Sotto Voce, over at Clerical Whispers, reports:
Ireland's ongoing paedophile priest scandals have taken a bizarre turn with two of the country's top Catholic clerics clashing in the courts over secret church files. Cardinal Desmond Connell and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin are battling over the proposed publication of files relating to the former's handling of complaints against paedophile priests.
Archbishop Martin succeeded Cardinal Connell about three years ago as the archbishop of Dublin. Martin has released files to the courts and Connell, without informing his successor, petitioned for and received a court injunction against Martin's handing over the documentation.
Sotto Voce has a number of posts on this topic. You can read the rest of the article quoted above here.
I'm struck by the juxtaposition of this post about trying to block the release of secret files relating to sexual abuse vs. the post on Lent.
ReplyDeleteJust as the faithful should be encouraged to examine how they follow God's will, the hierarchy also need to follow the same advice. If Jesus were in Dublin, would he side with Cardinal Connell to keep the secrets, or Archbishop Martin to publicly confess the sins?
From the Concord Pastor's Lenten post:
LENT is a season to do some spring-cleaning in the many rooms of our hearts...
LENT is a time for getting back to basics: to learn again and to practice for forty days how we should live as Christians every day of the year.
LENT is a time for coming home: coming home to the Church community; coming home to prayer; coming home to God.
LENT is spring training for Christians: a time to get in shape, spiritually; a time to strengthen what is weak within us and tone up the strengths we have.
LENT is a time to make the time to begin to really do the things we say we want and hope to do - but...
Isn't it long past the time for church leaders to stop hiding, keeping the secrets, and protecting themselves? Isn't it time they did some spiritual Spring cleaning, to act like true Christians, as Jesus taught us, to abandon the protection of the treasure and come home to God, to begin to really do as they say. Isn't it time to be honest, face the truth, and atone for the sins committed through Christian actions, not just empty words?
If the church leaders were really serious about protecting children, these files would be released in an instant. Yet, the charade continues. Lord hear our prayers.