Pictured above: Fr Malachy Finnegan, the priest at the centre of a child sex abuse scandal.
"Following media reports which have disturbed and upset many people I have decided to resign as bishop".
So said Bishop John McAreavey recently, referring both to the Nolan Show and a BBC Spotlight programme. Victims and politicians had called for him to stand down. Last month some parents objected to Bishop McAreavey officiating at their children’s confirmations.
What was his crime?
Just weeks earlier, he apologised for celebrating Requiem Mass for Fr Malachy Finnegan who died in 2002, having been accused of sex abuse by 12 people. Bishop McAreavey had known of the abuse allegations since 1994, when his predecessor Bishop Francis Brooks asked him to liaise with a victim.
He said he made “an error of judgment” by officiating at the funeral of a man whose actions he described as “abhorrent, inexcusable and indefensible”.
While obviously condemning the evil actions of this and so many other priests who have caused pain to their victims and harm to the church, I think Bishop McAreavey may have been too hard on himself.
Why? A Requiem Mass is not a celebration of the person being prayed for, nor a ceremony to give thanks for the deceased. If you listen closely to the theme of the prayers, and which the priest should highlight in his homily, you will notice the emphasis on human frailty, sin, judgement, God’s mercy and the fact that we all will have to answer in the end to a Higher Court.
One day, the question: 'How have you used this gift of life I gave you?’ will be put to us all.
Did we bring joy or pain? Did we bring kindness or cruelty? Did we leave the world better because we lived in it a short while or did we leave it worse by the things we did or failed to do? We will all be held to account. We are all sinners in need of God’s mercy.
That is what a Catholic funeral liturgy is all about. For example: "We humbly beseech you, that should any stain of sin have clung to him/her or any human fault affected him/her, it may, by the grace of your mercy be forgiven and wiped away." [Prayer over the offerings]. Or: "Let him/her not be punished for wrongdoing but by your loving mercy be united with the angelic throng.’’ [Vigil for the deceased].
In the year 2000, Bishop John had concelebrated a Mass with Fr Finnegan who arrived unexpectedly at the Jubilee Celebration of a parish church and was already vested along with other priests before the bishop arrived.
Because of the priest’s ill health at that time, he was becoming increasingly difficult to manage. The bishop was 'shocked' to see Fr Finnegan and very unhappy with having him as a concelebrant but had to make a quick decision whether to order the priest away - and so cause a scene - or reprimand him later for attending.Which he did. I probably would have done the same.
Bishop John was a friend of mine during our seven years of study at Maynooth and a fellow classmate ordained in 1973. I know the man. He has suffered enough being the uncle of his namesake whose wife Michaela Harte was murdered in Mauritius on their honeymoon. He was a most conscientious bishop, is still a good kind-hearted priest and I cannot help feeling he has been unfairly treated.
Words of Wisdom
The Sufis advise us to speak aloud only after our words have passed through three gates.
At the first, we ask ourselves, "Are these words true?"
If so, we let them pass on; if not, back they go.
At the second gate we ask, "Are they necessary?"
At the third gate we ask, "Are they kind?"
Jokes
Some people tell me they only read my jokes so here are a few more this week:
Did you know that dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish?
And a couple more
A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don't need it.
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
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