Tony Flannery

04 March 2017

Statement from the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP)
on the Tuam Babies revelations and
the resignation of Marie Collins from the Vatican Commission on Clerical Sex Abuse

The latest revelations about the burial of babies in the former Mother and Baby home in Tuam, though widely predicted, provoke a sense of both sadness and shame. Sadness, that the very precious, elemental relationship between mothers and their children could be so disrespected by institutions of Church and State in Ireland; and shame because as priests we are part of an institution that has played a central role in this sorry saga.

Des Connell is dead, the emeritus Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin, and Primate of Ireland. A very distinguished title he had, but he paid a big price for it. The old saying, “Be careful what you wish for” might be applicable here. Not that I think Des particularly wanted titles and honours, but he was so much a servant of the institution that, when the call came, he was incable of standing back enough, or hadn’t any friends to advise him, and tell him that he was totally unsuited, by training, experience, personality, for the job the Church asked him to do.

At the Network of Reform Groups conference in Chicago last October, one group, of which I was a member, agreed to work together to produce a Charter of Fundamental Rights for all members of the Church.
Below is an outline of the goal we have set ourselves.
I would be more than happy to hear from anyone who might have some ideas on this fairly major topic.
Tony

Day by day the faithful in our Roman Catholic Church are experiencing the withholding of their fundamental rights by those who lead the church.