Opinion: Bishop Brennan Of Ireland Under Attack: Anti-Catholics at Work?
The lopsided reporting of the so-called "outrage" is consistent with anti-Catholic rhetoric. It is important to point out a few truths.
While anti-Catholics hope that the burdens incurred as a result of child abuse in Ireland will drain funds from the Vatican, Bishop Brennan would like to see his diocese bear its own financial responsibilities. 'This is our own responsibility, and we would like to discharge our responsibilities ourselves.'
PrintFERNS, IRELAND (Catholic Online) - Dozens of internet news services are reporting on the so-called outrage over the alleged suggestion Bishop Denis Brennan, the Bishop of Ferns, made on Monday. Reports indicate that he asked his 100,000 parishioners to contribute funds toward the diocese´s legal and compensation bills which were incurred as a result of the child abuse scandal in Ireland.
However, while speaking on a local radio show on March 5, Bishop Brennan denied that he had made specific requests for additional donations, stating that it was up to the parishes to decide if they wanted to sell assets or donate funds to meet financial obligations. "We have not ruled anything in or out. We need to get people's reactions. We are trying to be as transparent as possible."
Nevertheless, in typical anti-Catholic fashion, most internet sites are reporting that the Bishop´s remarks are drawing intense criticism and outrage, as if any sane person in the world—Catholic or otherwise—should be offended at such "heedless and insensitive remarks."
The inflammatory comments of anti-Catholic Irish Singer Sinead O´Connor— whose shredding of a photo of Pope John Paul II was broadcasted on US television—are often quoted. In a letter published in the Irish Independent, Ms. O'Connor expressed her astonishment that Bishop Brennan should even suggest that his flock might pay the bills arising from the sex abuse scandal. "If Christ was here he would be burning down the Vatican. And I for one would be helping him."
One question that comes to mind is "Why not?" Why not have parishioners donate funds? From where else does the Diocese of Ferns—or any other diocese for that matter—obtain its funds if not from parishioners? The old adage, "Money doesn´t grow on trees," comes to mind. Money doesn´t fall from heaven either.
While the lopsided reporting of the so-called "outrage" over Bishop Brennan´s remarks are entirely consistent with the anti-Catholic rhetoric of today´s world, it is important to point out a few truths in the matter.
First, while no one denies that the Catholic clergy and religious who are involved in abusing children should be punished as the law requires, the child abuse scandal that was uncovered in Ireland includes more than just Catholic priests and religious. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse recorded that "Witnesses reported being physically abused by religious and lay staff and others including: visiting clergy, members of the general public and men in work and holiday placements. Witnesses also reported being physically abused by co-residents" (Chapter 7: Record of Abuse (Male Witnesses), Nature and Extent of Physical Abuse Reported).
Where is the outrage over "members of the general public," the "lay staff," and workers in "holiday placements" who abused these children? The reason for the inattention toward these other individuals is obvious: shining a spotlight on them doesn´t aid the cause of attacking the Catholic Church.
Second, the assumption is often made that if parishes fail to meet these financial burdens, the Vatican itself will have to flit the bill, which will result in the financial ruin—and eventual destruction—of the Catholic Church. While we can easily visualize those who would rejoice in a "Catholic-free" world salivating at such an idea, it is nothing new. There have been perhaps thousands of financial attacks on the Catholic Church throughout her two-thousand year history. They have not yet succeeded in bringing about her downfall.
Nevertheless, one area of concentration of late by those who oppose the Catholic Church is the attempt to bankrupt dioceses through a process of unending litigation. These types of attacks are occurring not only in Ireland but in the US as well. Rev. Michael P. Orsi, Ph.D., observed that in New York a move is being made to "suspend statutes of limitations for civil suits alleging the sexual abuse of children. The bill is directed at non-profit institutions, most of which are religious (and, for the most part, Catholic). It specifically exempts all public workers and agencies. Similar laws have been past in Delaware and California, . . . [which] have cost the Church over $1 billion" (Fourth-stage anti-Catholicism, homiletic and pastoral review, January 2010).
In this notion of destroying the Catholic Church through financial ruin there is an obvious failure to understand the full dimension of the Catholic Church. The Church is both divine and human: she is not the sum total of her earthly members nor what is presently visible only. Should those who despise the Church set out to martyr every Catholic, plunder every iota of wealth, demolish every chapel and cathedral, the Church—the body of Christ—would remain: no earthly army of invaders can destroy Christ´s Mystical Body.
Further, the Catholic ...
However, while speaking on a local radio show on March 5, Bishop Brennan denied that he had made specific requests for additional donations, stating that it was up to the parishes to decide if they wanted to sell assets or donate funds to meet financial obligations. "We have not ruled anything in or out. We need to get people's reactions. We are trying to be as transparent as possible."
Nevertheless, in typical anti-Catholic fashion, most internet sites are reporting that the Bishop´s remarks are drawing intense criticism and outrage, as if any sane person in the world—Catholic or otherwise—should be offended at such "heedless and insensitive remarks."
The inflammatory comments of anti-Catholic Irish Singer Sinead O´Connor— whose shredding of a photo of Pope John Paul II was broadcasted on US television—are often quoted. In a letter published in the Irish Independent, Ms. O'Connor expressed her astonishment that Bishop Brennan should even suggest that his flock might pay the bills arising from the sex abuse scandal. "If Christ was here he would be burning down the Vatican. And I for one would be helping him."
One question that comes to mind is "Why not?" Why not have parishioners donate funds? From where else does the Diocese of Ferns—or any other diocese for that matter—obtain its funds if not from parishioners? The old adage, "Money doesn´t grow on trees," comes to mind. Money doesn´t fall from heaven either.
While the lopsided reporting of the so-called "outrage" over Bishop Brennan´s remarks are entirely consistent with the anti-Catholic rhetoric of today´s world, it is important to point out a few truths in the matter.
First, while no one denies that the Catholic clergy and religious who are involved in abusing children should be punished as the law requires, the child abuse scandal that was uncovered in Ireland includes more than just Catholic priests and religious. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse recorded that "Witnesses reported being physically abused by religious and lay staff and others including: visiting clergy, members of the general public and men in work and holiday placements. Witnesses also reported being physically abused by co-residents" (Chapter 7: Record of Abuse (Male Witnesses), Nature and Extent of Physical Abuse Reported).
Where is the outrage over "members of the general public," the "lay staff," and workers in "holiday placements" who abused these children? The reason for the inattention toward these other individuals is obvious: shining a spotlight on them doesn´t aid the cause of attacking the Catholic Church.
Second, the assumption is often made that if parishes fail to meet these financial burdens, the Vatican itself will have to flit the bill, which will result in the financial ruin—and eventual destruction—of the Catholic Church. While we can easily visualize those who would rejoice in a "Catholic-free" world salivating at such an idea, it is nothing new. There have been perhaps thousands of financial attacks on the Catholic Church throughout her two-thousand year history. They have not yet succeeded in bringing about her downfall.
Nevertheless, one area of concentration of late by those who oppose the Catholic Church is the attempt to bankrupt dioceses through a process of unending litigation. These types of attacks are occurring not only in Ireland but in the US as well. Rev. Michael P. Orsi, Ph.D., observed that in New York a move is being made to "suspend statutes of limitations for civil suits alleging the sexual abuse of children. The bill is directed at non-profit institutions, most of which are religious (and, for the most part, Catholic). It specifically exempts all public workers and agencies. Similar laws have been past in Delaware and California, . . . [which] have cost the Church over $1 billion" (Fourth-stage anti-Catholicism, homiletic and pastoral review, January 2010).
In this notion of destroying the Catholic Church through financial ruin there is an obvious failure to understand the full dimension of the Catholic Church. The Church is both divine and human: she is not the sum total of her earthly members nor what is presently visible only. Should those who despise the Church set out to martyr every Catholic, plunder every iota of wealth, demolish every chapel and cathedral, the Church—the body of Christ—would remain: no earthly army of invaders can destroy Christ´s Mystical Body.
Further, the Catholic ...
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The articles says that the Church is both "human and divine" so that people should not attack the "divine" bit of the Church. Even if we grant this claim, people should still keep attacking the "human" bits of the Church, which include the Pope himself. And the Church's "human" and "earthly" bits, such as its bank accounts, should be published. Its "human" priests who have abused children should be put in jail. Even if the Church as an abstract ideal is "divine" and not responsible for the crimes of its "human" substance, its "human" substance should be published and stand equally as other human beings before the law. Since the "human"/criminal part of the Church is, the article admits, "human", they ought to be punished just like other human criminals are punished.
One of the Ways to Aviod Paying is Simply not to Pay? Catholic institutions still owe the State hundreds of millions of euro in contributions that were promised after the church abuse scandals. Source - http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1217/abuse.html The other Popular Method of avoiding Prosecution of the Abusers and therefore Avioding Subsequent Compensation is to Abuse Diplomatic Imunity "Until now, the Government and Irish courts have dismissed clerical child abuse claims on the grounds that the Holy See is an independent state with diplomatic immunity recognised by Ireland. Previous attempts to make the Papal Nuncio in Dublin appear in the High Court to answer charges of collusion with paedophile cleric Sean Fortune in the scandal-hit diocese of Ferns were declared inadmissible. This special status of the Vatican caused uproar last year when the Murphy Report into the cover-ups in the archdiocese of Dublin complained bitterly that neither the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, nor the Papal Nuncio in Dublin, answered its queries for files." Source - John Cooney - Irish Independent 29th June 2010 How much longer will this carry on? After Reading this in Dáil debates – Thursday, 11 June 2009 “Either officials in the Department are members of secret societies such as the Knights of St. Columbanus and Opus Dei and have taken it upon themselves to protect the interests of these clerical orders at this point in time in this year of 2009 or, alternatively, the Minister is politically incompetent and incapable of managing the Department of Education and Science” “I do not believe the Minister, Deputy O’Keeffe, is a bad man. I do not believe he is a Catholic right-wing secret obscurantist but many of the people working for him on a permanent salary – he will be gone in a couple of years – most certainly are or else they are incompetent, lazy and destructive.” The Above was said about the Department of Education and Science; the same must be True of the DPP as Opus Dei and the Knights of the Columbans are obviously at work? There will be no Justice for Survivors through the Irish Parliament or Judicial Process!!!! Surely Criminality should be dealt with? “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” The Loving thing to do in this instance is to protect Children from these Criminals?
Though the guilty are the priests who abused children, the Church cannot be held guilty. The most important thing is why the victim dis not report after the first abuse to the police. When the victim kept silence and continue his/her sinful and illegal activities, he/she cannot be entitled for any compensation. Moreover when it is a civil offence, there should be a law of limitation about the time within which complaints could be filed. Another thing is how the Church prpose to deal with such abuses in the future ? Europe is far away from Christian values because of affluence. Instead of thanking God for the good quality of life they are indulging in perversions and inviting God's wrath
What has to be done is to prosecute all the child abusers in all this world. That includes Catholic priests. They cannot be above our laws. Those outsiders have used our Catholic Church to hide their perversion from the public. The Bishops that kept the abusers in their diocese by transferring them from one church to another should be made to resign for they have NOT been honest nor shown discipline. It is against our Catholic teaching. They and the abusers should be held responsible and punished according to our laws. This is an outrage and unacceptable!!!!! This secrecy MUST be stopped!!!!
This is a typical "let's bury our heads in the sand" reaction. Try to blame "members of the general public" for what happened in religious houses? Are you crazy? Who do you think allowed these outsiders in and then permitted the abuse to take place? We saw the same kind of outrages here in the US and the same kind of lame excuses that you offer here for inexcusable behavior. Oh, and just when are the several currently-sitting bishops involved in THAT scandal going to resign for the good of the Church? Enough of this finger-pointing to distract attention.
May God confound & rebuke all his enemies.
Isn't that why we call the Catholic Church "Communion Ecclesia." The mystical Body of Christ is the whole Church, not just the pope, bishops, priests, nuns and deacons. It's all of us. When other parts of the Church hurt or in trouble, who's going to help. To me I feel responsible for my church. I can give and offer what I can to help. Of course, those who have caused these problems should held responsible but do not blame the whole Church, God should be a judge and be God. And for those of us who don't want to contribute, that's ok, you are not a sinner. At the end, the doors of inferno will never succeed.
It's not a them and us situation between clergy and laity. We, the Church, the Body of Christ, are one, as this article rightly points out. Therefore we get through this together.
Amen.
I think it is outrageous to even suggest that parishioners should contribute to defendfing those responsible for hushing up this mess. It's like asking a murder victim's family to pay for the killer's defense. I realize money doesn't grow on trees, but perhaps the bishops should live in a hut and use publci transportation and eat oatmeal and come up with their own money. I do agree that people like Sinead O'Connor are anti-Catholic and welcome the opportunity for some Catholic bashing. However, a situation like this makes it easy for them. I think that although people othger than clergy have been guilty of abuse as well, the fact is that the clergy - especially the bishops - have a poition of responsibility. They are supposed to be the shepherds charged with protecting the sheep.