Not in my name

The Bishop of Ferns Dennis Brennan is a decent man. I meet him very often and always find him to positive in his outlook and someone who can empathise with ordinary people in Wexford. That’s why I’m surprised at his suggestion that Catholics in the diocese should bear the cost to the diocese of dealing with the financial burden of child abuse.
I make this point from the perspective of a parent with a child who later this year will make his confirmation. I bring my children to church despite everything because one value of a church should be that it should present an alternative morality to that of the secular world of business, culture and societal values. The price of everything and the value of nothing, was something that I associated with hard nosed money movers not a Christian community.
I have no intention of contributing to any fund to pay for the damage that deviant and evil priests visited on the laity in Ferns. With almost 19,000 unemployed in the county and incomes cut back the historic legacy of a churches failings in terms of clerical management and corporate incompetence is not my responsibility is something that many in Wexford are not prepared to take on board. If orders were to suggest that those employed in schools or hospitals were to pay to a fund to compensate their victims and pay legal fees and counselling there would be ructions. The reality is that the secretive abuse of vulnerable children by some clerics was not done in my name or any other member of the catholic church.
It’s time for the church hierarchy to sell what assets they have, ask Rome for assistance to cover the balance and work out internally how the diocese will repay Rome.
My “god given responsibility” is to ensure that what happened on someone else’s watch doesn’t happen again. The Diocese should think again. I cannot bail out corporate or clerical criminals. This manna is NAMA for corporate failure.