IRELAND
The Irish Times
Patsy McGarry
The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin warned against the corrosive effects of cynicism and criticised a cartoon in this newspaper yesterday.
He was speaking at the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass in the Dublin’s Pro Cathedral this morning. At the ceremony, oils are blessed for use during the coming year in the administration of the Church’s sacraments.
“Holy Thursday and this Chrism Mass are special moments when we renew our commitment to ministry,” the Archbishop said. “Renewal can be painful and means moving out of the comfort zones that each of us create for ourselves or allow ourselves to slip into. Cynicism or scepticism are never the responses of the genuinely committed. Cynicism is not smart. Cynicism is not noble. Cynicism robs creative energy. The challenges we face within this diocese requires new energy and new enthusiasm and new realism,” he said.
Referring to the cartoon in yesterday’s edition of this newspaper, which dealt with the conflict between mandatory reporting of child abuse and respect for the seal of the confessional, he said:“I know that many priests and people feel hurt by a cartoon in yesterday’s Irish Times. I am a strong believer in freedom of speech and of the vital role of satire in social criticism, but I object to anything that would unjustly tarnish all good priests with the unpardonable actions of some. We have great priests in the Archdiocese of Dublin. ”
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