Saturday 20 May 2017

VATICAN - MAYNOOTH - IRISH BISHOPS AND GAYS

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Cardinal Parolin
An informed Vatican source has informed me that in recent weeks an important meeting took place between two Vatican officials. The two people present that that meeting was the Vatican's second in command - Cardinal Pietro Parolin - Vatican Secretary of State - and the outgoing papal nuncio to the Dominican Republic Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo.


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Archbishop Okolo
The agenda for the meeting was Archbishop Okolo's new appointment as papal nuncio to Ireland and the Vatican's concerns about the Irish Catholic Church.

The particular focus of the meeting was the Vatican's concerns over last year's gay scandal at Maynooth and the inability of the Irish bishops to satisfactorily deal with that scandal. 

Also of concern was the determination by a number of Irish bishops to press ahead with the ordinations of some seminarians who were central to that scandal.

On the table were several large files about the scandals that included not only a plethora of newspaper cuttings from the Irish and world newspapers about the scandal - but also numerous letters and complaints from a number of prominent Irish Catholics and Catholic clergy.

A Vatican monsignor who attended the first part of the meeting had created a summary of the news reports and complaints and had prepared a copy of that summary for the cardinal and papal nuncio.

I am told that the names of several Irish bishops, priests and seminarians came up during the meeting.

Apparently this meeting happened as a result of Pope Francis asking Cardinal Parolin to address the "Irish Problem" and report back to him. A number of prominent and well placed people had drawn Francis' attention to the issues involved during the pope's brief encounters with them.

Before this meeting between Parolin and Okolo it had been decided at the Vatican that the then nuncio - Archbishop Charles Brown needed to be replaced in Ireland as these scandals had erupted on his watch and they had not been dealt with.

The Vatican had then looked around for Brown's replacement in Ireland. They were looking for a more experienced diplomat who had experience in dealing with such scandals.

They decided on Okolo as he was the nuncio sent to the Dominican Republic after the previous nuncio there Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski had sexually abused Dominican Republic boys during stint there as nuncio.


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Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski

Wesolowski was later put on trail at the Vatican and died suddenly in his Vatican residence !!!

He was given the funeral rites of a Catholic layman !!!

The Vatican felt that Okolo had done a good job in mopping up that particular sexual scandal which had been very embarrassing for the Vatican. 

It was decided that Okolo was the man to send to Ireland to address the Maynooth gay scandal and the failure by the bishops to address it robustly. 

While the new nuncio to Ireland - who arrives this summer - will conduct all the normal duties of a nuncio he comes with a number of special priorities:

1. Appointing a new archbishop of Dublin to replace Diarmuid Martin. The Vatican is not convinced that Diarmuid Martin did enough to address the Maynooth scandal. They also have concerns about his poor relationship with Dublin's priests and with his fellow Irish bishops. 

Martin will resign Dublin on 8th April 2020.



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2. Finding a "final solution" to the Maynooth problem. There are many in the Vatican who think it should be closed completely and all future seminarians trained in Rome.

3. Appointing new bishops for the dioceses of Meath, Raphoe, Ossory, Clonfert, Galway, Cork, and Clogher.

The Vatican knows that the Irish Catholic Church is in decline.

They know that there is little they can do about the decline.

But they want to manage the decline and reduce the number of scandals.

Okolo is coming to Ireland to try and put the rudderless ship back on some kind of steady course.

He will have a difficult job.

The vessel is holed below the water line!


30 comments:

  1. No doubt our new legislation on gay marriage is at the top of the agenda where the Irish problem is concerned. Look at Parolin's comments at the time and note that the new nuncio is from the most homophobic region of the church/

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  2. Interesting news. Thanks Pat.

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  3. Just finished reading about the Romanian Orthodox on the Scott Nevins site. They make the other one true church look like amateurs.

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  4. The Manager, Eamon Martin will be confirming children at 3pm in Magherafelt. The episode will be broadcast live on the Magherafelt webcam with a certain MC young Co. Derry Priest dripping in lace.

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    1. I'm so glad to see that our lace-obsessed commentator is online today because there is sooooooo much to discuss! Did you see Pippa Middleton's wedding dress yesterday? As an lace expert - always on the lookout for lace - what did you think? I thought it looked amazing. Did you get a chance to look at the wedding pictures at all?

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    2. @11.10 (Sadie on the sofa) I did see bits of that wedding and you're right--there's still a big following for lace. Though a lassie in Debenham's was trying to put me off buying a reduced lace frock and wanting me to branch out into new glazed cotton. She said lace was "so last year." Ye never know what to buy..

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    3. I hear ye Sadie, a cuttie hasn't a clue these days what's in and what's out. I've made do the year with a few cheeky numbers from Victoria's Secrets, but for the love of God don't tell Susan Anne White I said that - she'll think I'm a bigger hussie than Fiona Paisley!

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    4. (Sadie on the sofa) God love you! - - you sound well up in these things.. thanks pet

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    5. Sadie, the other Sadie I mixed you up with has a great fondness for lace, too. Here she is on an evening out in London a few years back, with the other girls in a little place on the Brompton Road:
      http://liturgicalpimpernel.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/extraordinary-abbots.html
      And on an outing to Oxford:
      http://catholicnewslive.com/story/84450
      And doesn't she look scrumptious in pink:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxpZW4qx5Uw
      But strangely, you'll only rarely see her in public in a little black number:
      http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/7138228.stm
      Strange, one would think she would wear it more often!

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  5. Thanks Pat, its good to get an update. Can I ask why you think the 8th April 2020 sounds like a good time to resign or be replaced this is the Wednesday before the tridium , a very strange time to go coming to the most important time in the churches calendar.

    I think Pat you should now publish a full blog to highlight all the going ons in Maynooth, the Dublin Pro cathedral and the link between that Oscott in the Uk and Spain. Also the going ons in the dioceses of Galway and Clonfert. I said on this blog before there is a Clonfert priest I am waiting on to get the nod for bishop and then this will lead to an end of the church as we know it , an opening of pandoras box I might say. I look forward to the next week. Its time to set the case and end this now.

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    1. Diarmuid Martin turns 75 on April 8th 2020. He must submit his resigation by that date.

      Rome is already thinking about his replacement.

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    2. 10:37 - I too would like to see something about Clonfert and Galway. Both dioceses have been mentioned in comments several times. Definitely some strange goings on in Galway.

      This Clonfert priest you mention, his initials wouldn't be MB, would they?

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    3. The two questions that continue to arise concerning DM: is he compromised? Does he believe in God?

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  6. Let's see how it goes. True change comes from the bottom up. I'm sure the Irish RC Church will survive but not sure what form it will take. People 👗 ed like Christmas trees will probably be low on the agenda.

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    1. It seems like most of the seminarians today are dressed for suckcess.

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  7. "The vessel is holed below the water line!"

    ... as many of the crew have shown their rusty washers on Grindr.

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  8. They will probably name Dermos succesor a few months in advance calling him Co - Adjutor which means he will have the right to succeed Dermo once he retires in 2020. I know Pat believes it will be Paul Tighe who is in Rome at present. I think it will be Leahy from Limerick or Doran from Elphin or Nulty from Kildare and Leighlin. Leahy would be a popular choice. Doran the complete disaster. Nulty not a bad choice.

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  9. Any word on Chris Derwin?. Has he left the Priesthood because he is not in Springfield where he went after Balbriggan.

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  10. How many will be ordained to the diaconate in Maynooth next Sunday? - quite a number in that class seem to have dropped out (or maybe they were asked to leave).

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  11. Are the ordinations on in Maynooth next weekend?

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  12. Sounds like this new nuncio is the new sherrif in town

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    1. I wonder will he round up all the "cowboys"? :-)

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    2. Certainly hope he sorts out the Lavander Cowboys!

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    3. ... but he looks like a doodle gazer himself.

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    4. Yes. He does look like a bliss bunny. Hardly the Enforcer that the Irish church needs.

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  13. I am praying hard for the new Nuncio, Archbishop Okolo. He will have his work cut out to attempt to finally close down or reform a seminary that seems to be irredeemable at this stage. He will need Solomnic wisdom and shrewdness in his dealings with a web of characters who will do their best to protect their comfortable and shady biotope from any disturbance. If he is to be successful, and I fear it is a big if, he will also need to have the support, counsel and prayers of some genuine Irish priests and laity.

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  14. Heard the one about the Cowboy Nuncio who rode into the town and shot up the sheriff?
    He was fired.....

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  15. Cardinal Parolin was the man who described the result of the marriage referendum in Ireland as 'a defeat for humanity'. Leaving aside this unfortunate and over reactive statement, it made clear the shock that was probably felt by Rome at the result. It showed clearly the massive disconnect between catholic sexual moral teaching and what catholics actually believed, as many of the yes voters probably did identify as catholic. No wether they should or not is obviously debatable.

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  16. "... reduce the number of scandals."

    This blog would not attract so many readers without the constant appearance of scandal.

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