REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
The Irish Times
October 10, 2017
By Patsy McGarry
Bullies among clergy contributed most to fall of Catholic Church in Ireland, says priest
A general failure exists to respect individual in Rome and within religious congregations
The bullying of the people by some clergy played a greater role in Catholic church decline in Ireland than clerical child sexual abuse, a leading Dominican priest has said.
“They had little or no respect for individual people – and not just for minors,” said Fr Tom Jordan, editor of Spirituality magazine.
Referring in the current issue to a remark by an unnamed “acute observer of the church in Ireland,” he said “the failure of the church in recent times was due not so much to the abysmal behaviour by some clergy in sexually abusing minors but that some clergy were bullies.”
One of the glaring deficiencies of church practice in recent times was the failure of leadership to respect the individual.
“Consider the number of priests silenced or removed from office because of their expressed views, and without being afforded an opportunity of defending themselves.”
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