THE PIECE BELOW WAS PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED TO
THE ASSOCIATION OF CATHOLIC PRIESTS WEB SITE................NOT PUBLISHED !!!
IS THE ACP SILENCING PRIESTS TOO ???
THE IRISH TIMES LETTERS PAGE..............................................NOT PUBLISHED !!!
THE ASSOCIATION OF CATHOLIC PRIESTS WEB SITE................NOT PUBLISHED !!!
IS THE ACP SILENCING PRIESTS TOO ???
THE IRISH TIMES LETTERS PAGE..............................................NOT PUBLISHED !!!
ASSOCIATION OF CATHOLIC PRIESTS - IRELAND
As a Catholic and priest who has been ploughing a very
lonely furrow for nearly 30 years I was deeply impressed by many of the people
who spoke recently at the ACP conference in Dublin. I found the contributions
from the lady speakers inspiring and my “heart burned within me” as Father Tony Butler
from Cork made his spirit filled contribution.
Before arriving at the conference I had made a very firm
decision not to speak – in case I would be accused of trying to “hijack” the
day in anyway. But as the day wore on I felt I had to say something.
When we want to change an institution there is a very grave
danger that we will get lost in a universe of meetings, conferences, words and
written reports. We all know that actions speak louder than words. Our church
will only be changed by actions and not by words. We need “orthopraxy” and not
just orthodoxy”.
If we want optional priestly celibacy priests need to openly
take partners and continue in ministry. If one Irish priest did this he would
be annihilated. But if 900 + Irish priests did it the institution would have
the problem – not the priests in love!
If we want women priests we should ordain women, concelebrate
Mass with them and invite them to lead worship in our churches.
If we want to treat our gay and lesbian sisters and brothers
with equality in our church we should openly celebrate liturgical ceremonies
with them and ordain them if they feel so called.
If we want to minister compassionately to our sisters and
brothers in “second unions” we should openly offer them marriage ceremonies
according to the precedent set by St. Basil of Caesarea.
I would respectfully call upon the ACP and their supporters
to recognise two realities:
1.
There
was a very independent church in Ireland for well over a thousand years before
it was “Romanised”.
2.
The
Catholic Church which has 1.2 billion people has been hijacked by a small
minority of its members (the Roman curia and episcopate) and that hijacking
must be brought to an end by the majority in the Church, under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit.
At the Dublin conference Father Tony Butler, quoting St Augustine,
spoke of the two daughters of HOPE – ANGER and COURAGE.
In the Gospels Jesus asked His disciples: “Can you drink the
cup that I must drink”?
To bring about the changes that are needed will involve
suffering, rejection, suspension, charges of heresy and disloyalty and maybe
even canonical excommunication.
If we wait around seeking the permission of the “Hierarchy”
our great, great, great grandchildren will be exactly where we are now – or
indeed may be back attending Mass in Latin, burying their miscarried babies in
a field on their farm, getting “churched” after giving birth, fasting from
midnight and receiving indulgences from kissing bishop’s rings containing
relics of Saint John Paul of Krakow and Saint Benedict of Bavaria.
Today, in 2012 Jesus is saying to us all: “Can you drink the
cup that I must drink”?
Bishop Pat Buckley
22/05/2012
No comments:
Post a Comment