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PRIESTS, BOUNDARIES AND VULNERABLE WOMEN AND MEN.

Priests, like doctors, councillors etc, often have to deal with adult men and women who are “vulnerable”.

And therefore its very important that priests do not cross boundaries and become emotionally, sexually or even financially involved with these vulnerable adults.

Adults can be vulnerable for all kinds of reasons – a bereavement, a relationship break up, an unhappy marriage, a loss of employment, a financial crisis or an illness.

As a priest for the past 46 years I have met hundreds or thousands of “broken” people.

My job or vocation is to restore the broken to wholeness.

And it is very important that I do not use their brokenness for anything that benefits myself.

GER FITZGERALD

Recently we have been dealing with the case of the Killaloe priest Ger Fitzgerald who crossed boundaries and became emotionally, sexually and financially involved with two women.

When he met Y she was going through a period of intense bereavement after the death of her father and was in a very bad place.

She was not in a proper state of mind to commit to a relationship with a priest.

I know it takes two to tango, but Ger being the “professional” should not have crossed boundaries.

If a doctor had done what Ger did to Y, he would be struck off for life.

And even if the vulnerable person is showing an interest in the professional, the professional must take control and responsibility and back away.

And it was the same with C.

She had newly arrived in a foreign country and was having difficulties in her primary relationship.

Many of the adult victims of priests I have met have gone to the priest initially for pastoral care and “counselling” and the priest initiated a relationship with them – often at the first meeting!

The infamous Fr Michael Cleary did this with a 17 year old woman who went to him with mental health problems and who went on to be a life partner and the mother of his children.

Some priests are like spiders sitting in their web waiting for their next victim to pass by.

GOVERNMENT SUPERVISION

Perhaps it’s time that the Government introduced legislation that made clergy apply on a regular basis for a FITNESS TO PRACTICE licence?

Because the RCC in particular is not fit to decide who should practice and who should not.

After all, it’s a matter of public protection.

RETIRED ORATORY PRIEST PASSES AWAY AT 95.

Today, Fr John (95) will be laid to rest today.

He was an English diocesan priest and a seminary lecturer.

He fell in love with a religious sister and he and she did the honourable thing – left and settled down in marriage.

John and his wife came to live in Northern Ireland andived in Bangor.

John joined us in The Oratory and regularly celebrated Mass here.

He was a gentle and very kind man. He was intellectually clever.

Quite a few years ago he completely retired and went to live in Scotland and later the North of England.

Rest in peace, John.

FATHER TED FLANAGAN

We lost Fr Ted Flanagan a couple of years ago in his mid 80s.

Ted was a priest of Clogher who left with Kate, moved to England, had a great career in teaching and music.

Ted returned to priesthood in later life as part of The Oratory and celebrated many weddings etc.

205 replies on “PRIESTS, BOUNDARIES AND VULNERABLE WOMEN AND MEN.”

Bishop Pat,
Yet again you highlight the importance of boundaries. Indeed this sad reality surfaced in your blog article recently on Armagh and one of its ‘problem’ individuals. We ought to remember that freedom of speech is paramount in our society. A right that will be exercised.
It is disappointing to gauge, from your soundings on this blog, that nothing has been addressed on this matter. But an increasing number in said archdiocese are growing discontent with someone who has been given the accolade by one journalist as the most out of touch Archbishop in a century. This may well be a rather generous summary. Have we a ‘leader’ who puts wishy-washy services with Queen Elizabeth II before anything else? Have we priests running rampage in an inappropriate way in relation to promises on celibacy? Without doubt, yes. Stories now emerge of priests in this diocese giving sexuality advice – to vulnerable individuals. Horrendous is not the word. Where is the leadership? Are they hiding something? What/Who are they hiding?
With an promise of further updates Pat.

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@8.27: I assume with some certainty from your impotent contribution that you have little to no experience of pastoral responsibility, nor an intellect fit enough to comprehend it. Would you say that directly to a victim? Perhaps you are a proponent of the ‘say nothing’ culture. Remember, Catholics should worship God not man. There are echoes in your short but alarming contribution of a lost soul. I pray you find peace. God bless you.

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A Fitness to Practice Certificate renewed annually & reverified to assure new congregation if clerical moved mid-year. Certificate to be framed in public church porch along with same for all administrators & volunteers in each parish. Other professionals have to display certs, it’s the least that should be done in light of what’s going on in RCC. Helen McEntee brought in new laws today in relation to stalking & harassment & whilst for now it’s related to victims of domestic violence, no doubt this will be extended.

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12.37AM That’s a good news story for a Friday. great news – better late than never. We should all be glad that Ms. McEntee is taking a stance against stalking in particular as it can be very very stressful to anybody having to put up with being stalked by any individual. As Ms. McEntee states “stalking is already a crime under the existing harassment offence, stalking is an extremely serious and intrusive crime that can cause devastating psychological distress.

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8.53: The word stalking can have many meanings and variations. I wonder is the new law, at long last, intending to extend the crime of stalking as found in public fora and blogs? There is an urgent need to monitor the narratives on such spaces as very frequently the vitriol, threats and nastiness are, in essence, dangerous and potentially life threatening experiences of stalking. When any of us constantly harrass chosen individuals or enemies as “anonymous” commenters, are we not engaging in stalking? The law is so loose that we seem to have an unquestioned freedom to say what we like, to the point of devestating and dehumanising others. We know of many situations in our country where stalking and bullying by “anonymous” people – usually known to victims – have precipated self harm, often fateful in their targeted victims . The vicious narratives that we read on various blogs must be banned.

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12:22 Luckily what’s allowed is defined by the law and not the church, ‘father’. If y’all wanted to keep in control of what was legal you should have stopped priests abusing children.
PS the fact you can post your repeat moaning comments is a result of the same freedoms everyone else has.

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8:53am Irish Priests are generally very nosey & intrusive – know nothing about boundaries, we had one briefly here in UK. Didn’t last long. Good to hear the Irish are finally legislating to protect the public from these paedophile protectors & their lay facilitators.

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8:53am yes, it’s very good news that non fatal crimes against the person are being addressed by Ms McEntee. The RCC & cohorts have executed devastating psychological distress on thousands of child & adult victims worldwide for a very long time. Clericals Grooming and stalking vulnerable targets, exploiting personal human misfortune of the vulnerable to further their own clerical ends, RCC going to extreme & deviant lengths to protect abusers. Need I go on…….

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Helen McEntee made virtue signalling promises to take Ukrainian refugees into her own home but now has quietly retracted the offer.

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12:22pm We pray for those who have taken their own lives or been harmed in any way due to clerical & related abuse and bullying and we pray that one day the RCC may set an example to the world by finally apologising, making appropriate amends to families & survivors & desist obstructing & gaslighting the rest of the world on this & related matters. Amen.

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Wonder why McEntee is silent about automatic early release;no prison space ;automatic free legal aid;no minimum tariff for murderers;allowing ‘testimonials ‘ for a criminal to be given to a judge;only country in Europe with no electronic tagging;thousands of criminals with multiple conviction s causing mayhem around the country.
Minister for Justice?
Don’t make me laugh.
Shes spitting in the face of victims.

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we have a priest who adds a lot of young people on his Facebook, partially young adult lads in the parish. I always find this very odd. They are usually lads from working class areas of the parish.

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Clergy don’t even have to do CPD let alone fitness to practice – both would be great, neither will ever happen.
The answer, to most intractable problems is demographics evidenced by precipitous decline inn priestly vocations in the US and most other places.
The priesthood is incapable of reform and deeply resistant to self-reflection or change.
Many clergy would not be professionals in other walks of life – bus drivers, waiters, hospitality sector, care sector but find themselves after ordination in elevated and sacred positions of trust of which they are emotionally and psychologically ill-equipped, it’s a recipe for disaster.

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This Ger fella has shown himself incapable of maintaining professional boundaries, as well as his publicly proclaimed vow of celibacy. Why, for pity’s sake, is he still a priest ? In any other profession he would have had any permission / license to practice removed. What it is with this protection of clergy malarky ? Nonsense. His bishop and others should stop making excuses for him and protecting him, and make him accountable for his actions. Simple

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@ 4:49 I sent an email to Fintan yesterday asking for something in Ger’s possession to be returned to me. Fintan wrote back and referred to Ger by his first name as opposed to “Fr. Ger” as he normally refers to him. Perhaps the rumour on the blog that Ger has resigned is actually true.

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8:54am Fr Ger Fitzgerald does not possess the personal wealth that Fr Jerry Carey does but neither of them will jump before they are pushed. Fintan is an accomplished spin doctor, wait & see. All will be revealed publicly in June & in meantime poor ole Fintan is having to work out what to do about the Clare born priests who will true to form orchestrate protests with their local cronies to ensure that they are not moved from parishes. Who’d be a Bishop these days.

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I don’t think anyone in the Diocese of Killaloe let alone Bishop Fintan makes excuses for Ger Fitzgerald’s behaviour. He has been removed from ministry since last year because of the horrendous way Yvonne was treated.

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Consequences of Disrespect for Parishioners Personal Boundaries by Deviant Clericals & Cohorts.says:

4:49am there is clearly a deeper & broader issue highlighted in this Fitzgerald matter – see both public & private facilitation that he & other clerical deviants receive from Bishop & Killaloe lay & ordained teams. They have clearly demonstrated that they have no respect whatsoever for boundaries & the control that church exercises in its ownership of schools in Ireland amounts to coercive control & school staff are necessarily compliant in this coercive control in their own interests. Why is Government allowing an organisation like the RCC with a dismal track record in failing to out pardophiles & paedophile protectors control in the Irish education system. Government use the Criminal Assets Bureau to block activities of drug dealers, why are they not doing the same to block the activities of RCC that is facilitating, protecting & using their influence across the board by engaging in harassment of legitimate complainants. This CAB could also be utilised to expedite payments long outstanding to elderly, frail & vulnerable victims of clerical related abuse & mother & baby home & slave laundry victims etc. Are The RCC & their cohorts are a protected Mafia in Ireland – it looks that way? Another reason for low attendances in churches. Who is going to pay for damage to Caroles property? Time to dig into Fitzgerald’s Chips for totty coin box?

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Simple.
Why is he still a Priest well he is a Priest in name only with NO faculties they have been suspended. so to say that is his license removed.
It has to go through a canonical process that can take weeks if not years unless Ger asks to be removed and that is in about 1% of cases.
The Bishop is covering up for NO one he has to go through Canon law and Civil law.
Remember Ger is saying he has done NOTHING wrong and will likely have Canon Laws and maybe Civil Lawyers on to Bishop Fintan.
Jerry Carey is back from counselling and thinks he should be on Killaloe Diocesan appointments in June.
No one seems to know if Jerry Carey was added to the sex offenders list or was it just this month suspended sentence if he was added to the list he would have been fast tracked and kicked out.

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Jerry Carey pleaded guilty to intentionally engaging in offensive conduct of a sexual nature at Blackrock in Salthill. He was given a one-month prison sentence which was suspended in full. This conviction will never allow him to work in ministry. He belongs on no appointment list.

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@10.24 As far as I’m aware all people convicted of a sexual offence are placed of the sex offenders list. Can anyone correct me? I’d be shocked if he was on the appointments list

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So what happened to Fr. Shirley from Waterford. Did his case go through a canonical process?

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Reply to 11.37
But his conviction will show up for life anytime he is vetted. He’ll never work in ministry again and thank God. He obviously can’t control his urges.

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@12.23 Yes he would have had to go through the same canonical process. There is no other way out

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12:20 Quite. But it’s bizarre that some sex offenders would only have a criminal record and not go on the register. He was actually sentenced to prison (suspended) as well.

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Carey belongs on The Offensive Little Prick List. Good riddance to Lycra Man. But do Watch out Beadles About – Carey Loves Ennis Shenanigans more than he loves the Costas Or Tipp.

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Aand then they start threatening. There’s a reason the feds in the US had to use legislation intended to deal with the Mafia when dealing with the ‘church’ of Rome.

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The main reason for the success of the Good Friday Agreement was that it took place with both the UK and Ireland both as part of the wider EU and even though the border on the island of Ireland still existed on the map, it really didn’t in our minds, as it was all within EU and it appeared that a Single Europe had inadvertently made a United Ireland a moot point.
But glorious Brexit which was joyfully supported by the DUP, not because the majority in NI wanted it, but because it was presented as a quintessentially British endeavour complete with lots of Union jacks, which is like catnip to the DUP.
Now that Brexit has resulted in the protocol, the DUP are no longer joyful, they still are fully supportive of Brexit, just not the consequences that are caused by Brexit.

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The usual whinging republican /nationalist humbug.

The Protocol is not the result of Brexit but IS the appeasement of said republican/nationalist group to stop them going into a protracted sulk-gripe over a so-called ‘hard border’ on the island of Ireland.

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I want to make this absolutely clear to the people of the Republic of Ireland.

The Belfast Agreement (commonly known as the “Good Friday Agreement”) is NOT a blueprint for a united Ireland, should ever a majority of the electorate in Northern Ireland vote for such an outcome. The Belfast Agreement is merely a starting point, not a detailed plan for how such a settlement would look in practical terms.

The people of the Republic of Ireland haven’t given this deficiency enough (if any) practical thought. If you assume that no change will be required in how the island of Ireland would present culturally and be governed in the event of a majority vote in Northern Ireland for territorial unification, you are self-complacent and are making a very grave mistake.

If you assume that the British population of Northern Ireland would suddenly, magically, turn Irish on the day such an electoral announcement were made, you would be deceiving yourselves, and you could provoke a conflict that would make the IRA’S terror campaign look like a bunfight and which would scar Ireland and utterly bankrupt it in a way it never could or did the United Kingdom.

There are far too many sentimental idealists and dreamers among Irish republicans and nationalists on this island, especially in Northern Ireland, and not enough level-headed realists currently to make such a settlement peaceful, and viable in the longterm.

This is political and cultural highly volatile terrain, whose prospect for violent eruption on a scale never-before experienced is being dangerously underestimated.

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9.41
Threatening bile like yours should be reported to the police authorities on both sides of the border.

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12.43, I see no threats in that post, just a forewarning of what could happen if people don’t give this matter more serious thought.
That poster has given all of us who value peace a wake up call.

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@9.41 You’re completely missing the point, the Brits don’t want you, you’re costing £15 Billion a year, the south doesn’t want you cos you cost £15 billion a year, the shinners are the ONLY group agitating for a border poll and only because they feel they should.

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2.43
I missed no point, because you made none.
But here’s one you need to get: we in Northern Ireland loyal to the Union ARE ‘the Brits’. You may not get this now, but you will.
Whether the remainder of the British want us or not is academic: they have no choice under International Law, into which the Belfast Agreement is written.
As for your claim that the citizens of the Republic of Ireland don’t want Northern Ireland either, you may have an actual point: if that country already struggles to maintain 26 counties, how could it alone financially support 32, with a large British population not exactly eager to embrace an all-Irish state and an Irish identity?
Nevertheless, gven that a small majority of the Republic’s citizens still aspire to a united Ireland (in reality, a misnomer, since it would constitute only territorial unification, not a unity of the citizenry), it is imperative that they give serious consideration to the sacrifices and compromises they will have to make to preserve peace in the event of territorial unity. A united Ireland will not come about without considerable cost to them as well, not just financial, but also in terms of surrendering national emblems, like the Irish Tricolour and national anthem, to facilitate political and social inclusivity. No unionist would ever, could ever, accept either of these.

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Rest easy lad no United Ireland in your lifetime. Very few British in ni they are nearly all Irish born, even Sammy 😜

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Jerry Carey would never have had ‘pints’ with Ger Fitzgerald, he wouldn’t have been deemed influencial or worthy enough. Jerry Carey was a snob.

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8:59 Yes, Carey is An arrogant and self entitled snob with all the right connections across the board in & out of church – that’s why you hear nothing about him now & his 2 faced company man replacement carefully selected & working overtime on that score on his behalf in Doora Barefield parish & beyond – so Carey still well protected & despite everything he lasted over 3 decades in Killaloe whilst Fitzy from da block was lucky to survive one decade & that only because he “played ball” about Gaynooth at the outset for them. Back Scratchers. They are all in it together – rotten to the core.

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8:37am Don’t be silly – Jerry Carey was always stuck with the local movers & shakers. Why do you think he got off so lightly in Court. If he’s stayed in Clare for his Wank, he’d probably still be here riding roughshod over everyone outside of his powerful clique & still taking advantage of the lower orders.

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Pat, any mootings from Amy Martin these days? Or is he hoping you’ll leave him be 😂🎣 reel them in Pat!

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A key element of this story is what training Ger got in Maynooth?
The system there has since been exposed as very broken.
The formator he had also struggled with celibacy and left, but I believe entered a civil marriage while on sabbatical?
Students there at that time used tell me they received no worthwhile training in terms of human formation… that they relied on whatever they had before getting to Maynooth, self-directed formation and often felt more able and worldly than the formators themselves appeared to be.
What Ger did was wrong. He failed to set boundaries. But he also went into ministry blind to the realities and responsibilities. The registered professionals you speak of are properly training and informed of their responsibilities.
The church cannot be regulated as you suggest due to the remaining constitutional protections to not interfere in the running of religions…. the Northern Irish Diocese can be regulated by Westminster, or disbanded by them.
The ultimate culprit here is the man paid to training and decide in suitability…..step up to your responsibility and resign ++Dermot Farrell

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8.45
You sound oblivious once again to the irony of your comments.
Those responsible for your formation are not responsible for your gross lack of judgement displayed in your words on the topic of the UK Queen and her son. You mentioned loyalty (carrot) and treason (stick) in relation to anyone seeking to evaluate her actions. GUBU indeed.

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One of the words mentioned occasionally to us in seminary was”boundaries” but not sufficiently. Of course in the 70’s we were literally “untouchable”, were not mired in the sexual abuse scandals and the concept of child safeguarding policies and such necessities were literally non existent. I do recall though having an awareness of not ever intruding into anyone’s life and to be very circumspect and discreet about being physically close to others, young and older. These realities were not formally taught but certainly in my college days, were inferred and referenced. I learned quickly the absolute need for such concepts. Even in parishes, for most of my life I’ve maintained these necessities to the point where you almost subdue all natural expressions of affection or appreciation and are fearful of being misconstrued for the most innocent gesture of support or friendship. I believe absolutely in the concept of boundaries in ministry. I have argued for a long time that because we are defined as self employed for revenue purposes and that we are accountable primarily to ourselves, we need a system where our work and ministry should be more open to scrutiny by a professional team of experts, even for the purpose of being more effective and productive especially with the shortage of priests. Many of us are quite capable of intelligently doing what is correct and effective but we need more professional guidance. A few times in the past I had to counsel both clerics and non clerics about their overstepping of boundaries. Life certainly has changed in terms of our interactions with parishioners.

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In the absence of actual professional oversight have you thought of looking at the standards of other professions and applying them to your situation? For example in the UK the NMC and the HCPC both have published standards for registrants. And if you want to peek over a different wall the Church of England has a published code of conduct for clergy if you haven’t come across it. It’s wordy and cumbersome though.

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Micheál Ledwith has reportedly been seen visiting Archbishops house in Dublin.
A family gathering of sorts.

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Ger et al should have maintained their professional distance.
As a professional I always have. Getting involved with any of our cases is a sackable offence.

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Yvonne and Carole, as a Catholic parishioner of Cloughleigh and Ennis I want to publicly apologise to you for what one of our priests did to you both. I can tell you that many Ennis people are having a change of heart about Mr Fitzgerald. He had us fooled for a while but no longer. Try and put your pain behind you. Walk tall. You were victims.

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@ Lorraine 9:39 You don’t know how much your comment means to me…I am certain that Yvonne will also be touched by it. Much appreciated and thank you 🙏.

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@ 9:55 Ger still has his “golden circle” of loyal supporters who will continue to try and minimise the damage that he has done to the women that he was involved with but no amount of “gerrymandering” on their part will ever make the truth disappear. Ger’s abhorrent actions towards women and the resulting shame he brought upon the RCC will haunt him for the rest of his days.

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The people of Ennis are not stupid. One priest. Two women. And God knows how many others? Maybe he is already embedded with Woman 3, or 4 ………

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Lorraine at 9:55 really not being funny but anyone expecting a priest to behave after the events of the past decades is definitely stupid. It is safer to assume he is misbehaving until proven otherwise.

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Y had an incredibly tough year and was afraid to walk the streets of Ennis due to intimidation from friends of Fr. Ger. Gladly she is slowly getting over this ordeal and quite the priests friends in Ennis, are feeling the consequences of supporting him, and they will continue to rue these.

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8:58am Delighted to hear that Yvonne is recovering from her ordeal at hands of Fr Ger Fitzgerald & his thuggy friends in Ennis. No doubt it was a lesson too for his clerical & lay colleagues that not everyone can be intimidated, harassed & silenced into submission to conceal RCC related wrong doings.

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9.55: Lorraine, probably the other women are all married….days a lot!! Foolish decisions are iften made…and the subsequent days turn sour and hut the rocks…all participants sre responsible, a word that’s left out…conveniently.

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As far as I’m aware she was removed from a project last year over deaths threats and bullying towards Yvonne.

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11:18 Death Threats? Are you serious? What kind of people are making a front of feeding the homeless in Ennis & involved in local Church? Who was her son Bouncing?

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I am here is there anything you would like to know? No I wasn’t removed from any project, no I wasn’t accused of bullying. Yes everything with the bishop was recorded especially where I got an apology from him
Yes Yvonne was asked by the gardai to stay away from me due to her harrassing me and saying continus lies , she nearly destroyed my life with her lies and I will never forgive her for it she brought me into this for what I will never know
This blog unfortunately only tells one side
Yes I’ve everything written down, for the papers and any court cases.
Ask Yvonne why she was arrested at Christmas?
And yes my son is fine thank you

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Thank you Lorraine , it was a tough year , that means alot to me. The truth always comes out in the end. Sad situation for all involved. Few wrongs needed to be corrected in order to move on. I feel this has been accomplished.
I’m sorry for all the pain this mess has caused everyone, and I sincerely hope the new Ger is doing amazing things in he’s new parish and that the younger more vulnerable female generation there is being minded and protected from all the muttons dressed as lamb x

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10.16 Jerry Carey is a convicted criminal and Ger Fitzgerald is not. Who are the so called ‘company’ men protecting Jerry from? Both priests are equally as disgraced but at least Ger can pass Garda vetting!

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I don’t see how a man can justify cheating and having a couple of women on the go , can you ?

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Ger could expand The Oratory in the South.
However he would need to get his own property and not diocesan property.

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Ms Whelan was called into a meeting with diocese to be told that Yvonne was telling the truth in order for her to refrain from fuelling lies and exciting hatred and danger towards Yvonne.
She is a bully.

Yvonne had recorded all communications, including the conversation where they offered to call her in to be given a ‘landing’ a term the diocese used

Yvonne knew what type of people she was dealing with regarding Fitzgerald and Ms Whelan which is why she was clever enough to record everything.

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1.05

Nonsense. They can if a crime has been committed.

Even so, the Press have no scruples about using them. 😀

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Covert recordings can be used as evidence. Admittedly it’s not that straightforward- but recordings can and have been used in legal and civil proceedings.

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Absolute lies 🤣 I was given an apology, me thinks you are listening to one side.
There is a group on face book, where there is a lot of information, all to do with Yvonne Drake, the past she has of her many victims that she harassed and stalked
Amazing the people who contacted me who unfortunately had the same story of her victimising people whether she was friends with them first or worked with them.
It’s all there, every message she sent me, every time she tried to ring me and the lies she told about me.
If I am asked by any paper I will gladly release it
It’s amazing as I sit here, reading all the stuff you are all saying about me that is so not true.
I was dragged into this by Yvonne when I did nothing wrong.
If you want to know the truth, contact me I will happily discuss it or you can all read the horrible things being said about me by people that don’t even know me

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Bishop Pat, have you reached out to Ger to get his side of the story? For balance and healing for all involved it would be beneficial.

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If he has difficulty getting a job the UK Conservative party will be looking for a new leader and he’s just the calibre they like. Doubt Pritler would fall for him though.

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10.41: Why would any priest allow you to rip and tear them to pieces on your blog? You’re fecking delusional. Madly delusional. Pat, you only want heads on plates. Disgusting and amoral.

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Villa in Malaga Spain? Seriously? How can priests on their modest income, living, what Vatican 2 documents call, ‘a simple life’, afford a villa in Spain?

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12:41 Priests don’t live a simple life and Vatican 2 is rarely paid attention to. This is one of the many reasons the lace queens are just plain wrong in their assertion that V2 is responsible for collapse of mass attendance, religious life etc.
Pro tip: the priests and religious are the reason and attempts to blame Vatican 2 are a smoke screen.

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1:05
How can priests afford holidays villas in locations such as Spain?
Is it common for priests to have holiday villas abroad?

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Gers story is very straightforward, he chased Y and didn’t know what to do when he caught her so ran away ( Bold Boy Ger), he was enjoying free meals, trips, clothes from C but was shocked when she revealed her feelings and ran away. (Bold Boy Ger). No criminal charges and not enough to be laicised. Phonsie bullied Fr Shirley into leaving if he’d stood his ground Phonsie would have had to follow procedure

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@ 3:19 You have neglected to tell the part where Ger Fitzgerald spoke to “Larry” about his true feelings towards me and the part where he said he loved me to my face. It was NOT a one way street. He was very stingy with messages because he was afraid of them being used against him which is exactly what happened once he threatened me…

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Carole @5.13
So he told you he loved you… I think you know by now he was lying. It reads like a very one sided relationship, you loved him and he too advantage and abused your love, lied and disappeared. I’m sorry that this happened to you and you deserve better. I wish you the very best.

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He can’t justify the evidence pat has about him and the diocese but he can lie to all involved around him. That’s why he hasn’t contacted pat.

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3:19 You’d need to be built like a brick shithouse to stand your ground with Phonsie. He’s like a bull in a China shop. Born in Killaloe Diocese – it shows! He’s like those lads that won’t be moved in Clare.

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1.05 nobody said anything about recordings being used as evidence but if people are misinformed, a community are lead led incorrectly due to lies, gossip and slander etc .. those recordings can correct that issue.

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Pat it is emerging that another D&C priest, in the Belfast area, has a confirmed romance with a man that is widely known amongst his peers. Likewise the Bishop is aware of this and due to a massive shortage is putting up with it. How can this be tolerated?

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Without the priest, there are no sacraments.

Without the sacraments, there is no grace.

Without grace, there is no salvation.

I think, for the good of our souls, we can put up with a priest’s peccadilloes, since he can give us so much more in return.

We should be grateful for priests, not grumbling about them.

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11:11 very funny satire, well done 👍
That’s exactly what the kiddy-fiddling, crime promoting, money grabbing deviants actually think.

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11.19
But you wouldn’t know what they think. The rhetoric of you comments for years now makes one thing clear: your don’t dialogue. You may have been traumatised by the circumstances of your departure from seminary but you are incapable of moving on and finding sobriety and peace.

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Love God and love your neighbour as God loves you. If you can reach this level of LOVE you will get salvation. The RCC sacraments are a help to attain this level but you can with Gods grace still attain this level of Love witout them. Remember you may be surprised who you see sitting at the Lords table on the last day.

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Easy-peasy! Look at the bishop who tacitly supported the boiler house bonker.
Nowadays, it’s anything goes.

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It seems that bishops and dioceses will only act if a crime has been committed.

Jerry Carey went to court and gave a Tipperary address.

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Jerry Carey left Clare before the court case as he had been charged with masturbating in a public place. I think he had to give the address of where he was living at the time and he’s in Tipperary I believe. Moved from piller to post.

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Masturbation in public place, what about the Co Antrim one that was caught in Fivemiletown in an embrace with another man in the public toilets and get got off scotch free

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12:09pm Fr Jerry Carey has always been a very well connected man about town in the key circles in Clare & surrounds. Giving a Tipperary address in Court was a legal move typical of RCC cohorts evasion of justice as was him not serving his prison sentence. Only the best for Carey. He still thinks he “owns” Ennis. He remains “useful” to key influencers hence the urgency to get him back in the loop. Carey & his cohort are always determined to get their own way via any means. A higher social Class of Thugs to Fitzgerald’s Cohort, but still thugs none the less form Carey’s Possey.

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12.09 How can a man of any dignity believe he still “owns Ennis” after his shenanigans in Salthill. He needs more help than counselling let me tell ya! There’s what you’d call a ‘want’ in Jerry Carey. He can never go back to Ennis certainly, or will/can the people turn a blind eye to this sort of behaviour?
There is a bang of narcissism off this Jerry Carey, let the good people of diocese of Killaloe beware.

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Shame. Plenty of subject matter on Armagh and its weird revelations. I never thought I would see the day when I heard of a cleric watching couples get busy.

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Noel Treanor any good at squash? Have you ever played squash? You need to be very fit to play it well.

Noel Treanor is far from physically fit. Look at the breadth of his posterior for a clue.

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In his pomp, Niall Ahern was a great squash player, in the courts behind Logic House.

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There’s always plenty going on in Tyrone. Been quieter of late. I’m sure Pat knows the score. Armagh are probably reading every word. What will happen next 😂😂😂

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The clergy of the diocese of Killaloe has a saving grace. New ministers, all Garda vetted no doubt and waiting for appointments.
+Fintan’s homily welcomed and congratulated with great delight and joy, the 24 New Ministers, 12 in the area of Catechetics and 12 in the area of Pastoral Care. “You are now warmly welcome in your new role to assist, lead and minister among the faith family of the diocese of Killaloe!”
I hope these ministers were taught about boundaries also.

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You can’t teach what you don’t know. They’ve probably been taught how unfair it is to hold the church responsible and how everyone hates it.

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11:11. R you insane? So we rely on a priest or even the church for salvation? Why then did Christ die on the cross and rise again? I’ll spell it out for you in quite simple terms. He died and rose again for our salvation. If you think we rely on the muppets who call themselves RCC priests for our salvation then you really are insane. How can you be so stupid

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Think of Christ’s death and resurrection as grace ammunition, and of priests as the warriors to whom Christ distributed this grace, and so to us through the sacraments.
Priests are fighting evil on our behalf. Thank God for them! Cherish them!
They suffer so much for our redemption.

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Pat, a close family member has suffered a lot as a result of today’s blog topic. This time in Northern Ireland. You may have covered it. I want to commend you for calling these rascals out. They are bad. Those who make excuses are equally if not more shameful. Nobody is fooled by empty leadership.
Credit to you for highlighting and calling out the wrongs in Northern Ireland of late. It is truly good to realise that we have one bishop not afraid to talk truth.

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Has any1 asked about his so called school friend who he became friendly wit and was often seen down around dunass with?

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@ 1:24 Actually the name was “Doonass” in the 19th c. sometimes spelled “Doonas”. Is this the same school friend that later died of cancer?

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Oh no shes still alive and well as I seen them walking there dogs together very recently with a young girl in toe

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@ 5:29 Maybe she’s “Laura”? Who can keep up with all his female “friends”? All I can say is the priest has disappeared from Castleconnell and I hope he stays away for awhile. The air is much cleaner with him not around.

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🎶🎶🎶Allelu Killaloe Allelu an poc ar buile🎶🎶🎶🎶 A shower of goats the lot of them 😂

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Pat, almost 100 comnents and not one so far in reference to the 2 priests from the Oratory who died: says it all about the relevance of this entity to everyone: irrelevant apart from your blog. God bless the souls of these priests.

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I cannot understand praying for the dead. They’ve already made their choices for eternity while on earth.

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The pair of you must be Protestants or CINOs, as you obviously don’t believe in Purgatory.

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Surprised that the decline in priest numbers in the US has been so dramatic. While numbers have fallen throughout the Western world, there a lot of young priests in US dioceses. Have a look at any diocesan website and there’s dozens of young fresh faced priests and seminarians smiling at you with perfect white teeth, neatly cut hair and good looks.

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Yesterday, I was cataloguing Dolan’s Collected Works on the Little Flower when I noticed a comment he had made to the actual sisters of Therese. He told them that everyday he held services in honour of their Saint seven times in order to accommodate the crowds of her devotees in Chicago. This would have been in the late twenties of the last century.

My, my how things have changed, providing that Dolan wasn’t exaggerating to make points with the sisters.

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Watch out for Maynooth’s big announcement tomorrow, 23 April, about sale of the historic campus to Maynooth University and the departure of the seminary from its home of 227 years.

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3:19

Is Phonsie a bully?
Is a bishop permitted to bully a priest into leaving ministry but not be accountable?

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Arrogance seems to be part and parcel of bishopric territory.
Didn’t you stand up to him at Jack Shines funeral Mass?

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6.00pm ….. and a sneer like the rest of them ( – Michael Neary of Tuam)…. I approached Denis Nulty in the Clayton Hotel in the company of quite a few of them including Waterford….. Nulty had more in common with a trader on the stock exchange than his supposed leanings with the Nazarene…..Quite the Bollox he was…..is….

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Pat he is full of angry energy and you could tell he was just brimming with hatred. I dont think he was there too long; too liberal for him.

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I knew him when he was at LIT as chaplain.
He was a cranky bastard but had to keep a lid on it – angry priests would just make the students laugh. Heavily involved in Opus Dei in Limerick too.

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6.58
Bill, your punctuation, a hyphen in this case, makes it unclear whether your comment about M. Neary is intended to say he is an instance of the sneer or, he is an exception. Can you clarify, please.

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Pat
Why do you and William not like denis nulthy ? He is well respected in carlow and kildare and helped and encourgaged david vard to become a priest in these barren times.

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This is quite a good post Pat and goes to the heart of the matter.

Ger Fitz was in a position of trust – same as a Garda, social worker, lawyer, doctor – and abused it , instigating and entering into rrelationships. The women were total victims. A commenter on here last week spoke of “clergy let loose on the public” and they were absolutely right. It is shocking that no serious vetting is done or fitness to practice enforced.

Not only did Ger Fitz actively seek out these women (he chased Yvonne) he then used cronies to bash them and humiliate them in public. He scandalized poor Yvonne in Ennis and has had minions on here call Carole a homewrecker, never mind the money he was tapping. This is behaviour well below what we’d expect from normal people let alone someone who is a priest.

If Ger is reading he should be on here apologizing and mending his ways

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@ 5:28 I think the home wrecker comment was directed at someone else. I was only one of many women “friends” that Ger used/uses to inflate his ego. I had something that probably the others didn’t have; the history connection and the Big House. As an added bonus he got many items of historical interest off me including the letters of his hero from Doonas. When things went sour, I did tell Cleo that Ger could keep the items but he chose to send them back and I am delighted that he did. He does not deserve any kindness from me. GF was the one to initiate contact with me in 2020 and did not stop seeing me until I started questioning his behaviour in 2022 at which point he threatened me with the guards and said he was going to show my husband & “Larry” my messages. What GF didn’t realise is that they don’t care about any of my messages to him. I don’t keep secrets like Ger does. BTW he still keeps in contact with his lady friend from Maynooth. When we were in the car he used to get messages from her. Hope you have fun at rehab Ger. You really need to come clean after all your shenanigans. Still waiting to hear details on the mysterious five figure sum. “Larry” is very disappointed with Ger for not taking responsibility. GF knows that I always find things and I will find out where that money came from. It’s just a matter of time…

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Apologies Carole, I dont know who he was calling a homewrecker. Disgraceful anyway!

Is he going in to therapy?😂

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@ 7:50 Thank you! I know that we have met before but for the life of me, I can’t figure out who you are 🤣. Anyone who has visited my home knows that I always treat people who visit with kindness and respect—those things can’t be faked. Fact: The priest took advantage of me. Fact: “Larry” tried to warn me. Fact: My eyes are wide open now thanks to the unscrupulous Fr. Ger.

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@ 7:20 I thought the home wrecker comment was directed at me but turns out it was a venomous comment directed at someone else. Don’t know if GF is still in therapy but his mysterious absence leads me to believe that he is either on holiday or in some kind of treatment centre. He still hasn’t blocked me on WhatsApp and I can see when he’s online & it doesn’t look like he’s online much anymore. Maybe they took away his phone so that he can focus on his issues. I, myself, am meeting a therapist next week courtesy of the Diocese of Killaloe. Pity their money has to be spent on helping Ger’s victims but in all fairness, they are the ones indirectly responsible for his inappropriate actions.

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@ 7:50 Thanks “Todd”. I tried to post a comment but don’t think it went through so I’m trying again. I know that we have met, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out who you are. I think you would agree that everyone who visits my house is always treated with kindness and respect—those are traits of my personality that cannot be faked. Ger had the wool pulled over my eyes but now my eyes are wide open… Thankfully I am on the road to recovery. Never again will I allow someone to take advantage of me for selfish gain. I always thought clergy could be trusted. Some of you may think that’s daft but I come from the U.S.A. and my experience with the RCC was positive. That all changed after coming to Ireland and being exploited by the rogue priest. Taking advantage of foreigners is a big no-no in the Old Testament. Lord have mercy. שהשם ירחם

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Pat, I believe he refused you communion that day. What was the outcome?
Did you receive communion from someone else?

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8.36: Carole. I’m glad you’re receiving therapy. Ger made decisions of his own volition, not forced by anyone to entangle himself with any other person. You likewise made personal decisions. Those decisions were disastroys. I pray and hope you find new life and healing. I hope Ger has learned important lessons. Is it not unhelpful and unwise for you to give away so much personal history? God bless you.

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@ 10:25 Live & learn. Most Irish people that I have met don’t like to talk about personal matters out of fear of how they will be perceived in society. I’m a Yank and an Israeli, and as such, I don’t give a flying f&@k what people think about me.

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Bishop Pat,
What is your opinion on the growing number of Irish priests using Grindr?
Should we accept it as modernisation of lifestyles among men? Bishops evidently say it is a matter for the priests in question. I wondered what your opinion is on this kind of judgment?

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6.39: Eoghan, are you serious in asking that question? Are you an adult? Pat, of course, won’t agree that any priest should be on any site, except his!! That’s dangerous enough. I iften wonder what “site” Pat used to meet his partner and how safe was it?

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Priests with public vows of celibacy should not be on dating sites.

Oratory priests are not bound to celibacy and therefore can date and marry.

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No one knows what Jesus wrote on the ground at that most pedagogical event. I am certain it is not reflected here. There is a time for everything under the sun ( as the Books of absolutely no literary merit State but their rawness echoes in all human interaction) even a time to stop ! Jesus looked on him ( or her) and loved him….. ( apart from Pilates words “ What is Truth?…) my favourite words of the NT…. no conditions whatsoever… his sadness was his own though he did not have to choose it. A time to stop….

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So the Bible has ‘absolutely no literary merit’? Even the fiercest atheists would disagree with that statement.

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Pat, do you know when Fr Flanagan served in Clogher diocese? I don’t remember him. Was he there in the 70s or 80s? RIP to him, and, as you say, he had the integrity to leave rather than living a double life.

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“And even if the vulnerable person is showing an interest in the professional, the professional must take control and responsibility and back away.”
“My job or vocation is to restore the broken to wholeness.”
I have sympathy for people who are taken advantage of. It is absolutely terrible. The Tinder Swindler victims were deceived. I have sympathy for them.
A beautiful young woman was going through difficulty in her marriage. I was merely helping her and she started showing an interest in me. I took control and made sure communication was respectful in my vocation to help restore her brokenness to wholeness.
It is of the utmost importance that we do not use their brokenness for anything that benefits ourselves. I give the gift of unconditional of support.
I have helped many other women who have gone through times of difficulty. I do not understand why anyone would take advantage of someone who is going through a difficult time. Surely all Christians of good standing would humbly help with a good heart?

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7.42: So, Pat, are you saying you apprive of sn Oratory priest chasing around in dating sites? Surely, you’re not saying this would be none of your concern. Do Oratory priests not bind themselves to your codes of discipline and behaviour since you are their bishop? I’m confused.

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The Oratory does not require celibacy of its priests.

Of course as Christians we support morality.

But Oratory priests are free to date and to marry women and men.

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I don’t know how 7:43 thinks people meet other people to date nowadays.
Perhaps he’s reliant on Lourdes pilgrimages for his pick ups.

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@ 9.31: Good one. Lourdes pilgrimages are a possibility; however more likely is a reliance for romance on clergy.

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My name is Ger and I drive a bus.
From Cloughleigh stop to the terminus.
I fancied Carole for her grace and culture.
But she later found out that I am a vulture.
I fancied Vonnie for her for buzz and body.
The chippy dinner was cheap and shoddy.
I only spent seconds on the job.
I got on better with a gay called Bob

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