Tony Flannery

Press Statement from Tony Flannery

In the last while two senior members of the Catholic Church have made statements about the position of women in the Church, and specifically about women’s ordination.

Bishop Batzing, the President of the German Bishops Conference is reported by America Magazine, among many other outlets, as saying he is in favour of women being ordained deacons.  He goes on to say, in relation to the arguments against the ordination of women: 

“I must honestly say that I am also aware that these arguments are becoming less and less convincing and that there are well-developed arguments in theology in favour of opening up the sacramental ministry to women as well,” 

The Archbishop-elect of Dublin, Dermot Farrell, in an interview with the Irish Times, said “he would like to see women becoming deacons in the church.”

In the current issue of The Tablet Christopher Lamb does a critique of the CDF, highlighting how they are selective in who they target.  He particularly mentions various senior clerics and catholics in the U.S. who publicly contradict and defy Church Teaching (William Barr on the death penalty, e.g.) and Vigano attacking Francis. And the CDF remain silent; they have nothing to say. Then Lamb concludes:

“The doctrine office also committed time and resources to an opaque, and highly questionable, investigation of Irish priest Fr Tony Flannery, 73, ordering him to sign a series of “fidelity oaths”.If

At my age a person should not be wishing their life away, but I am writing this just a few days before the end of a year that I think a lot of us will be glad to see the back of. What I want to do here is to reflect a little on what the year was life for me personally. (A blog like mine gives me, I like to think, the right every once in a while, to be a little self-indulgent!}