Sticks and stones thrown at Catholic Church

GET a big stick and bash away.

That seems to be the default position when it comes to the Catholic Church and any issue of public debate associated to the church.

We are experiencing this at present with the controversy over the location of the National Maternity Hospital on lands owned by the Sisters of Charity on a site next to St Vincent’s Hospital.

Horror of horrors if the church should have any hand, act or part in the running of a hospital which is so clearly needed.

Let’s be clear the church have done some appalling things in this country. Members of the church have been responsible for vile crimes and abuses of children as well as adults. Other members of the clergy in positions of responsibility have been culpable in sweeping those acts under the carpet, hushing up the victims and protecting the perpetrators.

The failings of the Catholic Church in these matters has been depressing for ordinary Catholics not directly affected by the abuses.

They have been let down by their spiritual leaders and during the worst of the revelations over the years must have felt deeply ashamed of those actions, denials, cover-ups and remedies.

Faith and religion is a personal matter. Some believe, some don’t. Some practise, some don’t. Some forgive, some don’t.

In relation to the Catholic Church the public discourse seems to be one of almost permanent castigation. There is no forgiveness, no acknowledgement or acceptance that the Catholic Church is capable of correcting the actions of the past.

The sins of the church are repeatedly thrown up and the church it seems is not to be allowed to move on.

Last week Archbishop Dr Diarmuid Martin addressed the anti- Catholic tone of public discourse, but generally clerical leaders are reluctant to put their head about the parapet, lest they get it taken off.

He described a ‘culture of relentless(ly) reminding the Church of the sins of its members and at times of painting every individual and every moment in the history of the Church with the same condemnation’.

This follows the backround that 78% of people in the most recent census described themselves as Catholic.

Certainly, there should be a separation of state and church and we are living in a more secular, pluralist and liberal society.

Wider educational choices beyond the auspices of the church should be available to parents in spite of the fact that many parents still choose these schools for their children where they have wider choices such as an Educate Together school.

Separation of church and state in matters such as the new National Maternity Hospital should at the very least be clearly defined in a legal document, where the rights of non Catholics are fully recognised and protected.

However it strikes me that the Catholic clerical leaders need to start standing up to the anti- Catholic tone in public discourse.

That will be extremely difficult in the current environment, particularly as the recommendations of the Citizens Assembly on the eighth amendment and the right to life becomes a live political issue, which generates strong emotions on both sides of the debate.

Few would argue that the original text of the Constitution would be fully appropriate today, but the constitution guarantees freedom of worship, even if the ‘special position’ of the Catholic Church is one of those areas which would not be accepted today if we were drafting a new constitution.

The teachings and doctrines of the Catholic church might not be for everyone, but people are free to worship as they see fit and clerical leaders should be confident in the leadership, doctrines and ethos of their church to withstand the pressures of the liberals in society, who would erase religion from society if they could.

Just last week, the Dáil voted to have a prayer at the start of the daily business and some TDs unhappy with the result stated that they would not stand for the resulting prayer.