Tony Flannery

These are some of the quotes from Chapter One of Evangelii Gaudium which inspire me and give me hope for the future of the Church.

Spreading the Gospel is an essential part of being a follower of Christ. But it must be presented, not as an imposition, but as a source of joy. The Church has to accept the unruly freedom of the Word.

An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first, and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast.

As I launch this website I have already given five talks on Church reform, in Galway, Athenry, Castelbar, Limerick and Kinsale, and two talks in London. Having spent my life preaching and speaking, it is good to be back in business again, standing in front of people.  The first night or two were a bit like beginning a parish mission, wondering if anyone would turn up. Thankfully they did, and the attendances so far have been great, both in terms of numbers and involvement.

Silenced priest Fr Tony Flannery launched his ‘A Question of Conscience’ book, which tells how his progressive views on the future of the Catholic Church have left him threatened with excommunication. Fr Flannery launched his new book ‘A Question of Conscience’ with communications expert and RTE broadcaster Bill O’Herlihy  in the Royal Hibernian Academy.

‘A Question of Conscience’, published by Londubh, tells the story of how Fr Flannery was summoned to Rome in June 2012 to be told that unless he revised his view that the church should be open to discussing subjects such as homosexuality and celibacy, he would not be allowed to minister as a priest and he would have to step down from his leadership role with the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP).