Irish Catholic Bishops Speak of "Hostility" and "Persecution" of Church in Ireland

[mdgspencer]

see ecumenicalnews.com/article/irish-catholic-bishops-speak-of-hostility-and-persecution-of-church/60362.htm

In an address at the ordination of a new priest in County Wexford, Bishop Brennan said, “You will feel the anger and hostility people have for the church in general directed at you.”

“There is a lot of concern in church circles these days about the future,” he added. “This is understandable given the volume of criticism and negativity directed at the church over recent times.”

“In these Pentecost days we need to cast off our fears too, we are not the first generation of Christians to worry and wonder about the future. In every age people have written the obituary of the church and our age is no exception,” the bishop said.

 

[Crusaderbear]

Our cross to bear…

 

[friardchips]

The situation in Ireland is not good; however, I have my own opinions about some of the causes.

 

[commenter]

The situation in Ireland is not good; however, I have my own opinions about some of the causes.

I don’t have direct information about Ireland, but can relate what may be a somewhat similar situation in the US.

The media did not invent bad news about the Catholic Church. But everything depends on context.
1.) A priest reportedly molested a child many years ago. The diocese failed to act proactively or protectively at the time.
Response: the Media reports the incident over, and over, and over. There are interviews in detail, with everybody who will talk about the incident. Reporters chased after the bishop with live camera and microphone, along with alleged victim. Later the incident is brought up in larger reflections by commenters, in connection with this, that, or whatever topic. “This is the sort of thing that is going on in the Catholic Church. Trends.” Yet no priest is ever convicted of a crime, which does not prove he was innocent.

2.) A public school teacher reportedly molested a child, one year ago.
Response: His arrest was reported, briefly. Conviction reported, briefly. No ongoing “reflections” by columnists or editorial writers, about any kind of trend in public schools, even though there were many such cases. Obviously an isolated incident, has nothing to do with the pattern of government education, just an individual.

I am sure that if a person was hospitalized with food poisoning at a Catholic Church picnic 5 states away, it would get more media attention, with lots of follow up, than a person who died of food poisoning at some other kind of picnic at the city 25 miles away.

At a local college the newspaper denounced any kind of prejudice, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, left handedness, etc, etc, and etc. This is the Age of Diversity.

A few inches away, another column by the same editor denounced the Catholic Church.