Paul Durcan versus Breda O'Brien

This week The Irish Times published a poem by Paul Durcan. This blog referred to it on Tuesday, the day of publication. The poem was critical of the Archbishop of Dublin. Today in that same newspaper Breda O'Brien criticises the Durcan poem.

Breda supports the archbishop and refers to Durcan's work as being lazy. She talks about the 'weary sophisticates who left the church sometime circa 1974...'. Pejorative language.

What is striking about the two pieces is that both authors have taken sides and are convinced their side is the right and proper one. They both use nasty and pejorative words to express their point of view.

No doubt pro church people were annoyed with the Durcan poem and pleased to see the O'Brien opinion piece. And anti church people were pleased with the Durcan poem and dismissive of the O'Brien article. Maybe 'church' is not the accurate word in this instance!

But nothing is as simple as that. And it seems almost impossible to change the minds and hearts of people to think 'differently'.

If the Durcan poem is an attack on clericalism then it is striking a blow for openness. And may well be an informative and prophetic comment.

Breda O'Brien's comments about the 'Fr Iggy O'Donovan' Mass seem accurate and make sense. It is only in dialogue and scholarship can the problems of Eucharistic celebration between the Anglican and Catholic Churches be 'solved'.

Maybe it is that everywhere people are involved that politics and conniving take place. Leaders, of their nature, have to be political and probably cunning too.

Are institutions more important than the individual? And the Church, like any other organisation protects its name, its image, its role. There must at times be a dilemma there.

Is the public place the proper forum for disagreement? Should bishops criticise their fellow bishops in public? If not, why not?

Just as all politics is local, maybe all politics is personal and especially so in the Church!

That's why the role of the gad fly - now an endangered species - is more important than ever.

It's a pity Breda O'Brien speaks about the 'weary sophisticates'.