ORIGINALLY Published on: May 25, 2018
All, please pray today for the Irish people.
UPDATE: 26 May
I suppose you’ve heard the news by now.
I was just reading a piece by Phil Lawler about the bishops in Chile. Ireland came up:
Pope Benedict XVI learned from the American experience, and when the scandal exploded in Ireland several years later, he did address the bishops’ failures. In a pastoral message released in March 2010he told the Irish bishops that they had “failed, at times grievously,” in their duties. He initiated an apostolic visitation of the Church in Ireland, and called for a program of repentance and reform.
The need for a thorough reform of the Church in Ireland should be especially evident this week, as pro-life activists fight a desperate uphill battle to stop a constitutional amendment that would allow abortion on demand in a country that remains, on paper, overwhelmingly Catholic. The spectacular collapse of Ireland’s Catholic culture shows that the abuse scandal did not arise ex nihilo. When Pope Benedict called for a “rebirth of the Church in Ireland in the fulness of God’s own truth,” he had dramatic changes in mind. Unfortunately, dramatic changes were not forthcoming.
Now other dramatic changes have slithered forth.
Will this wake some people up in that sad country? I doubt it.
What did Benedict XVI call for? They were coming up to Lent at the time:
I now invite all of you to devote your Friday penances, for a period of one year, between now and Easter 2011, to this intention. I ask you to offer up your fasting, your prayer, your reading of Scripture and your works of mercy in order to obtain the grace of healing and renewal for the Church in Ireland. I encourage you to discover anew the sacrament of Reconciliation and to avail yourselves more frequently of the transforming power of its grace. [Did the bishops and priests urge and push these things? I doubt it.]
Particular attention should also be given to Eucharistic adoration, and in every diocese there should be churches or chapels specifically devoted to this purpose. I ask parishes, seminaries, religious houses and monasteries to organize periods of Eucharistic adoration, so that all have an opportunity to take part. Through intense prayer before the real presence of the Lord, you can make reparation for the sins of abuse that have done so much harm, at the same time imploring the grace of renewed strength and a deeper sense of mission on the part of all bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful. [Did the bishops and priests urge and push these things? I doubt it.]
I am confident that this program will lead to a rebirth of the Church in Ireland in the fullness of God’s own truth, for it is the truth that sets us free (cf. Jn 8:32). [Is that what happened in Ireland?]
What Benedict XVI urged then seems to have been mostly ignored in Ireland.
Perhaps bishops elsewhere might take up that call. If it would have been good for Ireland, it would be good for everywhere else as well.
Germany? France? Italy? These USA?
Where are our bishops?
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They may well vote for it; Our Lady of Akita said if men do not better themselves fire would fall from the sky wiping out a great part of humanity. I think fire is about to fall, whether through an EMP or nuclear weapons.
Or –
Just the biggest blast torch the universe has ever witnessed in the hand of the Almighty.
Of course, delegated to one of His Ferocious Angels.
As I posted on my online newspaper, today is a sad day for Ireland. It used to be a land of saints and scholars but it is not now since it voted in favour of abortion.
Well, polls are closed, but counting doesn’t happen until Saturday morning – so it’s not too late.
No prayer is without some benefit. Personally, a friend made me aware of an EWTN Ireland initiative called Prayer for Ireland – http://www.rosaryforireland.com. It’s a 54-day Novena that started Easter Sunday. So.. not too late to join in.
.
I’m trying to ignore the dire exit polls – hoping they imported some of the less-adroit USA 2016 pollsters.
As of this morning, the report is Ireland is gone down the bloody path to abortion.
On the upside –
a rather surprising (under nowadays’ circumstances) 32% – you read that right: not 3.2 %; 32 % – who voted for what is right may well be a sign of some actual rebirth.
Fr. Z, the Bishop’s did not listen to Our Lady’s message at Fatima, what makes us think they will listen to a Pope? I have to repeat to myself every day, “Our help is in the name of the Lord. Who made heaven and earth.” Because as a priest, I am losing hope that our bishops are capable of doing anything meaningful to bringing souls to God. As the Church hemorrhages people the Bishops fashion new slogans and programs, reminiscent of the 70’s, in hopes that the bleeding will stop.
FrAnt says: “As the Church hemorrhages people the Bishops fashion new slogans and programs, reminiscent of the 70’s, in hopes that the bleeding will stop.”
Judas left many offspring.
Fr. Ant: As a brother priest, sadly, I am coming to agree with you regarding our bishops’ inability or at least unwillingness to take any serious measures to prevent the loss of souls. So many seem intent on being liked and “relevant” to the popular culture (witness Cardinal Dolan’s recent shameful pandering to the Met Gay-la in New York as just one of countless examples) and to avoid controversy at all costs. As if the Gospel could ever be proclaimed in all its fullness without engendering controversy!
That desire for “relevance” was a hallmark of the disastrous 1970s. I know. I lived through them and saw the wreckage. They don’t seem to learn much from our recent history. I try to motivate myself to pray for them, especially for the gift of courage which so often seems to be lacking.
Pope Francis will visit Ireland in August. Wonder what he will say or do in response to what just happened there. How will Francis instruct, teach, admonish, encourage, pray for and lead the Church in Ireland?
70% ish of Irish people voted freely and with full knowledge (every household in Ireland was given extensive info. and most were canvassed) to allow Irish mother’s to kill their unborn babies for any reason up to 12 weeks. On vague health grounds up to 6 months. No restrictions if the baby has a potential life limiting condition.
Our pastors who woke up about 3 months ago never once warned of the spiritual consequences of formally cooperating with a grave evil, that is of course with the exception of the ICRSP. Our local saint making machine.
I wonder if you’ve been to Ireland lately? The Catholic Church has engendered so much anger with its criminal mismanagement of social and educational services during the near-theocracy the reign of Abp. McQuaid and its aftermath that the last person who should be attempting to influence the public on moral and ethical issues is a bishop. (I know, I know… but still, if one wants to be heard one needs to be thought of as worth listening to.) If they want to get their message out, at this point they need some attractive proxies. 87.3% of young people voted Yes yesterday, a sure sign that Ireland’s Catholic clergy are irrelevant to them.
I was pessimistic, but I didn’t expect to lose by more than 2:1. My local priests did their best. There were rosaries and vigils arranged and a representative from the local pro-life organisation spoke at all masses in our parish last weekend.
The Church in Ireland has been for a quarter of a century or more on the receiving end of some of the most relentless, hostile propaganda known to man, from the Irish Times and RTE, in particular, but with the backing of just about every other communications medium in the country. Combined with the failures of the Church to teach the Faith and its enormous blunders in dealing with the abuse scandals, we have experienced a perfect storm. The devil is now riding high. May God have mercy on us all.
Sawyer says:
Pope Francis will visit Ireland in August. Wonder what he will say or do in response to what just happened there. How will Francis instruct, teach, admonish, encourage, pray for and lead the Church in Ireland?
He’ll pull out his good guy act.
Praying for Ireland and for our world. May we be so ashamed of our sins that we RUN to Confession and ask forgiveness for the sacrileges we do against Our God. Lord Please have mercy on us and on the whole world.
May Saint Patrick rise from his grave and condemn this generation, who know what they do.
Our Lady of Knock, pray for us.
Get a copy of In Sinu Jesu (I tried to use Fr. Z’s Amazon link.)
Also, support Silverstream Priory with prayers and donations.
To PostCatholic
In a few years they’ll be insisting the church accept their kids for the ‘fun days out’ like Baptism, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation. That’s assuming they don’t abort all of them.
I studied the European Union at Trinity College, Dublin. I knew back in 2001 that the Maastricht Treaty was eventually going to pave the way to legalize abortion throughout all of Europe. I could be wrong, but I think Malta is the only EU country which still outlaws it. As a scholar of Our Lady of Akita I really do think we are in for a pounding. Get some seeds, get some guns, get out of the major cities.
Irish Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin has just thrown all the incredible pro life warriors who canvassed and rallied in Ireland for the unborn over the last eleven years, under the bus. He recently stated..
“the Catholic Church had to revamp all that it does to be pro-life. ” (It did virtually nothing up to 3months ago.)
“Because pro-life is not simply about birth and death. It is about all the time in between,” he said.
He explained that there are many other ways that life is threatened in Irish society through violence and people not being able to live the lives they should do.
The thing is the Government provides some level of assistance to most people needing help. These people have a voice.
PostCatholic: “The Catholic Church has engendered so much anger with its criminal mismanagement of social and educational services during the near-theocracy the reign of Abp. McQuaid and its aftermath that the last person who should be attempting to influence the public on moral and ethical issues is a bishop.”
On the basis of some short time spent in Maynooth, as you’ve posted before, you’re an expert? In fact, right up to 1967 “the Church” was practically the only provider of second-level education to Catholics – and the situation was similar for non-Catholics, a situation that originated in the 19th century and the reasons for which are familiar to anyone with a basic historical education. And the same went for social services, primarily hospital care. While lack of resources of course dictated that the provision available was not optimal in many cases, it did in fact provide many people – my own family among them going back over 100 years – with a pretty good standard of education. Similarly for health services. Your use of the terms “criminal mismanagement” and “theocracy” is a ridiculous over-assertion, but all too typical of the shallow analysis that is so common. The Catholic Church was not some sort of an imperial subjugation of people in this country: it was what they believed in and what they wanted. Your undoubtedly impressive knowledge of our history should have equipped you with the insight that we do not, historically, tend to lie down under alien impositions.
From above, quoting Pope Benedict: “Particular attention should also be given to Eucharistic adoration, and in every diocese there should be churches or chapels specifically devoted to this purpose.”
In many cases, yes, this did happen, thank God. In my town three Churches have periods of Adoration, which wasn’t the case prior to 2011. Our local Dominicans have recently gloriously beautified their Adoration chapel with the purchase of a beautiful Altar and Tabernacle from a closed convent. O.k, that in itself says much, but nothing we didn’t know for quite some time anyway as to the direction so many convents were taking but thank God for the new use. This just wasn’t there 10 short years ago. In their main Church, they have opened shrines to Divine Mercy and St. Pio. There is hope.
Malta: abortion is still illegal in the 6 Counties of Northern Ireland. Mainly due to evangelical Protestants! We have to help them keep it so, despite having let them down so grievously. There will be a pro-life Rally in Belfast on 7 July – it alternates between Belfast and Dublin every year. I pray that many – no, all – of the almost 100,000 who turned out in Dublin on 10th March last will make the journey there. We have to do this! Just to put it right back at the Darkness. If we don’t then we’re not serious and we deserve all we get.
On the basis of my dual citizenship, careful study, daily newspaper reading, and frequent travel to Ireland. St Patrick’s College in the 1990s made one expert in nothing, except, perhaps, ecclesiastic hypocrisy. I was not intending to be hyperbolic with “criminal mismanagent;” the Ryan Commission established that. You’re correct that near-theocracy was the democratic will of Ireland at the time. It seems to me that it isn’t any longer.