Statement issued by Voice of the Faithful (Ireland) 14-06-09 in response to the press release issued by the Irish Bishops Conference on June 10th, 2009

The failure of the Irish Bishops’ conference to respond adequately on June 10^th to the Ryan report of May 20^th means that there is now a complete leadership vacuum in the Irish Catholic Church.

While stating accurately that ‘the Ryan Report represents the most recent disturbing indictment of a culture that was prevalent’ in the church, the Irish bishops do not clearly accept that bishops themselves had any responsibility for this prevalent culture.    As all of the indicted institutions lay under the diocesan oversight of Irish bishops – who also clearly failed in their role as supreme guardians and teachers – this is inexcusable.

Nor do the bishops declare any intention to discover the origins and causes of that culture of cruelty, or to involve the whole people of God in a process of discernment and renewal – as called for by Bishop Noel Treanor of Down and Connor on May 24^th.

As this amounts to an evasion of their clear responsibility as leaders, the bishops’ offer of pastoral outreach to survivors is completely unconvincing.  Generations of Irish bishops have maintained a cruel culture of deadly secrecy, silence and denial in relation to clerical abuse, and have failed as guardians, teachers and pastors.  All survivors are owed an explanation and an apology for this.

Convinced that the culture of cruelty indicted in the Ryan report is directly related to the church’s aloof, secretive and unquestionable system of government; to the absence of structures of accountability in every diocese involving lay people as of right; and to the legacy of a distorted theology founded upon Fear rather than Love, we are satisfied that these problems and this culture continue to plague the church.   We therefore call upon the Irish Bishops Conference to accept the responsibility of bishops also for this culture, and to initiate an exhaustive inquiry. 

Nothing less than this can have any hope of re-establishing the moral authority of Catholic leadership in Ireland, or the lost confidence and trust of the people of God.

VOTF™
Mission Statement

To provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church.

Our Goals

2. To support priests of integrity

3.To shape structural change within the Catholic Church.

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