IRELAND
Irish Independent
Sunday November 04 2012
The supine acceptance of Vatican authority is driving clergy out of office, writes Colum Kenny
THE Irish Bishops Conference has refused to meet the Association of Catholic Priests. The hierarchy will not dignify them with a high-level meeting.
‘Cardinal snubs plea by liberal priests for meeting,’ shouted one headline. But the Association of Catholic Priests is no fringe group of lax priests. It represents more than 1,000 members. The laity may be surprised to learn that there are still that many priests in Ireland.
The behaviour of the Irish hierarchy since Vatican II has driven committed priests and nuns out of office. And it has driven many other Catholics to despair. Its recent censoring of outspoken priests to placate the Vatican now means that even a priest as mainstream as Fr Brian D’Arcy has to submit his newspaper columns for approval in advance of publication.
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