Tony Flannery

There is a rumour out now, coming apparently from very reputable sources, that all restrictions have been removed from Fr. Sean Fagan. If this is true I trust that there will be a public statement on the matter quickly.
It would be wonderful is Sean was again a priest in good standing in the Church. I know that the restrictions, and allegedly the threats that were used against him, were an absolute disgrace, and brought shame on the Church authorities who imposed them.

It is good to see that the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmaid Martin, has taken his lead from Pope Francis, and raised the issue of the ordination of married men. It seems to me now, presuming Francis stays alive and healthy for a few more years, that it is only a matter of time until this begins to happen. A degree of sanity has entered the debate on priesthood and making sure that local Christian communities has access to the Eucharist.

“Pilate disappeared and a new feeling grew among those around us, the talking and muttering ceased and I felt something different coming in to the atmosphere as all of us stared in the direction of the balcony. I sensed a thirst for blood among the crowd. I could see it in people’s faces, how their jaws were set and their eyes bright with excitement. There was a dark vacancy in the faces of some, and they wanted that vacancy filled with cruelty, with pain and with the sound of someone crying out.