Comments on: Sex Abuse & the Irish Catholic Church: A Resounding Critique of Clerical Culture http://www.gladysganiel.com/irish-catholic-church/sex-abuse-the-irish-catholic-church-a-resounding-critique-of-clerical-culture/ Building a Church Without Walls Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:49:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Larry Bean http://www.gladysganiel.com/irish-catholic-church/sex-abuse-the-irish-catholic-church-a-resounding-critique-of-clerical-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-2374 Larry Bean Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:03:51 +0000 http://www.gladysganiel.com/irish-catholic-church/sex-abuse-the-irish-catholic-church-a-resounding-critique-of-clerical-culture/#comment-2374 Well said, given that is so abvious as be rediculous that it is just now being said by a very few. We have gone back to a very small group of Catholics who even had a discussion during mass as to whether God could be a female. We asked whether God answers your prayers and many discussed their prayers and the obvious results. Maybe these old community meetings at church would help all of us suffering in the Catholic Church. LEB (of Irish heretige in the USA) Well said, given that is so abvious as be rediculous that it is just now being said by a very few.
We have gone back to a very small group of Catholics who even had a discussion during mass as to whether God could be a female.
We asked whether God answers your prayers and many discussed their prayers and the obvious results.
Maybe these old community meetings at church would help all of us suffering in the Catholic Church.
LEB (of Irish heretige in the USA)

]]> By: derek smyth http://www.gladysganiel.com/irish-catholic-church/sex-abuse-the-irish-catholic-church-a-resounding-critique-of-clerical-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-2257 derek smyth Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:11:02 +0000 http://www.gladysganiel.com/irish-catholic-church/sex-abuse-the-irish-catholic-church-a-resounding-critique-of-clerical-culture/#comment-2257 Dear Gladys, A friend of mine forwarded your reflections to me to-day. The article was a sort of follow up to an Article I wrote in the Furrow. Tragically there are many elements of the story yet to be told. For example, there has been no support offered to the priests still loyal and in the trenches, who are deeply affected by the emotional outcome. In other agencies where I have worked there would be some form of evaluation and intervention. Many of the priests I have met since my return to Ireland are disspirited and dejected . I would enjoy a further converstion with you Derek Smyth,PhD, MIAHIP Dear Gladys,
A friend of mine forwarded your reflections to me to-day. The article was a sort of follow up to an Article I wrote in the Furrow.
Tragically there are many elements of the story yet to be told. For example, there has been no support offered to the priests still loyal and in the trenches, who are deeply affected by the emotional outcome. In other agencies where I have worked there would be some form of evaluation and intervention.

Many of the priests I have met since my return to Ireland are disspirited and dejected .

I would enjoy a further converstion with you
Derek Smyth,PhD, MIAHIP

]]> By: Wesley http://www.gladysganiel.com/irish-catholic-church/sex-abuse-the-irish-catholic-church-a-resounding-critique-of-clerical-culture/comment-page-1/#comment-388 Wesley Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:29:19 +0000 http://www.gladysganiel.com/irish-catholic-church/sex-abuse-the-irish-catholic-church-a-resounding-critique-of-clerical-culture/#comment-388 Gladys, where can one start? Maybe a good place would be in extending sympathy and solidarity to those who have suffered, and continue to do so as a result of this heinous crime! I can’t begin to understand their pain, yet have dealt with those who have suffered abuse of a similar kind. Your article (and rightly so) contains a scathing attack upon the clergy in all of it’s levels. To silence, cover-up or simply avoid what has been going on under their noses, bishops and the hierarchy have been more than complicit, in many cases contributors. We will no doubt hear from the Pope a need for healing and forgiveness, but as I tell those who I have dealt with, “The person who did this to you, needs to admit publicly their wrong doing, serve the time under the law, and need to beg for your forgiveness before you can (if you can) begin to forgive them!” The question now is, will the church recover from this? Will it ever regain it’s sought after role in society? I think not, its catalogue of failings will doggedly blight it’s every word, sermon, mass and hollow sentiment of morality for many generations to come. Gladys, where can one start? Maybe a good place would be in extending sympathy and solidarity to those who have suffered, and continue to do so as a result of this heinous crime! I can’t begin to understand their pain, yet have dealt with those who have suffered abuse of a similar kind.

Your article (and rightly so) contains a scathing attack upon the clergy in all of it’s levels. To silence, cover-up or simply avoid what has been going on under their noses, bishops and the hierarchy have been more than complicit, in many cases contributors. We will no doubt hear from the Pope a need for healing and forgiveness, but as I tell those who I have dealt with, “The person who did this to you, needs to admit publicly their wrong doing, serve the time under the law, and need to beg for your forgiveness before you can (if you can) begin to forgive them!”

The question now is, will the church recover from this? Will it ever regain it’s sought after role in society? I think not, its catalogue of failings will doggedly blight it’s every word, sermon, mass and hollow sentiment of morality for many generations to come.

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