Where is the Church at now in the wake of the Dublin Report? Quite simply it is in each parish and is deeply rooted there. The news report from Kilmacud parish (see page 8) is a clear demonstration of this: people are fed up with the failure of the Church leadership, but are committed to their local parish, their local priest and to their faith.
That there is disagreement among priests and bishops on how the Murphy Report was handled is to be expected. However, there is also a sense that there are chickens coming home to roost for Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. This paper is fully supportive of the archbishop's desire for renewal and reform in the Dublin Diocese and the wider Church in Ireland and has said so on many occasions. However, it is quite shocking that he did not sit down with Msgr Alex Stenson, who was after all chancellor to three archbishops, and ask him for his views on that time in the Church, the time covered by the Murphy Report. His accusation that Bishop Dermot O'Mahony showed no remorse is demonstrably not true as revealed in The Irish Catholic last week. To have rounded on Bishop O'Mahony, who is extremely popular, in such strong language appears to have been heavy-handed.
As outlined by the curate in Kilmacud, there is a lack of basic communication in the diocese and this lack of courtesy, whether it is in the case of priestly appointments or run of the mill notifications, is very damaging to morale.
Yes, Fr Doran is correct that division is unseemly. However, for too long priests have allowed their voices to be silent and they have, in many cases, only themselves to blame. They allowed the National Council of Priests of Ireland (NCPI) to be disbanded due to lack of interest without replacing that voice with an alternative.
While many lay people feel justifiably excluded from Church structures of governance and accountability, the same can be said in many cases of priests and religious. Priests need a voice and need to be treated like adults and partners with their bishops. Without this respect for their legitimate role there will always be dissention and bitterness among the ranks of the clergy.
Many priests will privately admit that while they sometimes find their commitment to celibacy burdensome, it is the perpetual obligation of respect and obedience due to their bishop that can cause them trouble. There is a perception that priests who speak out of turn can often be punished by being sent to what may be perceived to be a difficult parish. Priests who are seen to be too ambitious may have their wings clipped, and or, their gifts and talents ignored or stifled. Certainly priests who speak out to the media can find themselves on the receiving end of a witch-hunt. As was shown in the Cura affair, loyalty is rewarded over truth and justice. Whistle blowers are persecuted. One has to wonder if some of those in power have ever heard the Beatitudes.
The exercise of authority within the Church, the Second Vatican Council reminds us, is first-and-foremost a ministry of service. If this is how we are to understand leadership, modelled on the servile leadership of Christ, the Church must go forward on a footing rooted in partnership and communion. As Fr O'Hanlon states in his article, ''It will not do any more for priests, bishops, cardinals, the Pope to simply tell us what to think, what to do. People rightly want a say.'' Fr O'Hanlon suggests a National Synod; we commend the idea to Cardinal Brady and the other bishops.
