IRELAND
Irish Catholic
When the leader of the biggest diocese in Ireland says, when speaking of the state of the Church in Ireland, ”it has reached a breaking point — it is at a very difficult stage”, the reaction should surely be widespread consternation and concern.
This is not just the same old critics trumpeting the same old arguments. Rather it is a man who has given his life to the Church, who has reached the elevated role of archbishop, and who has worked for years to try and restore the Church, at least in his own diocese.
He has also taken a leadership role of articulating the ongoing problems and has not been reticent in criticising those whom he thought were failing to do what should be done, even his fellow bishops.
He has not laboured alone. There are many across the island of Ireland who have worked to try to make amends for the grievous suffering of the victims of abuse in all its forms, who have sought to bring the Church back to that humbler, more genuine place which was the Church established by Jesus, in which there was no place for cover-up or hypocrisy and in which Jesus allowed himself to be terribly done to death to show that there was no price which he would not pay, in love, for the people of God.
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