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IS POPE FRANCIS DYING?

Italian journalism is buzzing with rumours about Pope Francis’ health.

The talk is of colon cancer at an fairly advanced stage.

Recently Francis did have colon surgery and reports say he lost half of his colon.

I have some experience in this area as I was diagnosed with Crohns Disease in thr kate 1980s – a coupke of years after my bust up with Daly & Co.

The doctors partly attributed my Crohns to the stress of that time.

In 1991, after the failure of steroid treatment, I had to have a bowel resection that involved removing the end of my large bowel and the beginning of my colon and involving the Ileocecal junction – the part that connects the large bowel to the colon and has the appendix attached to it. See image below.

In my case I was lucky and just lost a small section of my bowel.

Poor Francis lost quite a lot.

Again, fortunately, I met a London professor who greatly helped me and currently I have no Crohns in my bowel.

Of course he is in his 80s.

PAPAL RETIREMENT AGE

Another rumour in Rome at the moment is that Francis is to issue a new document setting out an obligatory retirement age for popes.

In this day and age it is silly to have a man in his 80s and 90s leading the church.

I think that all vlerics should have a natural retiring age of 65.

So, perhaps we shoukd have bishops and popes between the agrs of 45 and 65

I also think that a retired pope should be known as “bishop emeritus of Rome”, not pope emeritus.

On retirement popes should return to being cardinals.

Religious orders have been ooerating like this for a very long time.

AND

84 replies on “IS POPE FRANCIS DYING?”

There used to be a tradition in French convents that when a Reverend Mother was replaced by a newly elected one the last one would take the last position in the community and be referred to as Reverend Mère Deposée.
Just saying.

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12.02
No. Thete is no additional consecration involved. It’s by virtue of his office as Bishop of Rome that he is universal shepherd. Just like any other bishop he can retire and then is no longer holder of that office.

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Celestine didn’t carry on calling himself pope when he resigned, nor Benedict IX each time he was not holding the papal office. If you are not the pope reversion to the previous state is the only logical position so Benedict XVI should have simply become Cardinal Ratzinger again. However he claimed there were no scarlet cassocks in the Vatican!

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He should’ve given up the white cassock. Would have been a great sign if he had reverted to a simple black cassock.

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He should be called “the former guy.” All “former” leaders of anything should be referred to as “the former guy,” regardless of gender pronoun.

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The “Roman” Catholic Church is and always has been a PAGAN construct developed by Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicene to gather clashing religious factions subject to Roman rule under one state-sponsored religious entity. To entice the 4th-Century Christians at the time, the “Roman Church” simply took Pagan festivals and rebranded them with “Christianized” mythological storylines and names, and renamed their Pagan idols (pantheon of false gods and goddesses) after Biblical characters and their modern “heroic” citizens who had died, then continued the tradition through the centuries. It has always been false worship. The popes always supported (and financed) both sides of any war, and persecuted non-believers in Catholic ideology. The perpetual coverup of priestly sexual predators is also a longstanding tradition. Pope Francis even claimed to be the Anti-Christ. Get out of it, repent, and turn your life over to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior if you want Jesus Christ to save you! Hate mail and threatening comments will be rejected and reported, thanks.

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Also, the Vatican has always been the head of the Italian mafia. I’ll just leave this board now.

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You realize that when you speak of the “Roman Catholic Church“ you are also speaking about the Greek Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox, St. Mary Coptic Church, because they all fall under the Universal (Catholic is Greek for Universal) church umbrella. Do not act as though all Catholics are evil. There are evil men and women everywhere and THEY are the ones who have brought evil into the church. When Jesus returns He will make all things good.

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We’ll know he’s dying when the Vatican issues a statement saying he isn’t. The downplaying of his health problems would suggest that they are, in fact, serious.

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It all depends on how you view the papacy.
Bishop Pat, do you believe that the Pope has any influence/authority/power over you ?
Do you pray for him at Mass ? Given that he didn’t appoint you as a Bishop.

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12.09: Pat has never accepted the role of submitting to any authority of the Catholic Church. He has spent his life resisting such. Hopefully he looks to God as his authority, though that’s questionable at times because of his vindictiveness and spirit of vengeance against many. For Pat, that may be a good way to live but it is too often a harsh, merciless agenda. Pat does not include Popes in the Eucharistic prayer!! Very wrong and petulant. I also believe that because Pat is so fiercely independent, it is difficult to envisage a truly “new” Church to emerge out of his vision. He has a handful of men/clerics but we know nothing about them, their status, work or ministry, their whereabouts. I cannot envisage any presbyterate or large community alongside Pat. I think his propensity for domination would be too much. He works very much “his” independence from others. The Oratory project could gave been an “aggiornamento” of a kind if the foundations were truly gospel based, those of Jesus, without compromise of any kind. Saying that, Pat has achieved much by way of drawing necessary attention to scandals in our Church.

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LOL does the subject of the blog today say ‘Express your opinion of Pat Buckley,’ ‘father’?
Mother of God, you haters are so stupid.

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Wow we have a Pat Parrot speaking on hus behalf @ 9.26am. Can Pat not speak for himself?

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9.26
Father you do not understand the Oratory with your rose tinted glasses on.
The amount of pastoral support and care for the less fortunate and those in need is outstanding.

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12.09
Bishop Pat omits the order of the Mass referring to the Pope Bishops and Priests and just refers to it as all your people.

Pat does not even say Pray form me your unworthy Servant and therefore he is so worthy a Bishop with no humanity in the Order of the Mass however Pat’s homilies and bidding payers are up to the minute.

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I say: “We pray for all Christian, religious and world leaders, for the clergy and all your people”.

Personally I feel the ” for me your unworthy servant” is a bit bumptious

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By Post Author

11.46
It is indeed bumptious. It goes without saying that all of us are morally unworthy, so it needn’t be said at all.
The romanists, however, do so love proclaiming their unworthyness loudest of all, not as a mark of humility, but as a self-aggrandising and public decaration that they, ironically, are superior to everyone else, even in this respect.
They never miss an opportunity to jump on a pedestal, even if it is Jesus’ head at Mass.😕

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11.41: I have no doubt that good is carried out by Pat and his small community. I merely asked why such secrecy about the full reality of the Oratory: whose who, who trains new men, what the constitution or ethos is, child protection policies, accountability as an independent entity, etc..I witness wonderful charitable and compassionate outreach in our own parish by very committed people: homeless, drug addicts, lone parents, elderly who live alone…It is legitimate to continually evaluate the good work by parish groups to ensure all proper procedures are followed. Tell us more about the Oratory. I’m just curious. I feel that the Oratory project could have been a template for a more radical, gospel based, Christ like vision as a new church community.

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Bith 9.42 and 9.50 are brazenly stupid. My comnent at 9.26 was legitimate. Pat’s blog allows for a wide variety of views and opinions. I was responding to comment of 12.09pm and while I observed that Pat’s agenda is harsh and merciless at times against certain individuals, I also acknowledged the good work by him of drawing attention to subjects that too often remain under the carpet.I applaud him for this. And I also believe if the Oratory had a wider, more inclusive vision, one that’s not hurtfully coconfrontational and judgmental, that many other clerics may have followed Pat, for, what I think was/is possible, a new “aggiornamento”. Your comment at 9.50 is very silly and vacuous. Pat is well capable of asserting his views but is also open minded to allow well articulated debate. Just wondering why your absurd nonsense is allowed: it says zero.

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11:26 It is no surprise at all that you believe your comment more sensible, meaningful, intelligent and reasonable than anyone else’s, ‘father’.

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I just want to make it clear that this blog is mine and mine alone and does not claim to represent the views of others, including those who have attended and do attend The Oratory

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Pat – one of the most valuable things that happen on this blog is that people can speak to priests in a way which isn’t possible in the carefully controlled setting of church. In fact I would go so far as to say that the most valuable thing (after revealing the rampant corruption in the church) is that priests have an opportunity to hear what people think, be insulted and called out. That these prissy princesses don’t like it merely proves that they are largely insulated from any realistic appraisal of their attitude and ability.
The ranting resulting from the comments about dishonesty a few days ago further confirmed it.

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@ 11:52: Well said. However it’s likely that those clerics most in need of hearing what many of the laity think of them are the least likely to pay any attention, to either this blog, or even the most mild criticism.

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Oh it’s the parrot again inside its cage @11.26am or more appropriately perhaps the bombay shitehawk.

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I was watching the Mass on RTE during the week. It was celebrated by the Bishop of Derry. Where you pray for the pope and the bishop at mass, he simply prayed from Francis our Pope and the Order of Bishops. He made no reference to the “me your unworthy servant” that bishops would normally pray in the Eucharistic Prayer.

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6.04
Do you honestly believe McKeown is going to think he is unworthy of course Donal is not going to say that and furthermore he should NOT be changing the Liturgy.

You will see earlier on Bishop Pat and his Friend Magna have something in common they think it is “bumptious” but there you go and I never though Bishop Pat and Magna would sing from the same Hymn sheet.

You may see the Oratory Larne picking up the slack LMB as they say a port in every storm 🙂

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5.23

I’ve just seen your post. I’m out mountain-biking in Castle Ward and stopped for a break. I’m in rather fetching cycling shorts, and T-shirt, and you should see my bare legs and arms. Talk about butch. Ohh! 😱 To die for. 😀

Anyway, back to the point. If you know I got the boot from seminary, then you must know who I am. Name me. Or are you just one of the very many romanist liars this blog attracts?

As for my typos (not spelling mistakes), if this is the best you can do in counter-argument, you’d have been better offering up a few Hail Mary’s instead. 😀

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I’ll watch out for you Magna!
One of my fav routes is to leave car in Dundrum; take old railway track and then around coast, B.kinlar, Tyrella, Killough, Ardglass, Strangford, through Castleward back entrance and out front, up Crew Rd to the coast and return. My road bike is a classic 1983 Claude Butler Majestic tourer 25″ frame. My mountain bike, for Tollymore and Castlewellan forests is a Trek, but I avoid the severe routes: value my oul bones!

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10.44
You don’t value your ‘oul bones’ as much as you say if you cycle on the open roads: they are much too dangerous these days, given the distraction of smart phones and sat navs.
No; I do all my cycling off-road. Safer, all in all.

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Agree Magna about open roads dangers. 👌It’s why I now do very much less than previously, and only on quieter roads. First lockdown was great to be out. Christmas day usually good too: 👍

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1.56: What are you taking at this hour of the day, Marge? Mire ramblings of hate speech. The end of Chapter 1 from your HOW TO HATE MANUAL!!! Tedious, repetitive, same old jargon. Nothing new. But – you have two spelling mistakes: UNWORTHINESS (without the y): DECLARATION (not decaration): One must always be very specific. You really have a deep hatred for Catholic Priests. You are to be pitied. Your arguments are fallacious as you write your own personal interpretation of both ecclesiology and the theology of priesthood. Much of your angst verbiage has its foundations in earlier traumas of your life (the traumas you spoke of) and the humiliation of having to forcibly leave the seminary. If you have hurt, inner turmoil and so much hatred, I’m sure, as a supposed intelligent person, you do realise that psychotherapists are useful to help untangle your “inner messiness” of mind and heart. Should you choose to avail of such professionals, I believe you will make a more worthwhile contribution to humanity. Constant streams of hatred and anger are barriers to contentment and peace. Aiming your poisonous arrows at clerics achieves nothing useful. To use your own words – “..Just sayin like..”🤔🤔🤔🤔😙😙…I just say – “C’est la Magna Vie…!!!. Quel dommage!

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5:23 Oh the irony of you calling someone else repetitive and pointing out their spelling mistake.
Every time you post like that you made Magna’s point for him.
Not very bright are you.

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5.41
Mother Burke will have Long Covid so he will be out of action for a long time.
Burke was carrying too much weight and therefore would be difficult for the medics.

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I think it’s bit too soon to legislate for a mandatory renunciation of the papacy upon reaching a certain age. It’s only happened a handful of times in history and has been an exceptional occurrence. Let’s see a few of them renounce voluntarily to see if it’s a good thing, or not, for the church. It Francis feels he needs to step down then he should. He should not bind his successors because of his own poor health. Pope Leo Xiii did a good job and made it to 93.

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6.29: Every time you comment in someone else’s post, assuming they’re a cleric, you repeat the same empty sound byte. Not much intelligence at play with you, missy!! Of course this comment is by Magser herself! Can’t you tell?

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6:40 Perhaps you would like to point out where I said you were a priest? Now try reading my comment for the first time and have a go at understanding the point I make.

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Pope Francis, irrespective of diverse opinions of him, deserves our prayers and best wishes. It is an interesting development to consider the tenure of office for the Papcy as at his age, as in Pope St. John Paul 11’s case, the burden of illness and suffering can interfere in their daily work and ministry. I do not believe that Pope Francis will feel the need to continue once symptoms become debilitating. The presence of cancer, chrons, diverticulitis (which I have) or any digestive illness can be exhausting, horrendous and restrictive. I wish Pope Francis God’s blessings at this time. His papacy is an interesting one.

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Having read some of the traddy vitriol about TC I’m afraid they have rather confirmed Francis’s point that they are at least verging on schismatic.
Burke will not be elected pope, that’s ridiculous.
I think the future will be the EF will be banned again, partly because of the responses to TC. I don’t think there are any reasonable grounds to allow its use on grounds of age now – if you were 20 in 1970 you would now be 70 and would not have had lengthy continuous experience of the EF alone. The generation who knew nothing else are long dead.

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It’s a rather depressing blog, Bp Pat. More interminable stories about your colon. I am sure you could have wrung another day out of Ella and Richard.

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11:00am
If you read some of the Mad Mods vitriol about SP and watch on line some of the N.O. they celebrate? they are not verging on heresy they are committing it. They go on and on about their wonderful Vat.II but none of them have read Sacrsanctum Concilium or they would see just how far away the Novus Ordo is from what that Council desired.

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Having an aged, sick, dying man carrying on trying to run things just encourages all sorts of factions and Macchiavellian plotting by various factions within the Vatican. We saw this when JP II was doing his own long drawn out gaga dying act, so that he could exhibit himself as a man of suffering. All that happened was that as he got weaker and weaker and lost control, others moved in to the vacuum and occupied the space. So, just going on and on regardless is potty and dangerous. Benedict at least had the sense to realise this and to move aside. If Francis is in the position of losing control and not being able to do the job, then I suspect he too will move aside. It would be easier if Benedict had already departed for his eternal reward, so that there would not be two past popes around. In general, I think the RC Church’s 75 for bishops and priest and 80 for cardinals retirement ages simply silly. I guess mostly it’s because there is this rather naive culture of keeping the hand to the plough come what may, and a lot of it has to do with clergy simply not having the imagination, or means. to think of what they might do if they retire. A lot of it, couched in terms of service, sacrifice etc, is in reality self serving and out of need and desperation. Most of them haven’t got the resources to retire, given the feudal way in which they are chained to the diocese and bishop. Watching doddery old priests trying to remain relevant, because they can’t give up or don’t want to give up, is an embarrassment. Clergy culture has to change in so many ways and this retirement business is just one of the ways it needs to change – give priests / bishops / cardinals / popes the dignity of being able to retire and the means to do so at a reasonable age, say 65, and to enjoy a bit of life thereafter, without the silly expectation of going on regardless and forever. It’s what happens in the rest of the world. Oh, of course, I forget – priests are special and not like the rest of us !

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10.09
State pensions is moving nearer to 70 by 2030
I would not trust Boris and his team soon they will be taking £20 a week but from the poor with families and forcing many more into poverty.

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The Catholic Church – A County for Old Men.

The modern papacy is a gerontocracy and oligarchy- it’s truly a medieval (some might say Dark Ages) institution.

The clerical mindset is fundamentally an old mans mentality – archaic, old fashioned, conservative and focused on comfortable retirement.

Every RC clergyman I know is obsessed with their pension and retirement – check out the Johnson fund – they know all hoarding money and preferential treatment for their clerical pals – a right old people’s club.

Pope Francis is definitely dying – watch the lies and denials fly out from the Vatican and all that he’s never been more healthy etc.

As for his replacement – prepare for the Mother of all battles between Right and Left – the Left will win, the pack is stacked in their favour, but after that, my God the pendulum will swing to the Right with a vengeance. It that I want that – I want extreme centre but that’s way to radical I accept that.

Word from the wise – everytime Bishop Pat is attacked, vilified and despised on this blog, my esteem and regard for him and his ministry and practical down to earth wisdom grows a hundred fold.

Keep it up I say because if I could I’d vote him for Pope – he’s be brilliant and the church would be a far better institution.

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I am sorry to hear of rumours that Pope Francis is ill. He deserves our prayers and compassion, whatever one’s views of his papacy.
85 seems too old for any pontiff. If bishops retire at 75, why not the Pope? He could allow himself an extension, if he felt it necessary, or transfer his functions (or some part) to a Regent.
Allowing a man to become Pope at 60ish and then discharge those functions until 75 before a decent retirement is asking more than enough.

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Why do old men run the US , the Vatican and every Diocese?

Their own people run rings around them.

Same for Diocesan bishops in UK – the old ones are v submissive and enjoy submitting to subordinates they perceive as willing and able to dominate them – clearly it’s psycho- sexual and somewhat kinky:
Elsie and Carmel
Bernard Longley is easily dominated and clearly enjoys it.
Jeez he’s dominated by his Insurers and Lawyers let alone people close to him!!

Bishop Laughing Stock likes to be told what to do whilst giving the impression of being a dominant male he’s a big pussy and likes to be bossed around. He was like this in Brum – never had a meeting without a Dominant and Bossy colleague by his side – make or female, but clearly preferred male.
Behind every great man is a bossy and astonished woman and Mother In Law and behind many a Bishop is a dominant Cathedral Dean or Private Secretary.
Macron is the same – his Mummy I mean wife makes all his decisions.
Gorgeous George is Benedicts Live in Master – and my o my does he love to be told what to do – when he was Pope he looked like he wanted to ask permission to fart so overly submissive was he.
Harold Wilson ditto – Lady Faulkner totally dominated him.
Whose pulling Francis’ strings – Parolin?
Sleepy Joes wife clearly wears the trousers – Joe can barely pull his up.
It’s a reliable stereo typical model – men of power adore to be privately dominated.
Pius XII was dominated by a nun as is Elsie!!!
Blair is obviously dominated by Cherie – what you think he thinks or acts without her permission.
But Bishops are the worst – to a man deeply submissive, easily dominated.

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Every Dioces in the UK will be keen to massage their Mass going figures in the wake of COVID – 19.
Truth is devastating – Mass attendance not gone through the roof but gone through the floor and they ain’t coming back.
Hey churches closed when the people most needed them – the people won’t forget this and are voting with their reduced foot fall – which is what diocese call Mass goers – footfall, like it’s a business – sorry, I forgot, that’s exactly what it is and the product let it’s consumer base down when it needed them most.

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Most have humongous investment portfolios which have had good returns. If times get touGh they have real estate to fall back on. The Vatican owns the Bvlgari premises on Bond St and so getting go rental income.

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In my avenue there are ten “Catholic ” families and three “Protestants .” To my knowledge nobody goes to church or chapel. Two Catholic families had children go to first “communions” about two years ago. It was largely a school promoted occasion and seen as an opportunity for their girls to “dress-up” and they’ve not gone back to chapel since. Another family’s oldest son, age nine, accompanies his granny who lives nearby, but neither parent goes. They both teach in a non denominational integrated school.
I believe this is now the common practice, and welcome it.

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4.59: And the moral of your observation is that “you are all hypocrites and display a remarkable lack of integrity and courage”…Saying that, I believe that all sacramental preparation should be parish based. Let schools flow a religious education programme but if parents have opted out of traditional practice of faith, their children will not have any example to follow. Our schools are turning out children whi are illiterate and uninformed in Catholic teachings, values and morals. The church knows this but we have no creative vision to respond in the 21st century. At the beginning if the pandemic, our weeked congregation averaged 1,600. Since reopening last May, with restrictions, we average (6 masses) 900. I believe many who were once regular church goers will now either not return or will do so only occasionally. Changed times indeed…

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A dead Pope is like the rotten institution he represents .
I wonder when he departs what he will do if he is met at the
gates of paradise by Pope Joan ? Woops not meant to talk
about that one !

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The RC model is shot through – the myths are disintegrating before their v eyes;
Children who go to Catholic Schools go to Sunday Mass. Fallacy.
Catholic marriages nurture vocations to priesthood. Fallacy.
Father, the Parish priest, is a reliable rock of the community. Faithful to his vow of celibacy. Heterosexual. Fallacy.
And so the myths are demolished one by one slowly but surely.
I taught in a Catholic School – the staff take the piss out of Catholicism and actively undermine faith behind the Heads back – the Heads are two sheets to the winds and oblivious to what their staff think or feel.
The Heads big up their Catholic credentials at interview and know what buttons to press to impress their ecclesial masters but clearly don’t believe a word of it.

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HiH @ 6.31. You make some very accurate points. Several of my former grammar school classmates became head teachers in RC primary schools, much to my surprise, as they were, ‘none too bright’ usually at the lower end of our end of term exam results. They’d all gone to RC teacher training colleges. I’ve been reliably told that their “RC credentials ” counted more in appointment than academic qualifications or employment experience.

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I hear more appointments have been in Dublin. On the FB page today it was farewell to Paul Callan. Some lad iwhite making a speech…. DF now taking control! A few other clerics heading to parishes…

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9.48: The Dublin Diocesan changes have been published. These changes were made known to all concerned at the end of June. All priests got the list of changes. Archbishop Farrell respected the priests by corresponding with them first. There is no issue here. Move on. What are you on about?

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