"There Really Aren't That Many Spies in the Church"

By Sarah MacDonald
Irish Independent
December 26, 2014

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/there-really-arent-that-many-spies-in-the-church-30862866.html

Archbishop Charles Brown

Spies unhappy with the orthodoxy of Irish priests are responsible for fewer than five letters received by the Papal Nuncio every year.

Archbishop Charles Brown said claims that there was a cohort of spies frequently reporting clerics to the nunciature were "exaggerated".

"It is not the case that there is a huge cohort of spies out there ... that's a bit exaggerated, to put it charitably," the former Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith official stated.

"Every day at the nunciature I get letters of all types. From people who are upset because the candles have been moved on the altar, to letters written by people who are perhaps deeply psychologically disturbed - and we try to respond to them with compassion.

"I can say before God that people reporting priests to the nunciature are very few - maybe four or five a year. Maybe all of these spies are writing to Rome independently of the nunciature," Archbishop Brown suggested.

Asked about the Irish church's dissident priests, the Papal Nuncio responded generally suggesting that in such cases, if at all possible, the Vatican would try to overcome the situation and have the restrictions lifted.

"In general, if it is possible to overcome whatever has caused the restrictions in the ministry - the Church is going to do it, out of love for priest and the pastoral needs of the people," he said.

The 55-year-old also defended his pivotal role in selecting so many new bishops for the Irish church, saying there is no group that is more influential in the selection process than priests.