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	Time for Secrecy Is Now Long Gone Irish Independent November 30, 2009 http://www.independent.ie/opinion/editorial/time-for-secrecy-is-now-long-gone-1958674.html SINCE the publication of the Murphy report, a new debate has begun. Not about the details of clerical sex abuse, horrifying though they are; not even about the disclosures of deliberate cover-ups or the bizarre entry into common currency of the phrase "mental reservation", which to any person of normal intelligence means giving oneself permission to tell a lie. No, the debate has moved on. Now it is about the future of the Catholic Church in Ireland. But to make any future certain -- one might almost say, to make it possible -- the Church must repudiate its long-standing "culture" of secrecy and arrogance. It has already changed in significant ways, not always desirable ways. For the monolith has broken under the weight of the scandal. Bishops are openly at odds with one another, notably on what should happen in relation to senior clergy found to have been involved, to varying extents, in concealing criminal activities. Not only for fervent Irish Catholics, but for everybody who cares about the role of the Church in our society, that is as sad a sight as the depravity itself and the disclosures of cover-ups. But it must be acknowledged. And the necessary action must be taken. Action is not the responsibility of the Church alone. The civil sphere is involved, in the Garda investigation and the reforms which -- one hopes -- will be taken rapidly by the other relevant State agencies. Unfortunately, the Garda inquiries will most likely take several years. That is too long to wait for an outcome, either in the form of prosecutions or in action by the offenders' superiors. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has asked persons named in the report to consult their consciences as to whether they should resign from office. The implication is inescapable. He has been backed by some bishops. But others have remained silent and still others take an opposing view. The issue is so serious that if it cannot be settled internally it should be decided at a higher level. If necessary, Pope Benedict XVI should consider intervening personally. One of many considerations that have gravely disturbed Irish Catholics is the reluctance of the Vatican and the Papal Nunciature to take any notice of what is nothing less than a crisis for Church and State. If the authorities in either institution think the crisis will blow over, they are mistaken. Secrecy and equivocation are options no longer.
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