Fr Gerard Moloney's sad experience with the CDF

Redemptorist priest Gerard Moloney addressed  the organisation 'We Are Church Ireland' in the Milltown Institute yesterday.

Fr Moloney is the former editor of 'Reality' magazine. He is now in ill health, suffering from chronic back pain. He also suffers from a mild form of cerebral palsy.  Gerard lives in the Redemptorist monastery in Limerick.

While editor of 'Reality' he came to the attention of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Without any discussion or real consultation he was given a month's notice as editor of the magazine. He was told the CDF was not happy with the content of 'Reality'. Eventually it was agreed that he could stay on as editor provided an outside censor approved of all the material in the magazine.

Fr Moloney was instructed to keep all discussion on the matter secret. He was not to mention anything to his family, friends or members of his congregation.

"They were discussing all this without talking to me. Faceless bureaucrats taking anonymous material about me seriously. How can you defend yourself when you don't know you are on trial? It's an unjust and unchristian system," Fr Moloney said.

He went on to say that the CDF never communicates with the person being investigated.

"Looking back on things now, I should have resigned on the spot. Staying quiet was not the right thing to do.

"Imposing sanctions does not make people change their views. Suppressing debate is a sign of an unhealthy organisation," Fr Moloney stressed.

Gerard Moloney is a mild-mannered man. It's clear he has no theological or ideological agenda. He loves his work as a priest and has hope for the church.

The behaviour of the CDF, as expressed by Gerard Moloney yesterday, is simply shocking. Unacceptable too.

Is it good enough for bishops and provincials to allow themselves to be bullied and cajoled by faceless people, secret people?