Not just bishops who are dysfunctional

Breda O'Brien in her column in Saturday's Irish Times commented that the Irish bishops as a grouping is a dysfunctional body.

It's good to see that the penny has dropped for Ms O'Brien. Hopefully she will now expand her vision and observe how dysfunctional the entire leadership of the Catholic Church in Ireland is.

Little if anything is changing in the Irish church.

The new missal is about to be introduced and some dioceses are going to run introductory programmes. Did it ever dawn on diocesan bishops to ask their people and clergy about the need for change. Has there been a sensible theological word about the need for change?

When church circulars can equate commitment to Christ with how much money one gives it is difficult to have hope in the Irish church.

When young men studying for priesthood give time and thought to the clothes they wear and when there is energy wasted on how best to prepare men to celebrate Mass in Latin then it really might seem we are doomed as people giving witness to the Word of God in society.