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WHAT MAKES A GOOD PRIEST?

A good priest:

Is a priest who struggles to pray every day.

Is a priest who is keenly aware of his weaknesses and strengths.

Is a priest who fights against the many spirits of selfishness and narcissism in himself.

Is a priest who, in spirit at least, is available to those who need his ministry and presence 24 / 7 / 365.

Is a priest who is warm, friendly, personable, and a good listener.

Is a priest whose life gives a good example to others.

Is a priest who is not living a double life in any way.

Is a priest who who most often says YES and with a smile and says NO as little as possible.

Is a priest not possessed by “the love of money”.

Is a priest who associates with ALL his parishioners, not just the well-off and the “yes” men and women.

Is a priest who is not part of the exclusive and self-regarding attitude of the clerical club.

Is a priest who is not a control and power freak.

Is a priest who possesses an authentic compassion for all.

Would readers have any other suggestions as to the qualities a good priest should have?

219 replies on “WHAT MAKES A GOOD PRIEST?”

Nothing makes a good priest. There is, and can be, no such thing as a good priest, since Jesus’ death and resurrection obviated priesthood, that is, made it redundant.
The continued existence of priesthood is a running denial of what Jesus’ death and resurrection accomplished for humankind: salvation. Priesthood is, therefore, quintessentially evil.

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Amen. Holy Scripture makes it very clear that what Roman Catholics call ministerial priesthood has no place in the new dispensation.

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I looove the way the cathbots think anyone expressing a Christian opinion on here is the same person 😂

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10:58 I think ‘they’ do think it’s the same person and probably originates in ‘them’ being one or more trolls in the employ of the church, trolling this blog because attempts to shut it down have failed.
That’s why they make out comments are by one person, because that’s their own strategy. If you’ve followed the previous blog you will notice a marked change in the tone of comments and that recognizable frequent commenters have vanished. They’ve been pushed out by the troll/s because Pat refuses to exercise any discernment in moderating comments and has allowed abusive comments like equating homosexuality to paedophilia and saying incest should be legal.

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Another criteria for good priests:
– Understand and respect the rules you sign up to. Do not twist your churches teaching to justify a seedy lifestyle.
We see far too much of this in Rock, Slatequarry, Pomeroy and the surrounding areas.

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Yes, a good priest is one who doesn’t troll this blog, arrange for Robert Nugent’s family to get phantom phone calls and faces the reality of the church’s sex abuse disaster without blaming anyone else.

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12:32
I’m the pope, it is my business. I comment anonymously because of all people I know what bullies clergy are.

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Catching up on various blogs after Christmas turkeyfest.. intrigued with today’s topic. I was one of these’good priests’- despite so many reservations in Maynooth I finally took the plunge and had the oil on hands and the Veni Creator sang over me..a priest forever l8ke Melchisdeck of old.. i did nearly two decades of it.. the popular young curate.. great with the young people etc.. ‘a lovely man’ , pleasing everyone, avoiding conflict at all costs.. busy curate.. eventually made a PP .. on my own in a remote country parish.. awful loneliness.. ‘hello darkness my old friend’.. loss of faith.. will you say mass father for. Masses masses masses… father will you pray for .. father, father, father.. my only constant friend ..the bottle.. started early on .. got worse and worse.. first 4 cans a night.. then 6.. then 4 cans and a bottle of wine.. then 2 bottles a night.. and a little something before mass and then a little something to get through the day.. fully functioning alcoholic in the end. finally discovering sex and intimacy .. male and female was a beautiful thing in my life.. the male side yes a certain outlet in Dublin..Finally being honest enough to get out of the priesthood.i could not do it anymore.. It was hard to adjust.. work slow to come by. Not a huge market for philosophy and theology graduates out there. Drinking got worse .. suucide attempt.. finally some redemption.. drinking stopped.. working happily.. people saw me up from the abyss.. not one related to priesthood and church to help… now a sober, honest agnostic/atheist ex ‘good’ priest.. it varies. I now despise the clerical caste that I gave a quarter of a century of my life to. Becoming a priest..and being a priest. On Christmas morning thua year I was busy and later somebody asked me ‘how was mass?’ Then it struck me. It had never once crossed my mind…

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@12:06 – your story is very familiar, perhaps without some of the deep lows that you sadly experienced like drink and severe depression, but still a very similar trajectory. I, too, have moved on. Thankfully. And what a relief it is to be out of that culture. The truth is that the problem is precisely the culture, the clerical culture. It is not priesthood per se that is the problem or the vocation of service. Rather it is all the silliness and idiocy that surround a clerical culture of deference, of apartness, of unrealistic expectation, of sliding in to duplicity and lack of integrity, in to a toxic and dysfunctional life, that is sapping. And so, like you, the only thing to do in order to save myself was to move aside and leave. And, what a transformation that has made for me. I did not make any big thing about leaving, just took leave of absence for health reasons, extended and extended it, and then simply said that I did not want to be active in ministry anymore. My bosses / superiors just leave me alone, I am able to provide for myself, and I guess that is the main reason that they leave me alone ! I’m not asking for anything. I feel so sorry for priests who struggle on, and then crumble. So, I say again, the problem is not priesthood and a calling to ministry, it is the clerical culture and everything that is damaging that surrounds it. So, why do bishops, priests, seminarians, seminaries etc. not confront this ? Too invested themselves ? Why are seminaries turning out men in to a system that the seminaries know is going to be damaging for them ? Just look at the figures and a man ordained today is likely not to be in ministry in 5 years. Isn’t that some form of abuse, surely ?

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Thank you both for honest, sensible comments. However the denial and obfuscation run deep in the culture so the ones who don’t leave won’t confront it.

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@10:14 – you are right, there is huge denial amongst clergy. They are so heavily invested in the culture in which they have been trained and lived, that they are often not able to see the damage that is around them. I would never these days recommend a young man to go to seminary and train for the priesthood. Whatever call to service and ministry he has, I would recommend he find other ways of fulfilling that. Priesthood as currently conceived and lived is dangerous to the individual, and his damaged character and actions damages those around him. Solutions ? Well, I think you know what they are !! But, perhaps not in my lifetime, sadly ! In the meantime much damage will continue to be done.

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I agree @ 10:14: honest sensible summaries @ 12:06 & 10:09. Thanks for sharing.
I’m sure there are many, perhaps the majority, of still serving clerics stuck in the same purgatorial situation but are now too old and/or dependent to get out. The younger ones? Too fond of a prestigious lifestyle: or just too cowardly?
I’m very glad indeed I quit BEFORE the Veni Creator-oil anointing-ontological changing farrago. That was about same time as Bob Dylan’s 1967 film, “Don’t Look Back.” Very appropriate.
MMM

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10:57 – have anybody gone through ordination lists from seminaries, say for the last 10 years, and then worked out how many are still in ministry 5 or 10 years later. I bet you it is a 50% drop out rate, either because they have got in to trouble, are in prison, are suspended, are MIA or just walked away. It would be an interesting study.

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10:14 instead clerics choose to encourage antisocial & confrontational conduct via their officers, agents & associates.

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“Not one related to church or priesthood to help a fallen priest who was not a sex offender”says:

12:06 Thank you very much for sharing your story and it is refreshing to read how you have come out the other end and are living your best life. It struck me how after giving all those years of your life, you received no help from the Roman Catholic community. It seems they only help those priests and their colleagues that have something on them. Best wishes to you going forward.

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12.06

Hello.

Love your comment: raw and honest, and surprisingly unabashed, for its content, like.

Who am I? Sorry; rude of me not to have said. I am he who dare not speak his name here, but I am not the sot I was.

I appreciate goodness in all its multi-faceted stripes; I really do. But goodness in priesthood? An oxymoron, I should have thought. Kind of, anyway. At a semantic stretch.

No; YOUR goodness lay in recognising that priesthood is no good at all for anyone, including you (hence the harm it did you), but, fair play, you did manage, in the very long end, to conjure up the good sense to abandon that listing ship before it brought you, unalterably, to the depths of personal degradation, even if you did take your time about it. (And how! 25 masochistic years?😕)

Still, yours is both a success story, and a cautionary tale. Take heed all you who read.

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It is terrible to expect a priest yes all the time your blog yesterday and today. Its not humanly possible. Priests in Ireland today are gernerally old and tired. They can’t be expected to say yes all the time. Especially to their parishioners. You have a grand life Bishop Pat.. not to many bothering you.

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One who doesn’t lead the souls of his parishioners off the Vatican II cliff in the name of progress and modernism.
One who refuses to compromise when he’s right. As Christ did.

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12:34 The clergy who refused to follow Vatican 2 at all can be counted on one hand. Even Lefebvre signed the decrees of the council and celebrated the new mass.
Did you mean to say that by your own reckoning there have only been about three or four good priests ever or are you just stupid?

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One thing striking me on the concept of priesthood is the quality of leadership, or the absence thereof. This doesn’t necessarily involve subscription to any of those weird God centered Bible narratives.
For me, a good “priest” as a leader, would be someone who recognises our common human frailties and intelligent recognition of the limitations of our short lifespan, but, at same time, an inherent human need, [not at all or necessarily “divinely ” inspired], for some meaningful significance to our existence.
With that in mind, priesthood, leadership, however we define it, serves ideally to acknowledge our interdependence, shared responsibility, and a commitment to ,
….well essentially it goes back to the Golden Rule: “Do as you would be done by,” on the interpersonal level, and broadly in the ethical, business, commercial and political spheres.
MMM

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It’s noticeable how you have to rely on an atheist for a sensible answer which doesn’t rely on overlooking sex crimes.

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The concept of leadership probably sprung to mind from Christmas chat with good friend from 30 years ago now happily married to one of my old mates. She was explaining her current leadership activities as the Unitarian minister for a rural community: certainly a very different role from the traditional RC concept.
A few years back I gave her “”There’s Probably No God: The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas ” Edited by Ariane Sherine it features contributions by notable atheists, often very humorous, especially Richard Dawkins tale of the Bendy Bus! She and husband haven’t given up on me yet, and gave me “Religion for Atheists ” by Alain de Botton!
Speaking of books, I recommend John Boyne’s “A History of Loneliness.” Central character is Conliffe ordained Fr Odran Yates. A good faithful Irish priest initially oblivious to widespread abuse, he lives through many of the experiences commented on above. Eventually he…………. Ah go on, read it yourself. Fascinating, and revealing.
MMM

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“Tradition is important and there is no time during the year when tradition matters as much as Christmas. Parts of that ‘traditional’ Christmas picture are snow, carols, church and peace.” – A Christmas message from the Bishop of Meath, Tom Deenihan.
What tradition is Tom observing by denying Dom Benedict his rightful letter of good standing?
He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
“Would readers have any other suggestions as to the qualities a good priest should have?”
Yes, integrity. It is bishops who must lead with integrity Pat. Tom’s hypocrisy is very concerning.

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I can answer this one. There is a long tradition of pushing out people who say that the emperor is butt naked, particularly publicly.
Cf Pat Buckley.

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10:18 that evil monster is now a Evangelical preacher – he converted to Christianity and became a pastor in 1996.

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In addition to what you already listed above, a good priest is:
A priest who practices what he preaches.
A priest who keeps his promises.
A priest who tells the truth at all times.
A priest who defends the weak/vulnerable.
A priest who can admit his mistakes.
A priest who stands up to injustice.
A priest who puts GOD’s will over doctrine.

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Pope Francis has asked for prayers for Pope Benedict . He said he is “very sick”. It would appear that he is coming near the end of his life

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US Jesuit John O’Malley’s summary of the Second Vatican Council’s vision of change in the church (and change in the priesthood)
“from commands to invitations, from laws to ideals, from definition to mystery, from threats to persuasion, from coercion to conscience, from monologue to dialogue, from ruling to serving, from withdrawn to integrated, from vertical to horizontal, from exclusion to inclusion, from hostility to friendship, from rivalry to partnership, from suspicion to trust, from static to ongoing, from passive acceptances to active engagement, from fault-finding to appreciation, from prescriptive to principles, from behavior modification to inner appropriation.”

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These things are exactly the most scary things to the emotional inadequates a ‘celibate’, hierarchical priesthood necessarily attracts, because they require real relationship.
Could this be the reason the clergy are so intent on turning the clock back?

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Always good to see the clergy being scared of being unpopular in the comments below this one.

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10:54 They’re just confirming 10:12’s point. I don’t know what point he/they think they’re making beyond trolling the blog but Bishop Pat’s point about the unsuitability of many clerics is being made for him today. 😂

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10:30 Pro tip: look at how it worked for the Methodist church, the fastest declining church in the UK.

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10.55
But your assailant had nothing to do with church. Have a think about your propensity for projection.

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I wasn’t assaulted. But my three great uncles were, by two different priests, at catechism classes in the 1950s. Their assailants were then moved on to different parishes where they did it again.

I love the way you troll the blog and gaslight survivors: it makes it all the more crystal clear that Bishop Pat was right to expose you here and end your clerical career.

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11:50 If you read their comment very carefully you will see they don’t claim to be.
Your level of reading comprehension doesn’t bode well for your emotional competence and associated ability to understand, much less recognize, complex interpersonal dynamics.
No, wait… You’re a priest, aren’t you?

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11:04 Who do you think is commenting here?
Is this the fabled instant wisdom that makes priests so omni-incompetent in action?
Strange how it makes you think you can identify one anonymous person on the world wide web yet not one of you have ever been aware of a colleague abusing a child.

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12.30
But, presumably, from a sense of wanting to deal with your devils, you have been projecting your experience of abuse on to a cohort of society which had nothing to do with that, underlining the statistic that 97% of abuse is non-church related. That 70+ of CSA occurs (present tense) by family members or neighbours i.e. known to victims, as in your case. Churning out your narrative on a daily basis has not touched the source of your grief. The smart move is to try some self reflection.

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Which good priest or Bishop will be the next Bishop of Down and Connor and which will be the Bishop of Dromore?

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Fr Ger Fitzgerald has been removed from Killaloe Diocese contacts
However, School Chaplain, Fr Jerry Carey remains contactable c/o Bishops Office in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland
His offence, unlike that of Fr Fitzgerald as far as we are aware, is of a criminal nature & involved a court appearance for Carey yet he remains in Killaloe Diocese?
The obvious question is WHY he remains? One reason of many may be that Carey served in the Diocese for over 30 years, another his close links to Tipperary parishes.
From public website, Carey would appear to be working in Killaloe Diocese and Parish offices and with access to parishioner data etc.
So a School Chaplain who remained on school and parish contacts for months after he was arrested for exposing himself on a public beach in Galway also now remains on the payroll of Bishop Fintan Monahan.
Once again and in line with the modus operandi of the Roman Catholic Church, serious offenders are protected within the RCC where they can continue to access information & present risk to those they choose to target with the “blessing” of their superiors & cohorts.

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I know gay couples but do not associate much with them any longer. Their very open marriages/relationships disgusted me. Too many different partners too frequently at crazy, bizarre weekend encounters. Their stories of swapping around with other men in group activity seemed totally unsafe, perverse, dangerous, potentially damaging and a health endangerment to all. I have no difficulty with gay people but the extremes of sexual practices among many is abhorrent.

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The same negative descriptions of gay relationships could equally be applied to many heterosexual marriages. Adultery, coercive control, abuse, sex parties can all be found there too. Life is not simple for anyone and we each have to try to live our lives as best as we can. Resorting to stereotypes about any type of relationship or any type of person is rarely truly illuminating, no matter how tempting it might be.

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1:18 Fr Carey is quite safely the inner side of the Killaloe office door, still in Killaloe. read the comment again @ 11.29. It is Fr Fitzgerald who was a bit of a ladies man by all accounts that has left the building but then who knows, he’ll probably pop up in some other parish or university funded by Killaloe Diocese priests fund or whatever they decide to name it this time.

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Fr Tom O Gorman is also gone from the Killaloe priests directory, anyone know why 🤔

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1.32 I did read your comment in full and you are right about Carey. My comment was directed at Fitz. You make another valid point at 1.32.

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Mass Rock Mary, read the comment again. I said pray that Fitz has NOT joined the COI /Anglicans.

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11.51
Kitty O’Brien gave him the role as assistant bishop of saint Andrew’s and Edinburgh and certaily set the grass on fire.
It was luck that Vinnie logan was retiring and he was psoted there.
certainly will not be missed in Scotalnd a damp sqib.
The careerists are all rushing to get either Dunkeld or Galloway however Galloway (Red See) has been empty for nearly a year some say Galloway is constanly getting turned down as they have very few Priests.
Maybe + leo will get rid of his Vicar Generals although Monsignor Burke has said No Galloway for him.

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Ping Burke back to Ratzinger’s side – possibly most despised cleric in the land !!

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How do you feel about your good friend and sidekick Mr Luke James McConnell being convicted in a court of law on December 18th for harassment and spreading lies on Facebook? do you still Support this mega bully and proven liar? After all his behavior does reflect on you and your credibility as the two of you are extremely close.

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1:14 How many Juliets has Fr Rosney allegedly got on the Go? There was 3 at last count at the knitting club.

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I don’t require a priest to be good, that’s asking too much, I’d appreciate it if they were law abiding, didn’t sexually abuse children and didn’t cover it up – that would be a start. To much to ask?

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Your daily reminder that in RC ethics goodness and virtue are perennially placed out of reach, leading to the excusing of all sorts of crime.
Moral compass my arse.

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The Roman Catholic Church owns 71 million hectares of land worldwide – the second highest private ownership but hundreds of thousands of church related abuse cases continue to remain ignored and unresolved.

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Bartlett may be popular but it doesnt mean he is a good priest. He is a priest of Down and Connor. Did he, or any of them publicly protest the obscene amount of diocesan money spent by their bishop, Noel Treanor, on his home and offices. Not to my knowledge. That’s what a good priest would have been doing.

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Pat do you know the name of the 5 priests that once gang raped a woman in a Belfast Hotel. She refused to go to the RUC. Are they still alive and in service?

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Fair enough.

You’re a decent bloke for respecting the victim’s wish. But I’d bet you’re finding it extremely difficult not to out those filthy scum.

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And I’ll bet you anything you like other priests know about this and are sitting on the knowledge.
It’s what they do.

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1:20 Clergy and their cohorts have a track record of deliberately endangering those & their families and friends who report church related abuse and wrong doing. On this blog, note the treatment by anonymous venomous RCC representatives toward William Mulvihill and Carole/Karen. Most people living in parishes have no idea who works in parish offices or serves on all of the various councils and committees yet the public are expected to donate money to a secret society that deliberately fails to publish this information. these confidence tricksters covering up for church related wrongs are a very serious matter of public concern.

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3:04 Easy. Why don’t you try reading and understanding a comment before replying? 😂
You could consider a career in the church, you know. You’re cut out for it.

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@1.09 pm. Bishop Pat
Awaiting Judgement Day. Unfortunately the priests involved who have already passed are unable to tell the ones still alive what awaits them!
However, the decent people will not feel sorry for them.
At the end of their lives Justice Will Be Served!

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4.08

If I mistook for whom your post was intended, it was owing to its lack of clarity. It appeared directly below mine, at 1.28, and it even shared some of the wording: ‘bet’.😕

It would help awfully, old boy, if, in future, you provided a time reference (as I have at the head of this post), or another specific.

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A bishop would be good if he apologised for child abuse and then promised and followed through with significant financial compensation. To much to ask?

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I am no homophobe. I have a close family member who is homosexual. I have seen him “fall in love” with many men at the drop of a hat and end up in relationships. All of these to date have ended up in unhappy fall outs. I have witnessed the use of emotional, physical and sexual violence in these events. Untold psychological damage to those involved, including the police, the courts, social workers and family members. Scratch the surface and the true spirit is exposed and their defence is to call any objectors homophobic when the real concern is for the person’s true well being. Pastorally a disaster area. Only one being I know will gain pleasure from these events!

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Are these alleged family members the same ones who all experienced fires and floods on Christmas day? 😂

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Because it is/was a place where they could hide their secret to the public and paedophiles can be authorative intelligent charismstic manipulators.

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12.09: Pat, in some very honest comments by ex priests which I admire and by MC (yes), which I don’t admire and by others who have such contempt for priesthood, you cannot feel as comfortable as you once were about priesthood, like most priests today. While you put forth rather pioutious sentiments about priesthood, personally I believe they are not sustainable nor a basis on which to define a “good” priest. The very concept is a little contradictory and jarring because you know there’s no one on your blog who’ll accept such a concept. Even you must be unnerved by the great negativity re: priesthood in today’s society. It shakes us all. I admire the courage, honesty and integrity of the two men who commented about their journey to leaving priesthood. After 40 years, I now believe that most of us are spiritually drained and exhausted in efforts to make faith and religious belief relevant in an increasingly secular world. The gospel message is relevant and beautuful but when you have to juggle the gospel with some of the crazy expectations placed upon us, grace, God and Jesus sometimes get lost. Like any vocation, work assignment, marriage or long term relationships, a time arrives when it’s almost impossible to live the original commitment and ideal with the same energy, dedication and meaning. All of us, irrespective of our life’s work meet the psychological and spiritual challenges and cast us into inner turmoil. While we are, as priests, in very great crises, many of us continue to do our utmost with as much care as possible. In order to survive, we have to decide what really matters from day to day both pastorally and spiritually and ditch the unnecessary burdens of canon law.

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Personally. I’m very happy and fulfilled. I did not leave priesthood and never wanted to. And I’ve had great freedom for 36 years as an “independent” priest and bishop.

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Pat it sounds like you imply the conflicting demands described by 1:16 are less for you *because* of being independent. Would you say this was true?

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Anyone who promises or vows obedience to a mere man cannot also be obedient to Christ. What part of this is incomprehensible?

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I remember Paddy Walsh whacking a lad because he referred to him as Father instead of Canon!! Buck eejits they are with their titles. I have a theory that they really are aliens from a different planet

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Paddy Slash use to beat us like we were school kids, if I ever saw him again. I would throw him down a flight of stairs

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Dear Bishop Pat,
Can you politely inform Bishop Treanor that I will be releasing the names of all the priests I personally know to be in relationships in the diocese of D&C.
It is time.
Thank you.

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To name three; Michael Murtagh P.P., Dunleer and Seamus White P.P., Jonesboro and Paul Montague P.P, Tallanstown and a host of others. There’s 3 names in good standing.

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2:05 If this was an exam you would fail because you haven’t answered the question. The question was what makes a priest good, not to name your three favourite priests or possibly ones who haven’t appeared here so far.

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Blog crawling with teachers. Addicted to correcting spelling, grammar and comprehension but turn a blind eye for Padre & Co.

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10.48
Comprehension, spelling and grammar are the ways we communicate. You might as well bemoan the fact we use language.

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Brian D’arcy is a total narcissist. It’s text book. I saw him at a Nathan Carter concert and he loves the attention.
It’s difficult to get past the personality and get to the spirituality.

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What a sickener of a man. Does D’arcy not realise that many cannot stand the sight of him. Joe Duffy couldn’t abide him anywhere near him.

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The reporters in Boston traced abusive priests through their specious assignments in the clerical directories. Now that the hierarchy have sussed that people can see what they’re up to they’re no longer feeling the need to publish the whereabouts of their problems at all.
Diocesan websites are now public versions of the truth behind the scenes and unlikely to be accurate records of who is actually on the books.

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2:33 The only “spoofers” on this blog are the clergy & their cohorts who troll same to censor the truth and try to work out exactly how much is known about each of them. Just because he’s off the public list don’t mean Fr Fitzgerald isn’t working in some formal or informal capacity within the RCC “system”. It’s all been done before and designed to antagonise and undermine legitimate critics of Diocesan church and school management and staff. As a grandparent of children soon to enter the secondary school system, I’m much more interested in why Fr Carey remains on Diocese of Killaloe listing more than two years after his last court hearing. I guess the Colaiste Mhuire school in Ennis is no longer an option for our family as it has been for past generations which is disappointing.

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Fr Fitzgerald is no longer a Fr. I am told and off the public list because is is now gone gone!! He is not working in any informal capacity for the Diocese!!! I made two phone calls today to confirm this.

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6 pm Thank you for your remarks which ring true to my ears. I hope you find a suitable alternative for your grandchildren’s secondary school education.

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Ger Fitzgerald is not working in some form or informal capacity with the RCC system, but it baffles me as to why Jerry Carey is allowed to do so.

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9.28 Ger Fitzgerald is a rebel. He would not want to comply with the demands placed on him by Bishop Buckley. Carey might be willing to comply and that could be why he is still on the website.

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Oops! I have unintentionally usurped the Bishop of Killaloe! Correction to my comment: Fitz would not want to comply with demands placed on him by Bishop Fintan 😁.

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It’s rare to see a good priests nowadays. They swore loyalty and obedience to their bishops even bad ones. They had to sign it on a piece of paper.

In general, most priests are company men cos they do have a choice of whether to support an abused person or not. It’s very rare to see a priest who supported an abused person.

Back then in 80s and 90s, there was a lot of good priests in rural parishes. Most of them were on board directors of every primary and secondary school. Also held post for club gaa chairman or president. They have so many roles and managing or juggling many things on their plate.

Now they have less roles, less work, more time on their hands. Lot of rural priests in my time used to go out and play golf. But that isn’t happening anymore. Its a gay profession, cruising, cottaging et al,secret relationships et al.

Finally, would you all please pray for abuse enabler Benedict xvi who is about to face God.

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Yes, Benedict WAS an abuse enabler. He, as head of the CDF, made sure that reports of child rape by priests never saw the light of day, such was his concern not to trouble the now patron saint of paedophile priests, JPII.
I don’t want any soul damned, not even Adolf Hitler’s. So, I’ll pray that Benedict will repent his evil concealment of child sexual abuse, but I doubt whether my prayers will help, since I suspect Benedict will die rationalising his damnable sins.
May God have mercy on his pharasaical soul.

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Please stay off the drink, 3.12pm.
I know that this is a difficult time of year for people like you, but drinking always makes a bad situation worse.

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Reply to;Anonymoussays:
Dec 28, 2022 at 3:12 pm
Well said! The old rogue has even been given enough time to show repentance. Of course he was following the Governor’s directive from the Vatican, as was all other yes men Bishops world wide, the were/are so entrenched in the cult, they couldn’t tell wrong from right, and as in all such cliques, protecting the organisation was upper most in their minds, protect it above even the children of the sect, which had to be sacrificed to permit it’s survival.

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3:32 – As 3:12 is anonymous, one can reasonably conclude that you recognised them from Alcoholics Anonymous hence your slur about their drinking. Not nice. It’s also not very Christian to manipulate the weaknesses of the vulnerable.

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You should hang your head in shame DG. Abuse enabler? Pope Benedict was the pope who set out to “clean the filth out of the church”.
I used to have a high opinion of you and made allowances for you because of your hearing disability. On reflection, I see you as nothing other than a troll. For quite some time you have been writing in riddles. You are all over the place like bileen.
Either you are on sabbatical or you are not. How can you afford holidays in the Nordic countries and Thailand? Do please tell.
For someone who detests the RCC you are paying a lot of visits. Yhe more you write the more you contradict yourself. Please take a permanent Sabbatical.
All the very best for to everyone for 2023. Let there be peace and happiness and a lot less acrimony and jealousy

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And a lot less ignorance from people like you.
Benedict, as Prefect of the CDF, ordered that every report of abuse that came to his congregation should come directly to him. Why? Because he wanted to ensure that no one else saw them.
Benedict protected and enabled paedophile/ephebophile priests, not just in Italy, but across the globe.
Benedict is an utter disgrace to the Church, and you should hang your head in shame for reviling DG.

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I was going to reply to 3:13’s idiotic comment, but 3:12 has said everything that needs to be said.
The only question is why they’re so unhappy that priest now equates to criminal and deviant, when they behave so much like a crime family. 🤦

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‘Let there be peace and happiness and a lot less acrimony and jealousy’
This comment is in church speak.
Translation: Will you all mind your own business and I’m furious at Deaf Guy because I try to rationalize belonging to a criminal cult in my own mind by fixing on Pope B 16 as the good guy and ignoring the fact that he had every abuser over his desk in the CDF and did nothing, because I can’t face the fact that I’m being played as well and EVERY bishop from the sixties on was a paedophile facilitator.

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3:13
Horse manure !!
Cardinal Ratizinger was head of the CDF since the early 1980s.
Ratzinger was theoretically privy to all sexual abuse cases within the Church. JP11 also knew what was going on worldwide re CSA.
By the way, its none of your business how commentators afford holidays so MYOB.

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Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife - thou shalt not covet thy neighbours goods.says:

3:13 what’s to be “jealous” about?
Clerics & their members frequently troll this blog making false allegations about “jealousy” & “begrudgery”. These are deliberately misleading allegations designed to protect church interests.

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2.50: Deaf Guy…You are so f*****g boring, repetitive, annoyingly irritating. You must be loaded with cash….wonder how you came by so much cash for Scandanavian countries and exotic Thailand?? Think there’s another side of you than you present!!! Go hang out with the Copenhagen Mermaid…and then take a jump into the cold waters. Might knock the crap out of your head.

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Reply to 4.05m. Stable Horse bolted.
It is our business to challenge DG’s extravagant holidays. He made it his business to challenge priests. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. People in glass houses should not throw stones.
He has become a major bore and embarrassment as maggie carter and bileen. He talks double speak on another blog under a different name. That is why I have sussed him out as a troll.
No surrender and Viva La Papa

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4:53
Priests are public figures, supposedly leaders in the catholic community.
It’s our business to challenge abuse, corruption, and crime in the RCC, including the extravagant use of finance obtained from public church collections or donations. The public pay bishops and priests wages.
DG is a private citizen, a survivor of RCC abuse. It is not your business
to ‘challenge DG extravagant holidays.’ Far too many priests have major boundary issues. As for el Papa, read Paul L. Williams book, ‘Operation Gladio’, on the Vatican and its involvement with the CIA and the Mafia.

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4:53 If you can’t tell the difference between Deaf Guy’s situation and a priest’s you really are stupid.
This is where the parochial school will get you, folks.

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2:50 Good afternoon Deaf Guy. Hope that you are enjoying Copenhagen. Yes, looks as if a slot will be available & Pope Francis will be able to retire soon.

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4.53: You’re so correct. DG is a contradiction and an enigma. He travels to exotic places that are not cheap. He’s a b8g who and only seeks attention. A psychological trait for people like him…

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6.06pm. Quite simply, since you probably don’t contribute to any church fund, salaries etc..are none of your business. NONE. Cop on.

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7:04 Happy to butt out when churches stop being charities and start paying taxes.
Or are y’all just in it for the tax breaks? 😂

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Deaf Guy, the apparently good priests you referred to in the past only appeared good. We now know that vanishingly few of them were or are celibate so they’re nearly all liars, and the only priest I’ve ever heard of picking up the phone to the police against the wishes of his superiors was a monk of Ealing.

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Anon at 3.57pm
Noticed that there was a lot of good priests at my time back around 70s,80s and 90s.
Its difficult to define what’s constitutes a good priest nowadays. But back then it was easier to spot a good and decent priest, especially in rural parishes. These were good times and lot of parish cohesion as well.
Nowadays, parish cohesion is loosening big time as everyone else is on their own. What we have now is some little ‘hitlers’ running the place as if he owns the parish itself.
The more I read this blog the more I think less of priests. This blog has bad priests who birmirsch all the good name of priests. But it’s not only priests, but bishops as well. More attention is drawn to actions of many bishops.
There are some hidden good priests out there but in fewer numbers I gather.

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Anon at 4.23pm and 3.53pm

I have arrived in Copenhagen this morning. Its a very expensive city. Everything is expensive, no buts or ifs. That’s the reality.

But hotel price were manageable within our means. We booked just 1 night in Copenhagen for €124 twin room. Food, drinks and any assortments quite expensive, more dearer than Ireland.

We have to run a budget within our means. We budgeted €500 for 9 nights, €370 in Odense (8 nights) and €124 Copenhagen (1 night).

Looking in from outside, lot of construction going on in Copenhagen as we will visit the city itself tonight.

It will be our last visit to Denmark cos its so expensive as we have to watch the prices in my mind re conversion into euros from Kroner.

Its my 1st holiday since Covid broke out in 2019.

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One review says, entrance fee DKK 120 but includes “free condoms and biscuits”. What more could you ask for, Deaf Guy In Copenhagen?

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@5.43 pm Deaf guy
I am the person at 4.23 pm. I am glad you are having a nice time. The weather must be terribly cold, any snow? wrap up!

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6:46 what the hell would one do with a biscuit in a gay priest sauna? Actually, forget it, I dunno want to know.

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I don’t know what a good priest is, or, what is expected of them. The laity expect one thing, their superiors another.
Bad priest are of course the same as bad men anywhere, when they commit crimes.
As long as Roman Catholic diocesan priests are treated like children or, someone with some sort of an impediment, be it physical or mental, there will be problems.
To have reasonably intelligent adult men, forced to be celibate, forced to obey their superiors, forced to be yes men, not given a decent salary, church providing them with homes, undermines them as human beings, making them rely on the handouts from the parishioners, and the church, akin to forfeiting their souls, yet expecting them to be mature, and give, give, give of themselves, and make, make, make for the church, it is enough to drive any thinking person daft, no wonder they go off the rails.
Another downer for anyone dealing with other human beings needs or wants, is burnout, a well recognised condition, sometimes the laity’s expectations are so high, placing God’s holy anointed, as my poor old Mother use to say, (she must be turning in her grave now) on pedestals which are impossible to balance on.
What nobody wants in a Roman Catholic priest, is a sexual abuser of either children or adults.
A dictator, who refuses to listen.
An enabler or protector of sex abusers.
One who favours a certain faction of the parishioners.
One who is arrogant.
A money grabber.
A liar.

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Be careful Deaf Guy – 6:28 & 6:46 were sizing you up! Let’s face it, they’d turn this blog into another online pick up joint if they could. It’d save them a fortune in petrol for the weekly trip to the Boiler Rooms.

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Am sorry to see Tom O Gorman off the list too. I wish him well. I see Carey and the two mias Treacey and Harding ex Roscrea are listed as ‘on sabbatical’. Is that what Killaloe is calling it now? Presume sabbatical Killaloe style means disappear all together after a while. I presume also all three are being paid and supported generously by the diocese?

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Bp Pat, I read Fr Ray Kelly is praying he will represent Ireland at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool and has revealed he’s submitted a song to jury bosses. He recorded the tune in Innsbruck, Austria where the song was also written – and hopes for a video in the New Year are in the pipeline.
“It’s a song about our conscience and if we listen to it, we can decide on our good and bad. I think it’s a good song, it’s almost like a semi-country song. We made a video of it, and we’ll probably release that in the new year. I probably haven’t a hope anyway. I know it’ll never happen, but it is just one of my dreams – we’re all entitled to have our dreams. The 79-year-old said most people probably think he’s “too old” to represent Ireland at the song contest. Most people probably think I’m too old for that kind of thing but there has been older than me representing different countries and I think Ireland has done very badly in the last few years.”

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The same way that St Patrick, apostle to the Irish was British, or St Boniface, apostle to the Cranks was an Anglo-Saxon.

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Not much older, I imagine. Also, Ireland has only qualified once in the last ten years. But good luck to her all the same.

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Benedict
A prayer for the health of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Let us pray.
Almighty and Eternal God,
You are the everlasting health of
those who believe in You.
Hear our prayers for your sick servant Benedict

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Reply to; Benedictsays:
Dec 28, 2022 at 3:58 pm
There is a time for everything,
a season for every activity under
heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to
rebuild.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to
gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to
turn away.
A time to search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to throw
away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to
speak up.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

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The Jesuits! You must be joking. They covered up in Belvedere College for years. Look at the ongoing Rupnik case in the Vatican.

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Fr Conleth Byrne stole £145,000 over 19 months in 2008/2009 – Byrne was an unusual priest, the younger breed of clergy appear to be mere cheap skates with a wandering eye. No wonder they slip up a lot faster.

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5:38 There should be a public statement & clarification regarding Fr Jerry Carey in Ennis. The mass going public and local parents require this as a minimum.

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A Priest is what a person is not what a person does. Good/Bad God will judge. Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain….

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Let us pray for Emeritus Pope Benedict who now seems clise to death. May his passing be peaceful and may he know the merciful love of God.

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10:22 & 10:25 obviously consider themselves to be a superior brand of one trick pony.

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Anon at 3.53pm and 4.23pm, plus readers of this blog,

Just to give you a taster of what’s Copenhagen prices are like or a flavour of what’s like to spend there.

Two herbal teas = €13
3 course dinner = €45
Breakfast = €20
Carlsberg between 60 and 65kroner depends on which pub or hotel that you go to. €6.70 to 7.78 etc.

Bedrooms cheaper if sharing, not advisable if going solo cos it’s very expensive on par with Dublin Hotel prices.

Most of it went to supermarket and cans of beers very cheap at supermarket.

Lots of nice looking Danish young women, not bad. I wouldn’t mind it.

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Last week he was promoting Immaculata Rosary beads at €100 and €75 each !!. Similar quality handmade beads can be got from Silverstream for €25 and €35 each

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6.06pm Stable Horse Door Bolted
It is our business to challenge DG and his holidays! When we buy things do we challenge the staff who sell or make them how they spend their wages? Of course not. Nor should we challenge the clergy.
When you throw snide personal remarks you can expect a response.
Clearly you are an anarchist or you have orange tinted spectacles on.
You have not commented on DG writing in another blog with forked tongue. You have not commented on the boring drivel he has spouted for months.

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What I love most about Deaf Guy is the way he says it like it is and the effect this has on the cathbots. I feel like they couldn’t cope with deaf culture. Or the truth. 😂

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Roman Seminarians are doing more than dodging Piaggios on the zebra crossings. They deliberately ignore advice from management to walk across with an elderly nun.

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