuse. He has also tried to lead by example - shunning the papal palace for a simple dwelling; discarding the pontifical red shoes for a pair of old shoes mended at a Roman cobbler's shop.Yet the Francis effect - the term for the rise in Catholic congregations following the election of this charismatic yet down-to-earth man - does not seem to be having much effect on the way the leaders of the church in Scotland handle themselves and their affairs.

Fr Despard claims in his book that senior figures in the Church refused to confront complaints of abuse and bullying. He says he was the victim of inappropriate approaches as a seminarian. He also alleges trainee priests who rebuffed the advances of others were bullied.

The truth of these allegations is unknown, but is Fr Despard not allowed to voice his opinion or tell of his experiences, in the eyes of the Catholic hierarchy in Scotland? Has the church not had too long a history of silence when it comes to sexual offences? Would the hierarchy keep a priest silent on the concept of reform in a church which its own leader seems set on reforming?

Pope Francis has become something of prolific tweeter, with 10 million followers and the handle @pontifex. He tweeted recently that "following Jesus means swimming against the tide".

Assuredly, Francis is against the historical tide when it comes to the direction in which he is taking the Catholic church. In Scotland, however, it seems the men who follow Francis are going in quite a different direction altogether.