Monday, March 17, 2014

Barry Clifford: To Forgive And To Beware

Ten days ago the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland has said that Priests who abused children should be forgiven for past “mistakes” and allowed return to ministries where they have authority over minors. They also claimed priests who show “no pattern of re-offending” must be given “mercy”.

                                                             Fr Flannery

“Many older priests are excluded because of a mistake or mistakes they made in their earlier life, and where there was no pattern of re-offending. We questioned the justice of this, and the witness from a church, one of whose core teachings is mercy and forgiveness,” wrote the association, which represents 25% of priests.

The group’s spokesman, Fr Tony Flannery, also suggested audits of child protection standards in dioceses are potentially mistreating priests and bishops — not protecting children from harm.

So, have these priests learned anything, calling the abuse of children as “mistakes.” Fr Flannery claimed too that it was “inevitable” for people entering the seminary to be “attracted to teenagers.”

When I heard this mans statement what I write here cannot describe how disturbing this is and how, despite cover-ups and denials by the church, this reflects the underlining problem of how they, the association of Catholic priests, really feel about children. In fact it is not about children at all but what these priests want in their sick lives under the guise of mercy and forgiveness, and of which this church showed little of it to their victims.


It also shows no matter what utterances that come from the association of Catholic priests in Ireland, vigilance has to be the byword for parents and guardians of children everywhere. If we don’t remember the words of Flannery we will be forced to when they or their ilk strike again. To forgive is one thing but to beware is the better action that binds with it

By Barry Clifford   

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