A PRIEST DRUG DEALER AND A ROW OVER A WILL

Keeping the memory of Christ sacred.
The clerical collar is proving to be a great cover, for all sorts of scandal, corruption and criminality.
…’ the scandal giver that keeps on giving..’.How true. And, there’s plenty more to give!

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Yes, there’s probably not much to see here, except a priest who appears to have been suspended / furloughed / laicised already, and a sad family feud over their mother’s will. There may be more of a backstory to the priest’s behaviour in the past, and that might be something that fits more with the monotonous reality and truth of the dysfunction of priesthood.

However, can I turn to another theme here ? It is the second anniversary of the terrible Grenfell Tower fire in which over 70 people lost their lives, most of them immigrant, very working class, people. They lived in the richest borough in London and the UK (The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea), where a one bedroom apartment will set you back £1 million as a starting price, a decent house probably £5 million, and where there are many mansions worth tens of millions of £s. The Grenfell Tower inhabitants, living in subsidised council housing, lived there are part of the service industry of low paid, often immigrant, workers who serviced the rich who lived by them cheek by jowl. The geography alone and the proximity of some of the richest people in the world and some of the ‘just about managing’ is a commentary on the incredible lack of equality, equity and social justice in our societies. The fire, and the reasons for it, starkly highlight how those who do not have and are at the bottom of the rung in society are often overlooked and not take note of. A great tragedy.

There is lots of commentary about this at the moment here in the UK. I noted this morning on the radio that some local community leaders of K & C were being interviewed – a local Muslim community leader, and a local Anglican area bishop of Kensington. I was astounded at the quality of commentary and engagement given by the local Anglican bishop, as well as by how he is intimately involved in producing a report on some aspect of the tragedy, as well as providing wide pastoral leadership and action within the broad community of K & C. It set me thinking about how I have NOT heard any such quality engagement or commentary by our Roman Catholic bishops, local or national, not just in this instance, but more widely over a whole range of issues that are important in society. Our RC bishops just seem to be ghettoised, detached from the wider issues of society, confining themselves to safe confessional issues. This is in part because I sense that they just lack the quality and intellect to become engaged and look and sound credible, whereas so often local bishops of the C of E Church come across as able, intelligent, fluent and are able to cross all sorts of boundaries and be taken seriously. I think of Bishop Jones lately of Liverpool and the way that he is regularly engaged to lead inquiries and panels in to social issues, for example Hillsborough. Where do we see that from our RC bishops ? Can you imagine + McMahon of Liverpool being able to do something like that ? Well, his excuse probably would be that the wouldn’t have the time because he was doing Confirmations. Whatever. It may in part have to do with the fact that our RC bishops have lost any moral credibility by their handling and involvement, albeit tangentially, in the abuse scandal of the Church in this country. I have heard that + Vincent bemoans the fact that as soon as he pipes up, he is shouted down, and so he now says very little. The end result is that the voice of the Catholic Church in England is now limited to responding, often very inadequately, to the issue of abuse, and is very rarely if ever heard engaging in important issues that are at the heart of communities’ lives. Yes, they will talk about confessional and religious issues with a limited focus, on safe ground for them, but do not raise their voice about issues with which they, and our Church, should be engaged.

There is a real sense that our bishops and leadership are not ‘quality’, very limited in their experience and their education, and incapable of speaking effectively and credibly for the community of Catholics that they are supposed to be leading. So much that one hears them say is just so twee and trite. It is evidently time for a change of leadership, and that should start at the top with + Vincent, who is now damaged and lacking effective credibility. He should move aside, and let someone come along who will be able to engage on a wide front with the Church, with society, and with people such as the Grenfell Tower community. And then, let us appoint bishops who are not just safe and harmless, but who can think, walk, talk, and put forward in a cogent and credible way the Christian message to a broad swathe of society, and who could go on the radio and speak as effectively and convincingly as the local Anglican bishop of K&C this morning ! At the moment our episcopal leadership is by and large and embarrassment. Papal Nuncio, please take note !

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Pat,
Bishop Doyle’s Reign of Terror, sending for priests and shouting at them, in Norfampton – we need updates.
All the wee moaning and whining Scotties – Updates!
We needa da updates Pat.

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