IRELAND
Irish Independent
I’ve a sneaking suspicion that there are plans afoot in Rome to put a squeeze on us a la carte Catholics — those of us who can’t quite decide whether we’re in or out. We’re the ones who believe they should be glad to have us at all; and who love a bouncy castle on Holy Communion Day. Will we soon be told to shape up or ship out?
Now there is no clear word, on this but the summary of the report from the ‘Apolostic Visitation” published this week was most interesting in parts. It was not that it contained any great surprises in terms of clerical abuse and the rape of children. It was pretty much the same old same old there.
But what did surprise me was the fairly clear message regarding orthodoxy. In other words, we were reminded that the rules are the rules. It doesn’t matter what the “background music” may be in our country with regard to sexual abuse, or the historical dominance of the church, which had such a negative effect on our society. The rules, we were reminded, must be adhered to — religiously, as it were.
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