Thursday, December 03, 2009

Theologian says resign!


ALL BISHOPS named in the Dublin diocesan report “should resign immediately from their current pastoral positions”, leading theologian Dr Vincent Twomey has said.

This would, of course, create a raft of vacancies in the relevant Bishoprics.

Neat.

In the event of their not resigning, perhaps Fr. Twomey could persuade his former mentor, Joseph Ratzinger, to do the needful.

Incidentally, Fr. Twomey seems to have abandoned his earlier Vatican-style website for a more modest text-based version, in keeping with the times that are in it.

Previous posts referring to Fr. Twomey:
Follow your conscience, sort of!
The Last Word


4 comments:

Observer said...

Note Vincent's use of the hand to elbow power gesture.

Does he think he is above the Pope? Strange one.

Benny the Bridgebuilder said...

Fr. Seán McDonagh, whom I have met and for whom I have great respect for his work for the poor, has written the following letter to the Irish Times:

Madam, – Dr Vincent Twomey, SVD, called on all the bishops mentioned in the Murphy report to resign immediately (December 3rd). The reason he gave is, “they are deemed guilty of putting the interests of the institution above the safety and welfare of children”.

In 2001, every diocesan bishop in the Catholic Church around the the world received a letter from the then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, instructing them to refer complaints of clerical child sex abuse to the Congregation which would then decide how they should be dealt with. This directive from Rome, which effectively encouraged bishops to commit criminal offences in many jurisdictions, including Ireland, by not reporting the crime first to the police, certainly put the “interest of the institution above the safety and welfare of children.” Will Dr Twomey be calling for Pope Benedict’s resignation also? – Yours, etc,

Fr SEÁN McDONAGH,
Dalgan Park,
Navan,
Co Meath.


Good point, Fr. Seán. Over to you Fr. Vincent!

Benny the Bridgebuilder said...

Just surfed Fr. Vincent's new modest website.

Has an air of an empty church about it.

Could do with some tarting up and even a bit of proofing, and after that, some marketing, perhaps.


Benny the Bridgebuilder said...

In the wake of the Cloyne Report, Father Twomey has now called for every bishop appointed before Archbishop Martin to resign.

That should open up a few vacancies and even a good choice of dioceses.

Perhaps he should have included a disclaimer that he would refuse a bishopric if offered.