Archbishop of Tuam warns of ‘bad shepherds’

By Lorna Siggins
Irish Times
June 09, 2014

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/archbishop-of-tuam-warns-of-bad-shepherds-1.1825025

Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary at the Church of the Holy Rosary in Castlebar, Co Mayo, yesterday for the ordination of Fr Seán Flynn.

Archbishop of Tuam Dr Michael Neary made no specific reference to the controversy surrounding the former Bon Secours mother and babies home when he celebrated the ordination of a Castlebar man as priest yesterday.

Dr Neary, who stated last week that the archdiocese would co-operate with any inquiry, has said that it did not have any involvement in the running of the home in Tuam and had no records in its archives.

“There exists a clear moral imperative on the Bon Secours sisters in this case to act upon their responsibilities in the interest of the common good,” Dr Neary said.

A spokesman for the archbishop said Dr Neary would not be commenting further yesterday, as his statement of last week “still stood”.

Speaking at the ordination Mass in the Church of the Holy Rosary for Seán Flynn from Keelogues, Co Mayo, who formerly worked at a funeral undertakers in Castlebar, Dr Neary spoke of how the priest today “must be an agent of hope in what often might seem a hopeless situation”.

“There are moments in the life of any transformative leader when hope is eclipsed by clouds of doubt – not about God, but about the people and above all about oneself,“Dr Neary said.

‘Feel like giving up’

“There are times when we feel like giving up,“he added, asking for supportive prayers for the newly ordained priest.

“We allow ourselves to be corrected, supported and challenged by our brothers and sisters.

“As priests we cannot ignore the many warnings of the Bible about ‘bad shepherds’, who have no love for their sheep,” he said.

“Indeed the suffering that is part of any leadership position in the Church today and the responsibility which it carries should bring humility. While the image of the priest has evolved over the years and life styles have changed, nevertheless, the central role of the priest has remained unchanged.”

The feminist group Galway Pro-Choice is to hold a public vigil at the children’s playground in Eyre Square, Galway, on Wednesday evening to coincide with a march in Dublin the same evening planned by the Justice for the Tuam Babies group.

Demanding apologies

Rachel Donnelly of Galway Pro-Choice said the group was demanding “sincere apologies from the Catholic Church and the State”.

“This must also include a concrete agenda of action on criminal investigations and independent inquiries, compensation and redress for mothers and survivors, plus any commemorations – all of which must be survivor-led and supported by political, religious and civil society,” she said.

“As a society, Ireland must learn from the history of our past and translate that into our treatment of women and children in the present day, especially those in institutional care.

“We call for the complete and immediate separation of Church and State, above all in our health system,” she added.