Tony Flannery

So the Irish Bishops have brought out a new Catechism for the Irish Church. Why did they decide to do this? Did they think there was a need for it? Or was there a demand for it? I doubt it.
From what I hear of this catechism, it is in many ways a reversion to the past. Issues like the condemnation of artificial contraception, and same gender sexual expressions of love are there in similar type of blunt language that I thought might have been put behind us.
This is a really depressing development. The indications are that bishops’ conferences around the world are interpreting the results of the Vatican survey on family as a sign that people need to be better educated in Church teaching. They are not prepared to listen to the startlingly clear messages that came across from Catholic people in all the countries where results were published. Instead they remain firmly in their belief that they have the truth, and the people are in ignorance.
This catechism would seem to be a further action based on the same type of thinking. The people gave the wrong answers to the survey, so we (the bishops) will bring out a new catechism to educate them.
It it an extraordinarily arrogant position for the bishops to adopt. And it will not work. People are much too intelligent and educated to submit to this type of authoritarianism. It will only serve to further discredit Church leadership both at home and internationally.
The other depressing aspect of this catechism is that apparently the Irish Bishops based their document on a similar one that was produced by the United States bishops. Anyone who knows anything about the recalcitrant attitudes of many U.S. bishops would know that was the last place you would go for help in producing an catechism.
The gap between bishops and people continues to widen, with serious consequences for the Church as a whole.