Greg Daly
A war of words has broken out between the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) leadership team and priests from the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, after Fr Gerard Breen, secretary to the diocese’s council of priests, wrote saying the council “strongly disagreed” with a card the ACP sent to clergy advising them on what to do if called to meet their bishop.
The council, Fr Breen wrote, recognised that the ACP had made good points on the care of priests, but took issue with the card’s “sinister and false suggestion that a diocesan priest must always prepare for the worst if he is ever called to meet his bishop”.
Every member of the council agreed with one priests’s observation that “the card has put a far greater distance between the diocesan priests and the ACP than it has between diocesan priests and their bishops”, he wrote.
Feedback
The ACP leadership team, however, has said the card was the fruit of feedback at regional meetings and that its protocols were based on guidelines published by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland.
Fr Breen’s letter did not represent the views of all the diocese’s priests, they added.
Meanwhile, the ACP has said it is “very appreciative” of the meeting this week between the ACP leadership and Archbishops Eamon Martin and Diarmuid Martin.
The meeting, which is understood to have been both constructive and wide-ranging, was arranged in November following a request from Fr Brendan Hoban on behalf of the ACP.
In requesting the meeting, Fr Hoban had said the ACP wished to play its part in ensuring the success of the expected visit of Pope Francis to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families this August.
Describing the papal visit as “a great opportunity for the Irish Church”, Fr Hoban had written that WMOF2018 could generate energy and confidence, re-invigorating parishes and dioceses and encouraging the Church to face difficult issues.
Visit
He had also suggested that in line with Pope Francis’ focus on the poor the papal trip might include, for example, a visit to refugees in Direct Provision.
During the meeting, according to Fr Gerry O’Connor, the ACP “expressed supportive gratitude” to Fr Tim Bartlett and the WMOF2018 team.