Conscience

Slim pickings at the moment when it comes to the blog. I have been engaged in a writing project which has been on the back burner for some time, so that took me away from my regular interventions here. There are more projects waiting to be finished also, so it may be slim pickings for a while yet. That and parish work keeps me busy.

I have been keeping up with developments in recent weeks and a lot has happened. In recent days one piece in particular interested me and I would like to share a few reflections with you. It was an article Edward Peters, the canon lawyer, wrote on his blog concerning priests and conscience. In the piece he reminded us all that priests have consciences too, and these consciences must be respected. As I read the piece I was thrilled to see that someone is looking at things from a priest's perspective and defending us. 

To be honest, as a priest I have to say the last number of years have been difficult. We have been on the receiving end of a lot of abuse, mired in controversy, dragged through the media. Pope Benedict tried to ease the stress by the Year of the Priest, a year dedicated to help us renew, but the scandals destroyed that. Pope Francis's tirades against us haven't helped either. Talking with brother priests I see the morale is very very low, in fact I have never seen it as low as it is, and this has me worried. Most priests are hard working men who do their best, but get little support. Some laity and bishops are very good, but there is an attitude in the Church which regards priests as functionaries and we are expected to just get on with it. Dr Peters's article is welcome because it does not treat us as functionaries, but as members of the Church. You can read his piece here, if you haven't already read it.

This is the crucial bit:  "Many clerics, Deo gratias, and other ministers of the Eucharist, recognize the significance of their sacramental office and know—as all Catholics should know—that their actions, too, are carried out before a God who sees all".  In conscience a priest cannot do what is wrong, regardless of who asks him be it divorced and remarried Catholics, bishops, brides looking for the perfect wedding, grieving families organising a funeral. A priest has to be faithful to God, Church teaching and the laws of the liturgy; if he is not, then he sins. 

Too often as a priest I have been asked to break the rules of the Church for people; they ask it as a favour, or to keep the bride happy on her big day, or as a gesture of compassion towards a grieving family. What does a priest do? Do I do what I know in my conscience to be wrong to keep people happy? I have been told other priests do it, but should that be the measure of my moral observance - if others are doing it, then it is okay? Speaking with those who make such demands I gently remind them that such things are not possible: I cannot do it because I know it to be wrong. But they have no concern for the state of my soul; they want it, demand it and I must conform if I am a "Christian". When I tell them I would be committing a sin if I did it, they make little of it; it is not important. My right to follow my conscience must fall to their desires.

I remember in a few cases, for example, explaining to bereaved families why eulogies are not permitted in our diocese - our bishop does not allow them. In each case I have been asked to make an exception for them - so I put it in context for them: "Are you asking me to be disobedient to my bishop?" The answer is usually "Yes" but expressed in that round-about way only the Irish have mastered. Refusal on my part is usually interpreted on their part as a lack of compassion, a betrayal of Christ's values of being nice and conciliatory. 

Priests have consciences too. If a priest does something that he knows is wrong or not permitted by the Church then he sins. Am I as priest expected to bear the burden of such sinning when I, like every other Christian, have enough sin to deal with in my personal life? Am I just a functionary? Some say that if the bishop permits it then it is okay. That is true if the bishop has the competence to dispense. However in some areas, like communion for the divorced and remarried (since it is being discussed now), a bishop cannot dispense from the moral law of God; then no, not even the orders of a bishop can compel a priest to "give in". I know of one case, for example, where a bishop ordered a priest to give communion to a married woman living very publicly in a second relationship. The priest rightly resisted and suffered for it. The bishop thought that the priest's conscience could be set aside with an episcopal decree.

Not so. If I, in conscience, know something is wrong or not permitted, then I must remain true to my conscience regardless of what others think or do. As a Christian I must be permitted to follow my conscience, just because I am priest does not mean that I can put it in a box and forget about it when performing my priestly duties or celebrating the liturgy. Some may say that some of these issues are small things, they do not really register on the radar; however, Christ himself said that he who is faithful in small things can be trusted with great. The small things do matter, even more so than the great because, for most of us, our lives are usually measured in small things. Few of us rarely have to face major moral problems, but we do face the small ones every day, and our conscience is not a faculty given to be taken out for the big events of one's life, it is a constant companion that is meant to keep us on the right road, and on the right side of the road. 

So thanks to Dr Peters for his piece; it is most welcome.

Another Martyr Of The Confessional: St Mateo Correa

Today is the feast of St Christopher Magallanes and his companions, martyrs of Mexico, twenty-two priests and three laymen.  I have blogged on these martyrs before, or at least on one of them, St Toribio Romo who was martyred in front of members of his family in 1928.  Each of the twenty-five martyrs celebrated today have their own story and reveal that heroism which is be part and parcel of the Christian life.

Given issues we face today, I would like to highlight another of the martyrs from the group: St Mateo Correa Magallanes (no relation to St Christopher as far as I know). St Mateo was born in 1866 in Tepechitlan. In 1881 he entered seminary assisted by a scholarship for his fees. He was ordained priest in 1893. Among his appointments was parish priest of Concepcion del Oro and Colotlan. His claim to fame in these early years of his priesthood was his administering First Holy Communion to Blessed Miguel Pro on the 19th March 1898. At some point Fr Mateo joined the Knights of Columbus.When the government's persecution of the Church began in 1910, Fr Mateo went into hiding, as many did. Later, however, he took up an appointment as parish priest of Valparaiso in 1926.  

Before long he was arrested on charges of being in league with the Cristeros. It sees there was not enough evidence to convict him and he was released. However the authorities kept their eyes on him. His health also began to fail at this time and by the following year he was quite frail though he was still only 60. As he was on his way to bring Viaticum to a lady who was dying he was arrested again. He was once again charged with being part of the Cristero movement. The commander, General Eulogio Ortiz, who had him arrested had been furious at the priest's release the year before and this time he was intent on making the charges stick this time.

Fr Mateo was imprisoned to await trial. In the meantime a number of Cristeros were condemned to death, and the commander Ortiz asked the priest to hear the confessions of those about to die. This was later revealed not to an act of charity towards the condemned, but a ruse to get information from them as they were about to die. After Fr Mateo had heard their confessions, Ortiz ordered him to reveal what the Cristeros had confessed: Fr Mateo refused.  Putting a gun to the priest's head Ortiz told him if he did not reveal what was confessed he would be shot. Fr Mateo stood firm: the seal could not be broken. Furious, Ortiz ordered the priest's execution, and at dawn on the 6th February 1927 in a cemetery in Durango, Fr Mateo was shot through the head. Beatified in 1992, he was canonised in 2000 by St John Paul II.

St Mateo was a good, humble priest devoted to his flock. Among the martyrs today we find many other examples of good, holy men who sought simply to be faithful priests. May those martyr-saints, who now belong to all of us, not just to Mexico, watch over all our priests in these times and obtain from the Lord the graces we need to seek to be true to Christ and the Gospel.

Providence Strikes Again

 

On All Saints' Day I mentioned the little "Saint's Lottery" we have here in the parish, and how it has been spiritually rewarding for some of our parishioners.   Providence seems to be at work and the Lord is reminding us, as he does, of what the Saints mean for the Church and the faithful.  Last year I drew out my own foundress, St Teresa of Avila, this year I drew out a Beata who really surprised me.  Praying to her and about her in the last few days I see God is teaching me an important lesson at this time.  Can I share?

 

My Patron for this year is Blessed Victoire Rasoamanarivo.  You may not have heard of her: I had, but knew little about her.  For one thing I am still struggling to say her second name - nearly there.  She is Madagascar's first Beata and she was elevated to the altars by Blessed John Paul II in 1989.

 

Blessed Victoire was born in 1848 in the capital city of Antananarivo.  She was a member of one of  the noble families of Madagascar.  Her mother was the daughter of the chief minister to the queen, her father was the brother of the commander-in-chief of the army.  Her father died when she was young and her father's brother became head of the household and had an important role in raising his niece.  The religion of her childhood was the native animist religion which also has a strong element of ancestor worship.  Christianity was struggling on the island, and during Victoire's childhood there had been a terrible persecution in which many Christians had been martyred.

 

Around 1861 Victoire first meet the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny, she was sent to study at their school and here she encountered Catholicism at first hand.  Observing the simple, devout life of the sisters and learning of Jesus she was converted and sought baptism.  Her family were horrified, but despite their efforts to stop her, Victoire was baptised when she was fifteen years old.  Her family threatened her with expulsion and told her that she could not be buried with her ancestors in the family tomb - the ultimate act of excommunication in Malagasy society.  Victoire was not worried: "The missionaries will bury me with them", she replied.

 

Not long after her conversion she was given in marriage to the eldest son of the prime minister.  She was not keen - she wanted to consecrate her life to Christ in the religious life, though the missionaries had advised her that things were dangerous enough because of her conversion, becoming a sister would make things worse for her and Christians on the island.  She decided to remain a laywoman and live the Gospel in the world.  Her husband, Radriaka, was a boorish creature.  He was unfaithful, rough, a drunkard and an abuser.  He continually attacked her verbally for her adherence to the Christian faith, joining his voice with many in Madagascar and at court who were scandalised by her Catholicism.  She endured all these thanks to an intense life of prayer and service of others.  As the years passed hearts were changed as Victoire, always serene, joyful and kind, emerged a woman who was willing to help others and could give very sound and wise advice.  Her marriage disturbed many and she was advised, even by the queen, to divorce her husband because of his scandalous life.  She refused: she was bound to him by the sacrament of marriage - she had managed to convince him to marry her in the Church.  Besides, she said, how would it look if Madagascar's most prominent Catholic divorced her husband?   Victoire's endurance bore fruit: she converted her husband just before he died.

 

In 1883 another persecution broke out and Catholic priests and religious were expelled from Madagascar.  Before they left the Jesuit missionaries entrusted the tiny Catholic population to Victoire's care, and for three years she guided and protected the faithful, encouraging them to come to church for prayers every Sunday and to continue their catechetical formation and virtuous lives.  Of all the trials she suffered in what would be three years of intense persecution, the greatest pain for Victoire was the absence of the Blessed Sacrament.  When the missionaries and priests were allowed to return they found the Catholics to be vibrant in faith. 

 

Victoire' last years were spent in prayer, voluntary poverty and helping the poor and the sick, particularly the lepers on the island.  She was held in deep esteem by all, Christian and animist alike.  She died on the 21st August 1894 after a brief illness.  She was buried in her family tomb, but in 1961 her remains were transferred to the missionaries' cemetery; and then at her beatification her remains were entombed in a chapel dedicated to her in front of the country's Catholic cathedral.

 

Blessed Victoire was a source of consolation to her fellow Catholics in a time of great suffering.  She herself endured many trials, meeting them with serenity, prayer and joy.  Whenever people came to her almost overcome by the trial inflicted on Catholics she said: "Have trust in God!"  And here is the lesson for me, and for all of us Catholics at this time.  We live in a time when our deeply held beliefs are not just tested, but mocked, attacked and even becoming criminal as immoral laws are enforced.  Here in Ireland more legislative acts are being introduced to the parliament which are repugnant not only to our Christian faith but also to basic, reasoning humanity.  How do we cope?  How we endure?  When we are tempted to give up, how we overcome this temptation?  We listen to Victoire: "Have trust in God!  

 

As a priest called to teach the faith and strengthen the faith of my brothers and sisters, Blessed Victoire seems to me to be a powerful intercessor and friend.  She loved the priesthood, assisted priests and offered her prayers and sacrifices to help her priests in their trials.  I do sense providence in her being given as a patron for this year, and I suspect, well beyond.   So if you are willing, please say a prayer for us priests today, and perhaps invoke Blessed Victoire for us.  May she watch over all of us in our time of need and in these times of trial.

He Was What He Wore: A Faithful Witness

 

Lest you think I'm dead, I'm not.  The last few weeks have been extremely busy and while eventful on the news front, when time became available to blog I was just too tired.  I had better get back into it.  Someone said to me that blogging is a habit, get out of it and it can be hard to get back into it.  That is true.  So I had better get back into this ministry.

 

Well some good news to report: the heroic young seminarian, Rolando Rivi, has been beatified.  On Saturday the young seminarian murdered by communists out of hatred for his faith in 1945 was inscribed among the Blessed as a martyr.   I know a number of seminarians and priests will be delighted.

 

Rolando was an extraordinary young man, he was only fourteen when he was martyred and already studying for the priesthood - he had entered the junior seminary at the age of eleven.  An interesting dimension to this martyrdom was his refusal to divest of his clerical clothes.  He lived in an area of Italy which was, and still is, quite socialist, and there is a great hatred for the Church prevalent among certain groups there.  It was because he wore his cassock that Rolando came to the attention of the communist partisans who kidnapped, tortured and killed him.  Rolando had been advised to take off his clerical clothes, so as not to draw people's attention to him: Rolando refused.  He was martyred on the 10th April 1945.

 

I'm sure some would say that Rolando's attitude did not help and may have led to aggravating his killers - the more prudent thing would have been to take off his clerical clothes and lie low until trouble passed.  Yes, many did that in times of persecution, we may need to do it ourselves should persecution come to Ireland, the US or other countries in the West.  Heroic and faithful priests had to minister in difficult situations in "mufti": St Oliver Plunkett, St Edmund Arrowsmith and other priests in post-Reformation Britain and Ireland passed themselves off as layman, dressing as such, in order to move freely and undetected. 

 

But we cannot dismiss Rolando's witness either.  The Church in Italy at that time was not going through a period of persecution, priests and seminarians did not need to go underground in order to minister.  However then, as now, there were people who hated the Church and hated priests and religious, and clerical garb merely identified these consecrated souls, as it should.  Rolando did not give his killers an excuse to kill him, his wearing of his clerical garb identified him as a servant of Christ and it was this which led to his death. 

 

The lesson for us is clear: we should not be afraid to be identified as servants of Christ and we should wear some emblem of our adherence to Christianity.  For laity a cross or a medal suffices, but for priests and religious it should be their religious clothing.  Often we hear that clerical clothes or religious habits are a barrier to ministry, well I have found from my own experience and the experience of many others that it is not a barrier.  In fact, it is an invitation, an invitation for people to come to you.  Some of those who come will be believers, and some not.  Some will come for help, some to encourage and some to admonish and, yes, some will even abuse you.  We consecrated souls are not meant to fade into the background no more than Christ did.  Blessed Rolando encourages us to take this simple witness seriously.

A Few Links

Happy feast day to you all: today is the feast of our newest Irish Saint - St Charles of Mount Argus, a Dutch Passionist who lived most of his priestly life in Ireland.  He is Ireland's Padre Pio - a man with various mystical gifts, among them healing and discernment, and a priest who went into ecstasy as he celebrated Mass.  He was canonised in 2007, and it is a shame that he is not more widely known, particularly in Ireland.   At the time of his canonisation, I saw his glorification as a gift to the priests of Ireland: a patron, model and intercessor at a time when the morale of priests is very low and when some may be tempted to leave.  He is also a marvellous example of devotion to the Holy Mass, to the Sacrament of Confession and his love and obedience to the Pope.  As some priests may be tempted to rebel, St Charles, in his humility and holiness, calls us all back to see the right path for priests to take in their ministry.

Thanks to all of you who sent best wishes for my father and included him in your prayers.  He is back home now recuperating.   The blockage which caused the problem has been cleared and a stent put it.  It is amazing that something as small as a stent can mean the difference between life and death.  Science and medicine have come a long way, thank God.  Dad's GP is keeping a close eye on him, as are my mother and the rest of the family.  Poor man, it will be like living under surveillance by MI6 for him.  But thanks be to God for his mercy, and thanks to you for your prayers: I will remember you at Mass for your kindness.

A lot of things have been happening since I last blogged, one of the most notable developments has been the granting of a church to the Ordinariate in the UK - what a wonderful gift.  They have been given the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street, Soho, the former Portuguese embassy church, during the persecution that church was a lifeline for many London Catholics.  It is also very central, so that will be handy for the Ordinariate and for those who want to participate in the ceremonies and devotional life of the community.  The dedication of the Church is appropriate - Our Lady of course, but also St Gregory the Great - the Pope who sent St Augustine of Canterbury to England to begin the conversion of the south of England. 

The Ordinariate is doing well: a community of Anglican nuns have been received into the Church over the last few days - their community was an important one in the religious life of the Anglican Communion.  We wish them every blessing as they continue their religious in full communion with the Church.  They have just been established as a new congregation in the Church: the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  I also see that the Ordinariate has been given the care of a parish in the diocese of Southwark - Precious Blood near London Bridge.  Things are moving at last.  It will be interesting to see how things develop as recent decisions in the Church of England alienate more and more members: the most recent is the decision to lift the ban on appointing practicing homosexuals as bishops.  Interestingly it is a decision that is being criticised by both conservatives and liberals.

An interesting article from LifeSiteNews to keep us informed as the campaign for life continues here in Ireland.  Time Magazine laments the inability of the pro-abortion lobby to keep up the momentum in pushing their cause - too many inroads are being made by the pro-life movement.  Thank God for that, but as someone said to me: millions of children are dying every year in abortion clinics and pro-abortion groups have the ears of government and access to public funds to finance their campaign.  We have a lot of work to do.  Here is an interesting article on how, despite medical evidence to the contrary, abortion groups still insist abortion is needed to save women's lives. 

And finally, Cardinal Piacenza, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, has written a letter to the mothers of priests and seminarians.  It is a beautiful piece of writing, so if you know a mother of a priest or seminarian, print it off and give it to them.

Catching Up

A quick post to update the blog.  I have not fallen off the face of the earth!  It has been a hectic week.  I was in Rome for a few days last week, there for the canonisations, and then back in the parish kept busy between parish duties and attending an exorcist/deliverance conference.  There was also the Fraternity celebrations for Blessed John Paul II's feast day. So all that left me with little time to blog. 

The canonisations grabbed the headlines what with the canonisation of St Kateri, the first Native American Saint.  I developed a love for her when serving as a seminarian in New York over a few summers.  I was determined to get to her canonisation whenever it happened.  When I was a child I was fascinated by the stories of the North American Martyrs and Kateri and the sacrifices they made to live their faith.  Strange, I have not yet visited their shrines despite my many visits to the US - I must make it a priority next time I'm over. 

Of all the North American martyrs, St Noel Chabanel is my favourite - his life in America was a continuous martyrdom, finding it so difficult to cope with the climate, the food, the languages and some of the people: yet he made a vow to remain for Christ's sake loving those the Lord had given into his care; and he did!  He eventually laid down his life for them.    He teaches us all the lesson of endurance and points us to Christ in whom we find refuge and strength.

The canonisation was a great celebration.  Some of the Catholic media homed in on the fanon, but to be honest there was lots more to interest me.  The 200,000 Filipinos (or at least that is the figure I was given) were a great addition to the celebrations.  I was standing in the middle of them and though I was there for Kateri, I soon found myself being there for St Pedro too, and I was joining in their elation as their second Saint was proclaimed.  I was adopted by a group from Cebu, a priest, his brother (also a priest), their sister and their friends.  We queued for hours together and then stood with each other for the Mass: we had a great time and they were wonderful.  They asked me if I was going to Cebu for the next Eucharistic Congress, I said I hoped to.  I think they are planning a really great congress - they expect millions to come.  I had better start saving!  If there is one thing that boosts your faith - it is the faith of the Filipino people, God bless them!

Indeed since coming back from Rome I have been reading up on St Pedro Calungsod - I am doing a novena to him for a special intention.  He was a most remarkable young man, laying down his life for his faith at the age of seventeen.  It is not known where he is from exactly, somewhere in the present diocese of Cebu.  He was brought up in the faith, and was so dedicated to the Lord that he wanted to serve as a catechist.  He trained as a Jesuit and then accompanied Blessed Fr Diego de San Vitores to the Mariana Islands where they had a very successful ministry.

In 1672 on the island of Guam as they were ministering, opposition emerged as pagan leaders alleged that the baptismal waters were poisoned.  On the 2nd April of that year, after baptising a baby at the request of its Christian mother, the child's father took the priest and Pedro down to a beach and attacked them with spears.  Pedro, who could have escaped and saved himself, stood by Fr Diego and defended him.  He dodged a number of spears, but was then gored by one and finished off with a blow to the head.  Fr Diego was then killed.  Their bodies were stripped, weighed down with stones and thrown into the ocean.

St Pedro is revered by the Filipino people as a great example for Christian youth, and what a marvellous example he is for our young people in these years of the New Evangelisation.  He now belongs to the whole Church, and it might be a good idea to promote devotion to him in this Year of Faith.  He also teaches us love for the priesthood.  Even by Catholics today, many priests suffer calumny and opposition for preaching the truth of the Catholic faith: St Pedro stood by his priest and defended him against attack even at the cost of his life.  May he watch over our priests, inspire them to preach the truth and help them as even members of their own flock seek to silence and harass them.

That's it for now.   I have a Holy Hour to do - the Lord is waiting and I am in need of it, and I have the Vigil Mass after that.  Oh yes, the clocks go back tonight - an extra hour in bed in the morning - I need it!

The Silence Of The Shepherds

A number of friends contacted me yesterday to tell me that in their parishes the priests saying Mass did not mention that it was the Day for Life, nor referred to the Bishops's letter nor that it was the beginning of a month of prayer for the pro-life cause in Ireland.   Indeed, they tell me, their priests were silent on the issue.  What a disappointment, indeed what a scandal!  As the biggest battle for life is beginning in Ireland, these servants of Christ close their mouths and utter not a word! 

Why were they silent?  Was it the case that they did not know it was the Day for Life?  Are they unaware that the government is contemplating the introduction of abortion?  Do they not know that the Bishops of Ireland have produced what I think is their best Pastoral Letter in years mounting a vigorous defence of the unborn?  Not so: the priests I have been talking to got the letter a couple of weeks ago and we were given enough information to speak on the decision that is facing Ireland now.

Is it a case that this issue is not important?  Or are they afraid?  I personally think my brother priests are afraid.  They fear offending anyone, they are afraid that if they speak out against abortion they will alienate their pro-abortion parishioners and hurt those who have had abortions.  Well, silence is no excuse.  One must be sensitive, of course, to those who have had an abortion, but they must also hear from a priest that abortion is wrong.   In a homily on abortion, as in the letter from the Bishops, one must mention the help that is there for women and how they can access it.  How many church notice boards, I wonder, have a Rachel's Vineyard poster? 

As for offending those Catholics who are pro-abortion - well, they need to be told in no uncertain terms that one cannot be a true Catholic and support abortion - the two are incompatible.  They need to be called to conversion, and if they walk out of the church, let them go: they have made their choice.  Jesus did not run after those who rejected his teaching, neither should we try to pamper those who say it is good or necessary to kill the unborn.

If priests in Ireland remain silent on this issue of abortion, for whatever reason, they are contributing to the pro-abortion lobby's attempts to legalise it.  Priests must now teach the flock, they must speak out from the pulpit and make their parishioners aware of what is happening.  We have to rally behind our Bishops in the battle for life.  

The example of St John of Avila, one of our new Doctors, is badly needed now for our priests: he urged the priests of his time to convert and to proclaim the Gospel without fear; to lead their flocks on the way of holiness.  This is what we have to do in these times. 

If you are a priest who stayed silent yesterday, who did not stand up for the life of the unborn yesterday when you are asked to by the Bishops, then go to confession and add to your penance a reading of St Augustine's sermon to the shepherds, as found in your Office.  And next week, preach on the Bishops's Letter and promote the Choose Life Month.

Lay people, please pray for your priests. 

Monday Musings

The Holy Father announced yesterday that he will declare St John of Avila and St Hildegard of Bingen Doctors of the Church on Sunday the 7th October.  He is doing so at the beginning of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelisation and for a particular reason - these two figures, he says, are of considerable importance and relevance.  Well, that should offer all of us an opportunity to get reading the lives and writings of these two new Doctors.  In fact, given that the Holy Father is placing the emphasis on two Saints in the context of the New Evangelisation, we can see that the Saints in general are important as the Church "puts out into the deep" in this new missionary endeavour. 

We must spare a thought for the Holy Father in these days as two crises envelop the Vatican.  The president of the Institute for the Works of Religion (Vatican "bank") is in trouble, and after an investigation, a suspect in the so-called "Vati-leaks"  has been arrested - it is the Pope's own butler.   This will be hard on the Holy Father who relies on and trusts those people who are members of the "Papal family".  To have a trusted assistant betray a confidence is one of the worst kinds of betrayal.   He may not have been the only one though, the Vatican gendarme are continuing their investigations.

According to reports, the man will be tried by the Vatican legal system - that must be a first in a long time.  In this system, the defendant has a trial, and if found guilty, can have two appeals.  If found guilty after all that, he'll do his time in an Italian prison.  I heard that he could face up to thirty years in prison because these leaks constitute a national security breach.  It all sounds very strange, but then again we have to remember that the Vatican is an independent sovereign state and it operates as such.

Some will find that hard to take - after all, Jesus did not set up his own country - he was an itinerant preacher proclaiming the Word of God. True, but in practical terms if the Holy Father is to do the same without interference from secular governments, he needs to be free from the obligations of citizenship, and so the best way to do that is to have him living in an independent country where he is the ruler.   If we object to that, just look at the way some of the history's secular rulers treated the Church - Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Joseph II of Austria, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin; and today - Barack Obama and Enda Kenny: if the Pope were a citizen under any of them his ministry would be seriously curtailed.  Indeed Napoleon almost made the Popes his puppets as he dragged one Pope into captivity where he died, and made the life of another an absolute misery. 

But we must pray for him.  The Pope holds the Papal family very dear. One member, Manuela Camagni, died a couple of years ago: this is another blow. 

When I first read of the "Papal family" I was very much impressed.  These members of staff - his secretaries, the sisters that care for him and the household, form a little community in the Papal apartments.   It must be a real support to the Holy Father who can rely on them to make a home for him in the midst of the officialdom and ceremony which surrounds him.  

To be honest, it is a model which we priests and our bishops should look to. As diocesan priests many of us do not live in community - and even those priests that live together may not form a community.  When in seminary we were told that we were preparing for life on our own - our parishes would be our community, but in reality when we go to our homes after a day's work, there is no community there.  Some priests like that, other's don't.  Certainly, in my opinion, it is not an ideal situation, priests need support, and unfortunately when there is no domestic support, priests on their own can fall prey to too many temptations just out of sheer loneliness or isolation.

When I was in Drogheda three of us priests lived in the presbytery and we actually did have a community.  We usually had dinner together, sometimes went out for an evening together, took an interest in each other's lives and interests, and helped each other.  Our individual families were always welcome.  Our staff were also part of the community - the housekeepers, secretaries, the handyman.  But such situations are rare.

As I was thinking about all this the Lord's words from Genesis came to mind: "It is not good for man to be alone".  We understand that in terms of marriage and man as a social animal.  In terms of priesthood, I think we might also see it as being a good indication that we should not live isolated lives.   I am not advocating marriage for priests, by the way, but certainly we might look at how priests can live in the midst of a family in his domestic life.  How that can happen I do not know.  One thing I do know - it should not be completely formed of priests as the tendency to clericalism would be a serious temptation.

Sitting Ducks

The Fr Reynolds case is still foremost in the minds of many.  There is a very good article by John Allen on the false accusations made against Fr Reynolds.  A number of points are worth noting.  First, Fr Reynolds was able to use science to prove that he was not an abuser - the vast majority of innocent priests who are accused have no recourse to such proof and so will forever live under suspicion even when acquitted by a court. 

Allen also notes that no senior figure in the Church went to the priest's defence - it was down to the ACP to help him prove himself innocent.  It has been said by some that priests are abandoned by their bishops once an accusation is made. I know of one priest who was given a few hours to "get out" of his home, take off his clerical garb and was not allowed know the nature of the accusations against him for a number of weeks.   All of these offend natural justice, never mind the law of charity imposed on Christians by our Saviour.  We understand bishops around the world are doing their best in trying to deal with this crisis, but I think they may need to do more for priests to ensure the above accusation against them does not prove to be true.

I understand, and fully accept, proper procedures must be followed, but perhaps we need to look at those procedures and see if they allow the accused their basic rights.  Perhaps we have swung too far in the opposite direction.  And if we have, why have we?  Is it to ensure children are protected, or to be seen to be taking accusations seriously?   After all, even the greatest murderers and serial killers in history were allowed their rights under the law and a fair trial.  Why not priests?  To ask such a question seems unacceptable in these times, and indeed portayed by some as offensive to victims, as if the appeal to truth and justice was in some way an attempt to deny what has happened.  It is not, but justice, truth and charity are for all.

Reading the comments beneath Allen's article, I was struck by one:

"I am an old priest, and every priest I talk to awaits the day when there is some accusation and his life as a priest is over. A colleague was accused, denies the accusation, and was informed by a canon lawyer that "in this climate" he is as good as dead."

What Father here says is true.  The same sentiments are expressed by a Donegal priest in his homily yesterday, as reported by The Irish Times.  Every single one of us know we are sitting ducks.  Antagonise a parishioner, even preach a part of the Gospel that some do not want to hear, and you could be accused to punish you or get you out of the way.  It makes little difference if the accusation is obviously false, you are destroyed, and the false accuser knows that they will never be punished even if they are found out: for them it is a win-win situation.

As John Allen rightly points out, destroying innocent priests does not do justice to genuine victims, and taking the easy way out by accepting unquestioningly that all accusations are true does not help them either.  These things only contribute to a climate which allows media to make allegations with little proof and leads whole populations to believe the myth that all priests are abusers.  

 

Time, I think, for all of us to watch or read Arthur Miller's The Crucible: it has a lot of wisdom to offer us in this crisis.  Justice, truth, charity and prudence.

A Modest Proposal

Over the last few months people have asked me if I know Fr John Corapi, and what my thoughts on his whole situation is.  I do not know Fr Corapi - though we both work for EWTN, our paths never crossed when I was over recording, and I presume when we are next over in Alabama we will not bump into him now.  I have not blogged on the situation, nor do I intend to say anything because I do not know the full facts, though it seems from the statement issued by his superior things are not good.

What I am going to say, though, is that we need to pray for him and for all priests.  As a priest I know too well that I am a weak human being entrusted with great privileges and graces and like any priest, I could be a sitting duck for any fall.  We need grace, and perhaps we need it more than lay people because if the devil wants to attack the flock he will go first for the shepherds.  I was told when in seminary that the devil walked the corridors, and it is true - the roaring lion is wandering around looking for someone to devour.  That helps me understand, for example, why things were so bad in seminary.  Those priests who were not as faithful to the Church as they should have been, needed a lot of prayer because they were appointed to form the clergy of the future so they were definitely in the firing line.

Many good people pray for priests, and I hope they continue to do so.  If you, dear reader, do not pray for priests, please start now and remember us every day.  Of late I have started to pray more intensely for priests, and I would like to share with you what I do so if you are not praying already for priests, you might join me.  I call it my "Daily Mite" for my brother priests, and I offer it twice a day, once after Morning Prayer and after Evening Prayer, that way I won't forget it. Its very simple: an Our Father, three Hail Marys and the Glory Be, like this:

For priests in trouble and in need....

                    Our Father

For deceased priests, especially those who have no one to pray for them...

                    Hail Mary

For our bishops, that they may be faithful...

                   Hail Mary

For priestly vocations and the protection of our seminarians...

                   Hail Mary

In thanksgiving for the priesthood, and in honour of the holy priests in heaven...

                  Glory be

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for them

St Jean-Marie Vianney, Patron of All Priests, pray for them