Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Great words from Brenda Fricker

Irish actor Brenda Fricker was interviewed by Gay Byrne on RTE One Television on Sunday evening.

She is the third high profile person to have been interviewed in the series, which is excellent.

Brenda Fricker mentioned that regularly 'priests put their hand up her skirt'. This is simply shocking and appalling. Where are all these priests, who did these terrible things.

One gets sick to death hearing this 'stuff'. These are men who belong to an organisation that has told the world it knows the 'mind of God' on all things sexual.

There has to be a systemic problem here. Yes, there is an institutional problem.

And all the time lurking in the background is the issue of misogyny and closet homosexuality. This in an organisation that claims to speak with such 'clarity'.

All the talk, all the word of regret and anyone who has an insight into the Irish church will know that nothing is changing. As Marie Collins correctly says, it is just the strategy that is changing.

Compare the words of Brenda Fricker with words and utterances from any bishop and something hits you straight in the face - clarity.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

'Clarity' is not a word I would associate with the Brenda Flicker interview. She was far from clear in some of her responses to questions, posed by Gay Byrne. In fact she seemed very confused and unsure,in her response to some of the fundamental question. The impression I got from the interview was of someone striving desperately to find some meaning in life.
I don't think you should hold Brenda up as some sort of role model.

Michael Commane said...

Thank you for your comment. But why be anonymous?

I see exactly what you are saying. At one stage she comments that she does not believe in God and then talks about her Christianity.

Yes, she may well sound 'confused'. And again, I am with you. But, and here I think is the issue, once we say any word about God, we have to grow 'confused'. The certainty of the 'professinal cleric' is so off-putting and 'arrogant'. Or is it? But, again, I much appeciate what you say. Thank you.

Anyone who speaks with certitude when talking about God scares me. I have seen and heard too much of it.

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