I have to date tried to resist temptation to blog about
religion, but in light of my previous post about values and ethics I feel quite
compelled to look at my own hypocrisy and to try to find a solution. I suppose
I'm a Roman Catholic, I was born into a Roman Catholic family and that was how
my religion was chosen. I do have faith and I attend mass weekly for the
purpose of making weekly time for my faith, yet I'm not a fan of the hierarchical
institution that is the Catholic Church. I prefer not to “tar all those within
the church with the same brush” as I have met some priests for whom I have
great respect and admiration, yet I am frustrated by those who don’t seem to be
able to see beyond the out dated teachings of canon law.
An
aspect of the Catholic Church which in my view is quite similar to that of the
refusal to accept that Galileo was right when he said that the world was round
is the stance around the bread and wine actually being transformed into the
body and blood of Christ during the consecration. This belief is maintained by
the Catholic Church, whereas in other religions a more realistic approach where
the bread and wine act as symbols of the body and blood of Christ is used. What
I believe is utterly laughable about the refusal of the Catholic Church to amend
this stance is the fact that gluten free communion is now being offered to coeliac’s
at mass. Through doing this the church is obviously recognising that the bread
is not changed into the body of Christ, as human flesh doesn't contain any
flour/gluten but bread does, hence the need for gluten free hosts. This
makes me laugh however it isn't something which causes me great angst.
On the
other hand the fact that Sean Brady remains as cardinal in the diocese of
Armagh in which I live is a great cause of concern of mine. This man sat in a
room and heard accounts of paedophilia by priests and colluded with those who
sought to silence the victims, thereby leaving a perpetrator free to abuse
others. Personally I have no respect for anyone who could hear reports of such
a horrendous crime and say or do nothing, to help cover it up is even more
disgraceful. If an individual’s values weren't strong enough to distinguish
right and wrong in this situation and to put the interests of vulnerable
children above their own I have no confidence in them as a leader or decision
maker. Sean Brady’s lack of remorse and defence of the course of action he took
at that time further demonstrates his inability to see that it is completely
unacceptable not to take action to protect vulnerable children when you are
aware that they are in danger. If the leaders of the church were elected
representatives, I am quite confident that Sean Brady would not have been
elected to his current position or forced to resign when these allegations were
exposed. Yet he continues to speak on behalf of the Catholic Church. As a Catholic
I am unhappy that this man is representing me, so unhappy that I would question
whether I can remain a Catholic within this diocese under his leadership.
I am
quite impressed by the humane approach Pope Francis has adopted and also I have
quite a lot of respect for Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, so perhaps a move to
Rome or Dublin might be the best course of action, or maybe the people of
Ireland could appeal to the Pope to give us a leader we can respect and have
faith in.
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