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May 1, 2012                           Martin Mallon   (Ireland)

Vatican abuse of power?

Five named Irish priests, who have written on controversial topics in the Church, have been censured or silenced by the Vatican within the last two years. They are all order priests and most are well known within the Church with Fr Brian D’Arcy, a Passionist, being a national media figure writing a column in a popular Irish Sunday paper and making regular radio contributions on BBC Radio 2. Fr D’Arcy was sexually abused by older priests when he was a young seminarian. The presenter of an Irish radio show interviewed Fr D’Arcy regarding his censure on 28th April and said he was distraught as he left the studio. He said that this was bigger than just his story and that he wanted to find a Christian way of communicating. We are Church Ireland spokesman, Brendan Butler, says that there are other priests who have been silenced whose names have not been made public. This treatment appears to be the result of an abuse of power by the Vatican.  

Evidently these priests have been told to keep their censure secret or they would be laicised. If such a threat is true then not only is this a scandalous situation but it is not Christian. Jesus commanded us to love God and our neighbour. There is no love demonstrated by the Vatican in these cases. Apparently many of the accusations received are anonymous, the Vatican rules and there is no appeal. Light needs to be shone on these situations and it is in everyone’s interest for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith to clarify publicly their methods, their reasons for using them and to dialogue with a priest before condemning him.  

Fr Peter McVerry S.J., who is one of the most respected citizens in Ireland due to his work in Dublin over the years with the homeless and young people with problems, is reported in The Irish News of 27th April as knowing many priests who are very unhappy with Rome's actions but are afraid to speak out due to repercussions. Fr McVerry believes that the Vatican should not be treating anyone in this fashion and that “This is horrific”. It is his opinion that if the Church does not change it’s course that it will die.  

Many Church members are shocked and outraged at what most see as an unjust monarchical/dictatorial attitude being exhibited by the Vatican. Some faithful believers are trying to understand what has happened and are unable to find answers. We have had the outrage of clerical child sex abuse and cover-ups and the main response from the Vatican is to silence some of our most popular priests for “dissent”. People are stunned.  

So far the Irish bishops have been silent on the censures. Do they agree with the censuring?  

Why is the Vatican shooting itself in the foot in this manner? Is it out of fear? Is the Vatican afraid of dialogue? Even if the Vatican disagrees with a priest/theologian, discussion must be allowed and, indeed, encouraged. The impression is given that the Vatican cannot argue logically and reasonably to explain their teachings on matters such as celibacy for some priests, artificial contraception, not ordaining women as deacons or priests and the secret silencing of priests on the threat of laicisation if they make their censure known. Or is the Vatican afraid that if there is dialogue on collegiality and subsidiarity, for example, that they will be shown not to have implemented the teachings of Vatican II? Since Vatican II power within the Church has centralised around the Roman curia contrary to the teachings of Vatican II. Who will be censured for this?  

What can the Church, the people of God, do to change the situation?  

On the bank holiday Monday 7th May there is a meeting in the Regency Hotel, Dublin, Towards an Assembly of the Irish Catholic Church from 10.30am to 4.30pm. This meeting will provide people with a forum where they can express their opinions on these matters. The full shedule for the meeting can be found at: http://www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie/category/assembly/  

The format of the day is based around three sessions: Naming the Reality, The Vision and Where to from here and will be followed by a general forum.

During the day there will be an opportunity for lay groups and individuals to gather, with a view to looking at the possibility of forming some type of lay ‘umbrella group’ made up of existing groups and interested individuals.

This meeting has been called by the Association of Catholic Priests and is open to all, lay and clergy. Each of the bishops has been invited. As can be seen from the meetings title it is hoped to lead to “a full assembly of the Irish Church ” in the future.

The future of the Irish Church is at stake and everyone who is interested should attend, laity, religious, priests and bishops. It is important that concrete proposals are brought forward at this meeting to give hope to the people of God for the future of the Church in Ireland .

We must all continue to pray and remember Paul’s advice: “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:26-28)