Not all have been 'shocked'

Two distinct items in today's newspaper which deserve comment, one concerning paedophilia and the other homosexuality.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in a homily delivered in the Pro-Cathedral on this Holy Thursday said that the imminent report of the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation into clerical sex abuse 'will shock us all'.

He said, "It is likely that thousands of children or young people across Ireland were abused by priests in the period under investigation and the horror of that abuse was not recognised for what it is. The report will make each of us and the entire church in Dublin a humbler church."

Not everyone is going to be shocked. There are and were people who recognised the horror for what it was. They were dismissed and told they did not know 'the full story'.

As for the church becoming 'a humbler church' is questionable.

In a report in today's Irish Times Tony Blair calls for 'rethinking on the 'entrenched' attitudes on homosexuality within the Catholic Church. He challenges Pope Benedict XVI's 'entrenched' attitudes on homosexuality and suggests it is time he and other church leaders started 'rethinking' the issue.

Mr Blair converted to Catholicism after leaving Downing Street in 2007.

He told gay magazine Attitude, "I think what is interesting is that if you went into any Catholic church, particularly a well-attended one, on any Sunday evening here (in Britain) and did a poll of the congregation, you'd be surprised at how liberal-minded people were."

But Mr Blair, like so many 'high profile' people seems not to understand what has and is going on within the hierarchical Catholic church.

It is generally held that being 'liberal' means one 'accepts' homosexuality. It might be accurate to say that being 'liberal' means a person is open and honest about orientation.

The issue is far more complicated and anything but transparent within the Catholic hierarchy.
Many priests who are homosexual and closet about their orientation are also extremely 'orthodox' and 'right-wing' And that is at the core or heart of the serious problem within the church. Gay closet priests who speak words in public agreeing with the 'official' Vatican stand create a serious and worrying problem for the church. And the church is aware of this but never dares speak about it.

There is a serious problem here about honesty, openness and transparency. And when it comes to being open honest and transparent with homosexuality within priesthood, the church does not seem 'to do it'.

Good Friday is an appropriate day to ask forgiveness for all forms of deception and fear.