Apostolic Visitation Report: Some Reflections

The Apostolic Report (see below) is dominating the news here in Ireland.  There is a lot in the summary of the report, which was the text released yesterday, and if you read it carefully you will see there is a lot more in the report which seems very hopeful. 

The visitators have acknowledged that the bishops are now working very hard on child protection - indeed it is the number one priority in the Church in Ireland, even at times leading to other important ministries being given less time and attention than they deserve - but such things happen when you are trying to deal with a crisis.  The Catholic Church in Ireland now has the strictest and most transparent policies and practices in place than any other organisation here, including those which continue to attack the criticise the Church.  Indeed the State's own agencies fall well below the standard being adhered to by the Church.  However whenever you say that the critics come out in force and start on the offensive again.

Indeed I see the usual suspects are on the warpath in response to the report's recommendations with regard to the formation of priests.  They are attacking the decision to sort out the seminaries and the living arrangements for seminarians. They may be operating under the misconception that abusing priests were conservative, orthodox and Papist (the facts show otherwise) so they may think a tightening up on seminarians will make them more conservative, orthodox and papist, and this will lead to the nurturing of more abusers.  I do not think so. 

Having lived in two seminaries, I think a tightening up is necessary.  First of all I would not favour isolation from the world - and I don't think that's what the report is suggesting.  But I do think seminarians need space for prayer, reflection, privacy and for fraternity with their fellow seminarians.  When in Maynooth the seminary was so open you could come across lay students, male and female, anywhere in the seminary building - even in the seminarian toilets in our private quarters.   Seminarians need to learn to become "men apart from the world": living in the world, yes; working in it, yes; but men who have their sights set on the next and so able to resist the temptations of the world and meet its challenges.  Many priests become worldly because they have never stepped back from the world even for a short period of their lives so to become acquainted with the next world and develop a healthy distance from the world. 

I remember hearing an interview with some people who were discussing priestly celibacy.  They were all against it because it made the priest "different from the rest of us".   Priests should be allowed to marry and have sex so they will be like the rest of us, one man said.  And that is the problem with the modern world's perception of the priesthood: a priest is not understood as a man set apart for the service of God and his people.  This doesn't mean he is aloof and cannot relate to other people: it means that his relationship with people is different- it is not ordinary, it is extraordinary and even more loving and caring for that extraordinariness. 

While priests must be friends with the laity, and it is important that priests have lots of lay friends who will keep him grounded and love him (that should help undermine any temptations to clericalism) ultimately he is called to a greater vocation towards the faithful than friendship: fatherhood.    Men need a certain amount of space to prepare for that.   A priest cannot be like "the rest of us" because his vocation and mission is different than that of the "rest of us" - he is called to a greater love, a greater sacrifice: only then can he be truly a priest for "the rest of us". 

The formation of priests is very important, and we need to take it very seriously, particularly in this time of reform.  I pray that good formators will be put in place to help guide, form and love the men who are seeking to respond to God's call. I emphasise love because if a seminary and a formation process are devoid of love, then the seminary will become a breeding ground for vice, particularly anger and self-centredness.  When new formators are being chosen for our seminaries, then, not only must they be examined for orthodoxy, intelligence, personal holiness and ability, but also measured for their ability to truly love those in their care.

I see also that the diocesan structures in Ireland has also come up, or "configuration" as the report puts it.  A number of people have said that we need to reduce the number of dioceses, and I think so myself, so it is good that this is being taken seriously by the Holy See. 

I also note with gratitude that the visitators saw how much ground heterodoxy has gained among our clergy, religious and lay people.  This raised the ire of one of our journalists who was disgusted that the Holy See should think that dissent is not compatible with true reform.  Those who know the history of the Church know that dissent leads to decay and abandonment of Christ's teaching in favour of "mere human thinking".  True renewal consists in an "aggiornamento" firmly grounded in "ressourcement": back to the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church, the Saints - what Vatican II had advised.  And that is the advice the report has for our religious too - go back to the basics, back to the Gospel, to religious life, to the intentions and charism of your founders.  

All in all, there is a sign of hope in this report; coupled with the letter of the Holy Father to Ireland, we have two useful and inspiring documents to help us in the process of reform.  One important point which we need to take from the report: it is now time for the faithful to get to work, to assist this reform and help the renewal of the Church in Ireland.  It will require a dying to self for most of us, and we face challenges and opposition even from within - the secular media here will try and hamper our efforts at every juncture and they will have allies in the Church, be they bishops, priests, religious or laity.  But we also have fine and faithful bishops, priests, religious and laity, and we must work together in union, as the Body of Christ, to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.  

The green shoots of reform are already apparent.  The Spirit is moving among us - we see that in the growth of new movements here - the report advises us to make use of the new Ecclesial Movements in assisting this reform.  There are fine priests, consecrated people and laity in those movements who want to be of service to the Church in Ireland - we need to take them up on the offer.  The days when certain quarters of the Church and her governance can stand aloof from others should be exorcised.  Now we are all down on the ground, working and rebuilding together.  That is one good thing which can come out of the suffering of the last couple of decades - a more humble Church, yes, but a more fraternal and loving one.

That said, we must thank the visitators for their help and generosity in responding to the Holy Father's request, and for their work in service of the Church universal and the Church here in Ireland.  May their efforts in the vineyard be rewarded with a new springtime for faith in this land.

UPDATE:  Rory Fitzgerald has an interesting article in the Catholic Herald online, with regard to the report. He speaks about the new challenge the Church in Ireland has to face - a crisis of faith.

Apostolic Visitation To Ireland Report: Text

The Report on the recent Apostolic Visitation to Ireland has been released.  I am posting the entire text that has been released today.  I have no time to comment on it, but it deserves a close reading.

Report on the Apostolic Visitation to Ireland

The Visitation to the Dioceses was carried out in the four Metropolitan Sees during the first few months of 2011. The four Visitators, accompanied by qualified and authorized persons and in coordination with the Archbishops of the Sees concerned, met individuals from the various categories listed in the Communiqué of 12 November 2010, along with others who requested a hearing, including representatives of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church. Special priority was given to the meetings with victims of abuse, who were assured of the particular closeness of the Holy Father. Some of the Archdioceses held very moving penitential liturgies in the Cathedrals, attended by clergy and members of the faithful, with the participation of victims of abuse in each case. These four Visitations included meetings with the suffraganeous Bishops and yielded sufficient information to provide an adequate picture of the situation of the Church in Ireland, such as to obviate the need to extend the Visitation to the suffraganeous Sees.

The Visitation to the Seminaries examined the situation of four Institutes: the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, Saint Malachy’s College in Belfast, and two Institutes in the Archdiocese of Dublin – the National Seminary, Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, and the Milltown Institute of the Society of Jesus. All Hallows College in Dublin informed the Visitator that it no longer offered a programme of priestly formation and consequently it was not included in the Visitation. Before visiting each of the Institutes, the Visitator was able to study documentation on the Colleges concerned. Upon arrival, with the assistance of several Bishops and priests, all previously approved by the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Visitator examined, to the extent possible, all aspects of priestly formation, along the lines indicated in the Press Communiqué of 31 May 2010. The Visitator and his assistants held individual meetings with formators and seminarians, as well as others holding positions of authority in the seminaries, including those responsible for the protection of minors. Priests ordained within the last three years were also invited to a personal conversation if they so wished. It should be pointed out that the Milltown Institute, which is more an academic centre than a seminary, was examined only with regard to the theological formation offered to future priests.

The Visitation to the Religious Institutes took place after careful study of the responses to the questionnaire that was sent to all Institutes with Religious houses in Ireland. The questionnaire sought to elicit information on the current safeguarding measures and policies adopted by each Institute and the effect of the present crisis on the Institute’s members. The Visitators then held various meetings with Bishops, Superiors and formators of the different communities and with any particular groups, including abuse victims, that requested a meeting, as well as representatives of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church. Meetings were held with the members of the Conference of Religious of Ireland, both in the common assemblies and in regional assemblies throughout the country. The Visitators had the opportunity to conduct extended visits to 31 Institutes. They estimate that, during the visit, they had the opportunity to dialogue with a significant portion of Religious in Ireland.

With a view to promoting the work of renewal called for by the Holy Father, the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Catholic Education have carefully studied the information collected by the respective Visitators. Keeping in mind the provisions of the document Towards Healing and Renewal issued by the Irish Episcopal Conference, they have communicated their conclusions to the four Metropolitan Archbishops and to the Ecclesiastical Authorities of the seminaries visited, indicating courses of action. The Archbishops and the Ecclesiastical Authorities gave their responses. The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life is likewise forwarding its conclusions to the Superiors of all Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life with houses in Ireland. A Summary Report will also be presented to the Apostolic Nuncio to be shared with the Bishops of Ireland.

*****

During their stay in Ireland, the Visitators were able themselves to see just how much the shortcomings of the past gave rise to an inadequate understanding of and reaction to the terrible phenomenon of the abuse of minors, not least on the part of various Bishops and Religious Superiors. With a great sense of pain and shame, it must be acknowledged that within the Christian community innocent young people were abused by clerics and Religious to whose care they had been entrusted, while those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively. Indeed, “wounds have been inflicted on Christ’s body” (Pastoral Letter of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to the Catholics of Ireland, 19 March 2010). For these faults, forgiveness must once more be asked: from God and from the victims! As Blessed John Paul II said: “there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young” (Address to the Cardinals of the United States, 23 April 2002).

At the same time the Visitators were able to verify that, beginning in the 1990s, progressive steps have been taken towards a greater awareness of how serious is the problem of abuse, both in the Church and society, and how necessary it is to find adequate measures in response.

The Visitation was also intended to determine whether the structures and procedures put in place by the Church in Ireland from that period onwards are adequate to ensure that the tragedy of the abuse of minors will not be repeated. In this regard, the Holy See has made the following observations:

Particular attention has been given to the assistance offered by the Church in Ireland to victims of past abuse. All the Visitators acknowledge that, beginning with the Bishops and Religious Superiors, much attention and care has been shown to the victims, both in terms of spiritual and psychological assistance and also from a legal and financial standpoint. It has been recommended, therefore, that, following the example given by Pope Benedict XVI in his meetings with victims of abuse, the Irish diocesan authorities and those of the Religious Institutes continue to devote much time listening to and receiving victims, providing support for them and their families.

Their meetings with the victims of abuse helped the Visitators to understand better various aspects of the problem of the sexual abuse of minors that took place in Ireland. The Visitators and the Church in Ireland are thankful for this contribution and want to assure them that their well-being is of paramount concern for the Church.

In their meetings with the chief officers of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church and various diocesan officials, the Visitators were able to verify that the current norms of Safeguarding Children: Standards and Guidance Document for the Catholic Church in Ireland (Guidelines) are being followed. The Visitators welcome the process, already initiated by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church, of regularly auditing the implementation of the Guidelines. It is recommended that this process of covering all Dioceses and Religious Institutes by regular audits will be implemented in a prompt manner.

In recent years the work of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church has been thorough and far-reaching, for which reason it should be supported by the Bishops, Religious Superiors and the whole community of the Church in Ireland, and it should continue to receive sufficient personnel and funding.

The Archbishops of the visited Archdioceses gave assurance that all newly-discovered cases of abuse are promptly brought before both the competent civil authority and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The norms contained in the Guidelines, as well as the procedures to implement them, must be updated in accordance with the indications published on 3 May 2011 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and also periodically revised. The Guidelines need to be amended in order to create a common model for all the Dioceses and Religious Institutes, and they should be periodically re-examined in order to ensure increasing effectiveness both in the work of prevention and in the response to cases of abuse in all the required aspects, for the good of everyone concerned.

In view of the shortage of personnel trained in canon law, the Visitators insisted on the need for a reorganization of Ireland’s ecclesiastical tribunals, to be carried out in cooperation with the competent bodies of the Holy See, so that the various cases still awaiting definitive resolution can be adequately processed.
The Visitators were struck by the efforts made throughout the country by Bishops, priests, Religious and lay persons to implement the Guidelines and to create safe environments. In the four Archdioceses, the results of these efforts were judged to be excellent. In addition to the large number of volunteers, they noted the presence of men and women within the various safeguarding structures who bring the highest level of professionalism to the service of the Christian community.

In the Visitation to the Seminaries, the following elements were examined: theological doctrine on the priesthood, seminary governance, questions regarding the admission of candidates to the seminary and assessment of them prior to ordination, the process of formation (human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral), and possible ways of assisting recently ordained priests. Particular attention was given to the admission of candidates and to programmes of spiritual and human formation aimed at enabling seminarians to live priestly celibacy faithfully and joyfully. The Visitation to the Seminaries gave priority to issues involving the protection of minors.

In this regard, the Holy See has made the following observations:

The Visitation was able to establish that there are dedicated formators in Irish seminaries, committed to the work of priestly training. The seminarians themselves were generally praised for their human and spiritual qualities and for their motivation and commitment to the Church and her mission. Studies are taken seriously, and attention is given to human and spiritual formation.

Each seminary has clear child protection norms in place and the Irish seminaries are committed to educating future priests with a broad understanding of all that is involved in the protection of minors within the Church.
For the further improvement of the seminaries, it has been proposed, wherever necessary:

to ensure that the formation provided is rooted in authentic priestly identity, offering a more systematic preparation for a life of priestly celibacy by maintaining a proper equilibrium between human, spiritual and ecclesial dimensions;
to reinforce structures of Episcopal governance over the seminaries;
to introduce more consistent admission criteria – this would involve the seminary, in consultation with the Dioceses, examining and deciding admissibility of candidates;
to show greater concern for the intellectual formation of seminarians, ensuring that it is in full conformity with the Church’s Magisterium;
to include in the academic programme in-depth formation on matters of child protection, with increased pastoral attention to victims of sexual abuse and their families;
to re-evaluate the pastoral programme, ensuring that it is sacramental, priestly and apostolic, and duly concerned with preparing candidates to celebrate the sacraments and to preach;
to ensure that the seminary buildings be exclusively for seminarians of the local Church and those preparing them for the priesthood, to ensure a well-founded priestly identity.

The task entrusted by the Holy See to the Visitators to Religious houses was twofold: 1) ensuring that all Religious Congregations have adequate protocols for safeguarding children and are implementing them; and 2) encouraging members of Institutes and Societies to a renewed vitality in their life and mission as Religious or members of Societies of Apostolic Life. In a spirit of cooperation with the Bishops, clergy and lay faithful of Ireland, the Superiors and members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life are encouraged to develop the resources at their disposal, so that they may be better equipped to meet the needs of those still suffering the effects of abuse. In the light of the immense contribution they have made in the past to the life of the Church in Ireland and their remarkable missionary outreach across the world, consecrated persons should renew their commitment to building communities capable of offering their members mutual support along the path towards holiness and capable of contributing effectively to the renewal of the entire local Church community.

In this regard, the Holy See has made the following observations:

The Religious in Ireland will join Bishops in mutual reflection, planning and support, revitalizing the instruments of dialogue and communion that have been envisioned by the Magisterium (cf. Mutuae Relationes). The Bishops themselves will convoke and lead the process of renewing dialogue and concrete collaboration in the field of safeguarding children, while also seeking to bring about a more effective and deeper communion between different and complementary charisms in the local Church.

The Major Superiors of each Institute in Ireland should design a programme for focusing anew over the next three years on the Institute’s fundamental sources, particularly the following of Christ as revealed in the Scriptures, and contained in the Apostolic Tradition of the Church’s teaching, the living of their vows in a contemporary context, and the life, works and charism of the founder of the Institute (Perfectae Caritatis; Vita Consecrata).

All Institutes should perform an audit of their personnel files, if such an audit has not yet been carried out. As in the case of the Dioceses, every Religious Congregation, active and contemplative, should perform the regular audit monitoring the implementation of the norms contained in the Guidelines, in coordination with the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.

Major Superiors should develop, with the members of their Institutes, concrete means for revitalizing communities of prayer, community life and mission.

The Religious in Ireland are asked to consider developing a collaborative ministerial outreach to those suffering from the effects of abuse.

Based on the proposal of the Visitators and the observations made by various Dicasteries of the Holy See, it has been recommended that the Bishops of Ireland and Religious Superiors, in collaboration with the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church, should continue to examine and update the current Interim Guidance – Leave from Sacred Ministry and Apostolate for Clergy and Religious with a view to:

Formulating guidelines for handling the varied cases of those who have been accused, but in whose case the Director of Public Prosecution has decided not to proceed.
Formulating policies regarding the falsely accused and their return to ministry.
Formulating policies regarding the pastoral care of those who are convicted of abuse: the appropriate settings and the conditions under which such offenders should live.

*****

The Visitators have been able to establish that, over and above the suffering of the victims, the painful events of recent years have also opened many wounds within the Irish Catholic community. Many lay persons have experienced a loss of trust in their Pastors. Many good priests and Religious have felt unjustly tainted by association with the accused in the court of public opinion; some have not felt sufficiently defended by their Bishops and Superiors. Those same Bishops and Superiors have often felt isolated as they sought to confront the waves of indignation and at times they have found it difficult to agree on a common line of action.

On the other hand, this time of trial has also brought to light the continuing vitality of the Irish people’s faith. The Visitators have noted the exemplary way in which many Bishops, priests and Religious live out their vocation, the human and spiritual bonds among the faithful at a time of crisis, the deep faith of many men and women, a remarkable level of lay involvement in the structures of child protection, and the heartfelt commitment shown by Bishops and Religious Superiors in their task of serving the Christian community.

These are just some of the signs of hope that the Visitators have identified, alongside the various difficulties, in the life of the Church in Ireland. It is vitally important that, at a point in history marked by rapid cultural and social transformation, all the components of the Church in Ireland hear in the first place a renewed call to communion: communion among the Bishops themselves and with the Successor of Peter; communion between diocesan Bishops and their clergy; communion between Pastors and lay persons; and communion between diocesan structures and communities of consecrated life – communion that is not attained merely through human agreements or strategies, but above all by listening humbly to God’s Word and to what the Holy Spirit gives and asks of the Church in our day. Only a united Church can be an effective witness to Christ in the world.

Among the pastoral priorities that have emerged most strongly is the need for deeper formation in the content of the faith for young people and adults; a broad and well-planned ongoing theological and spiritual formation for clergy, Religious and lay faithful; a new focus on the role of the laity, who are called to be engaged both within the Church and in bearing witness before society, in accordance with the social teachings of the Church. There is a need to harness the contribution of the new Ecclesial Movements, in order better to reach the younger generation and to give renewed enthusiasm to Christian life. A careful review is needed of the training given to teachers of religion, the Catholic identity of schools and their relationship with the parishes to which they belong, so as to ensure a sound and well-balanced education.

Since the Visitators also encountered a certain tendency, not dominant but nevertheless fairly widespread among priests, Religious and laity, to hold theological opinions at variance with the teachings of the Magisterium, this serious situation requires particular attention, directed principally towards improved theological formation. It must be stressed that dissent from the fundamental teachings of the Church is not the authentic path towards renewal.

The Visitation also placed in question the present configuration of Dioceses in Ireland and their ability to respond adequately to the challenges of the New Evangelization. The Holy See and the local episcopate have already initiated a joint reflection on this matter, in which the communities concerned are to be involved, with a view to adapting diocesan structures to make them better suited to the present-day mission of the Church in Ireland.

Finally, the Visitation attested to the great need for the Irish Catholic community to make its voice heard in the media and to establish a proper relationship with those active in this field, for the sake of making known the truth of the Gospel and the Church’s life.

*****

For its part, the Holy See recalls the ongoing importance of the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, which proposes an overall vision that can shed useful light on the pastoral priorities of the Church in Ireland, and on the special attention that must be given to the younger generation. The forthcoming International Eucharistic Congress will surely represent an important stage in this process, as will the subsequent National Mission, which it is hoped will provide all the members of the Church community with a fruitful opportunity for prayer, common reflection and instruction on the content of the Christian creed, in harmony with the Holy Father’s vision for the approaching Year of Faith. As Pope Benedict said in his Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland: “Through intense prayer before the real presence of the Lord, the Church in Ireland can make reparation for the sins of abuse that have done so much harm, at the same time imploring the grace of renewed strength and a deeper sense of mission on the part of all Bishops, priests, Religious and lay faithful.”

In the name of the Holy Father, heartfelt gratitude must once again be expressed to all those who worked so generously to ensure a fruitful outcome for the Apostolic Visitation – firstly, to the Visitators and their assistants, then to the entire Catholic community of Ireland: the lay faithful, including the various victims of abuse, the Bishops, the clergy and the Religious communities who have responded so well to this concrete sign of the solicitude of the Successor of Peter for the future of the Church in Ireland.

Consequently, the Apostolic Visitation should now be considered completed. The Holy See entrusts its conclusions to the responsibility of the Bishops, clergy, Religious and lay faithful of Ireland, in the hope that they will bear fruit worthy of that process of healing, reparation and renewal which Pope Benedict XVI so eagerly desires for the beloved Church in Ireland.

In Discussion

The Apostolic Visitation to Ireland has started in earnest.   Two nights ago a public meeting was held in Drogheda with the Visitator to the Armagh Province, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor. I was not there, unable to go due to a previous engagement, but my friend Christopher was and he gives us a good summary of what happened on his blog Catholicus. 

To be honest, when I heard of a public meeting, I was a little afraid because I know what those meetings can turn into and who will turn up, and reading Christopher's account it seems my fears would have been partially realised.   I have no problem with meetings, there needs to be a forum where members of the Church can get together and talk with their pastors, but there is also the problem that these meetings can become dominated by the dissenting who feel the Church must change to suit their opinions and variant lifestyles, moral and immoral.  And it seems there may have been a few of them there at the Drogheda meeting.  I also notice the press was there to get a few salacious quotes for their, no doubt, already written, biased articles.  I see from Christopher's report the usual media suspects were sent, neither known for their fondness for Christianity.

The meeting seems to confirm one thing: that those who are looking for reform in Ireland see the only option as being a secularisation, permissivisation and protestantisation of the Catholic Church in Ireland.  The only way to prevent the recurrence of child sexual abuse is to allow priests to marry, ordain woman and shift the running of the Church over to the laity.  Interestingly these matters have nothing to do with the child abuse crisis, nor would they prevent abuse from occuring. 

First of all the vast majority of those abused, 95-97% , are abused by non-celibate men and women, most often family members.  Going on the statistics if one is comitted to celibacy there is a less chance one will abuse than if not committed to it. So celibacy seems to be a safeguard against the temptation to abuse.  It is is prejudice and pure ideology (and even hatred of priests) which will not allow certain people to see this basic statistical fact.

Secondly, with all due respect to all my women readers out there, being a woman is no safeguard against abuse: plenty of women abuse, and in institutions dealing with allegations of child abuse, women have been as guilty as men in covering up.  Just last year a German Luthern woman bishop, Maria Jepsen, was forced to resign because she failed to deal with abuse allegations.  She was the first woman bishop in Germany, ordained to great applause and made an icon for the campaign for women priests.  Well, she wasn't such a great icon after all - she was no better than some of the Catholic bishops who are presently being reviled for their failures. 

Finally, the laity running the Church.  Would that stop abuse?  No, I do not believe it would.  Like anyone else, when people get a hold of power they mean to hold onto it at any price and I have seen that all too clearly among certain laity who have been given positions of authority in the Church.  Not branding everyone with the same stick - there are many good, virtuous and competent lay people in Church positions doing great work and long may they remain.  But I have also seen the opposite, of people who manipulated their way onto committees, who do not the share the Catholic faith (as even Pope Benedict has pointed out in his recent book), and these are as corrupt and power-hungry as any ambitious cleric, and just as capable as covering up to save their skins and privileges.  Being a layperson is no guarantee of virtue or expertise, nor any special wisdom a cleric would not have, so we have to move from a naive belief that all goodness, wisdom and holiness resides in the lay state.

Even though those calling for reform reject it and ignore it, the last point made by Chrisopher is the solution to the problem: living our Christian calling properly.  Vice has always been with us, and will always be with us, it is only the naive who think that a system can change fallen human nature.  Original sin has been denied for years, our sinfulness has been swept under the carpet with peals of affirmation and nice, wooly talk, and now faced with concrete evidence of human sinfulness we do what atheistic philosophical materialism always does: change the structure, create a climate of suspicion, dehumanise human relationships and inaugurate Big Brother policy and that will solve the problem.  That is just naive.  Do we need safeguards?  Of course we do.  Do we need to know those who are in a position of trust?  Of course we do.  But if we are relying entirely on that we are not going to get to the core of the problem because sinners will always find a way around the moral law and will always have an excuse to justify it.  That is the weakness of the effects of Original sin.   Coming the heavy with an inhuman system will cause more problems that it will solve if we are placing all our trust in it, and as Christopher has pointed out, we are starting to see some of those problems already.

Real reform in the Church will not happen when Catholic Ireland is "cut free from the shackles" of Rome and embraces the culture of dissent, it will only happen when we take the Gospel seriously and struggle to live it; when we obey the commandments, when priests are faithful to their vows and the doctrines of the Church; when our religious are back in community, in their habits, praying together and serving the Church humbly.  When the laity realise that they are called to be saints and strive for personal holiness, safeguarding their families, playing an active role in their local parish and community, and participating in prayer and apostolic activities to help build up the Church.  When they support their bishop and local clergy and not get narked because the local priest would not allow them run riot through the liturgy as if it was their personal fiefdom.  When those members of our parish who are public representatives realise that they cannot divorce their professed faith from their public service and instead of becoming instruments to attack the Church and her moral teachings, instead become people who remind the secular state that the Church does have some interesting teachings that can actually help the state and the citizens build up community, serve the common good and respect the inherent dignity of every human being.

So the reform of the Church in Ireland is not as simple as putting a system in place and sticking to it, it is not about forcing bishops to resign or even appointing competent, orthodox ones, it is not about transparency: it is all of these and more - it is about Catholics in Ireland (clergy, religious and laity) waking up to the fact that they are Catholics, and that this is a way of life and not a cultural label used to get privileges when they want them.  Being Catholic means we must live the Gospel faithfully in union with Peter and strive for real holiness even if it means renouncing the comforts and conveniences we have enjoyed for years.  In Ireland we have alot of soul searching to do. 

The soon to be Blessed Pope John Paul II said it all in his life's work and writings: the ordinary means of Christian living is that of heroic virtue, anything less than that is not wholly Christian, through if we are striving we are on the way.  When we stop striving, then we go backwards, and as Pope Benedict pointed out in his letter to the Irish, that is what happened in Ireland.  Not only did we take the eye off the ball, we went backwards, and given the nature of human weakness, sin and temptation, when you go backwards there is always the danger that some will wallow in land of evil and degeneracy.

Columbanus For Taoiseach!

Recent news from Ireland is not good.   In the past few days we have had to accept the IMF bailout, our government have had to face up to the fact that Ireland is facing financial ruin, and yesterday the junior partner in the coalition, the Greens, have said that they are pulling out of government and are "suggesting" that a general election be held in the second part of January.   Many thought the Taoiseach would go to the President last night to request a dissolution of the Dail (our parliament) and call a snap general election.  He didn't - he said that they will stay to see the budget through - due in a couple of weeks and expected to be the harshest since the foundation of our state.   So all not well here on the Emerald Isle, which does not shine with as much vigour as it once did.

But today we celebrate the feast of one of our greatest Saints, St Columbanus. When we Irish are in the doldrums having made a mess of our economy, it might be a good idea to look to those who are the glory of our land and see why they are.   Columbanus is probably the Irish St Paul - this is what I told my parishioners at Mass this morning.  Like Paul he left everything and offered himself to the Lord to preach the Gospel in foreign lands. 

Columbanus was a monk of the monastery of Bangor and its principle teacher at one stage, but he heard another call (the call within the call) - to be a pilgrim for Christ.  So with twelve volunteers he left Ireland and set out for Gaul (France) to assist in the re-evangelisation of Europe.   There, as good Irish Saints always do, he started founding monasteries all over the place - the Irish were great for founding.  These communities lived according to Columbanus' own Rule.  If St Benedict's Rule is known for balance, Columbanus' is a bit on the severe side, and this caused a few problems for the Gauls (les French).  This, and few other Gospel quirks like being faithful to the teachings of Christ, caused offence, and next thing he was being herded out of Gaul and told to go back where he came from. 

Well, Columbanus being Irish he had that stubborn streak that can almost be virtuous, and so he went to Italy to bring Christ back to the Italians - no mean feat.  Again, he got the itch to found and he established a monastery at Bobbio which would become the jewel in his crown.  Bobbio became one of the most important monasteries in Europe, and a great centre of learning and evangelisation.  It was there that Columbanus died in 615 at the age of about 70.  He has left us his Rule and a number of writings which are noted for their zeal and literary beauty - we Irish don't do things by half, as you see from the financial crisis - if we're going to ruin the country, then we'll do it right!

I'm told that a few years ago the Irish bishops made a request to the Pope that St Columbanus be declared the seventh patron of Europe - a marvellous suggestion.  He would be an ideal candidate, although I suspect there may be some who think seven patrons would be enough and the last place should be given to a man, not yet sainted, who had an important role to play in the liberation of Europe in the 20th century - one who who also represent the popes among the patrons.   But no harm to make the suggestion. 

St Columbanus reminds us Irish of what is most important in life, and now that we need to start again and begin a badly needed renewal in all areas of Irish life we would do well to listen to him and to the Christ he devoted his life to serving.  We need a new Columbanus in Ireland today (and in Europe which needs re-evangelisation again), pray that Lord will send us one.  In the meantime, we can but ask our great missionary Saint to help Ireland at this time, and to assist  the Apostolic Visitators in their work for the renewal of the Church in our land.    In fact, perhaps dear Columbanus might do a good job in getting the country back on its feet - we probably a need a tough Abbot to sort us out, a man not used to mincing his words and one well used to austerity!  No better man than Columbanus!