Tony Flannery

Dear Tony,

If the bishops in this country are incapable of addressing women’s ordination—perhaps partly because of loyalty, partly because the church never makes mistakes, partly because of fear, and partly because they simply are not informed enough to speak—and if the theologians in this country who are informed enough to speak are also incapable of addressing women’s ordination—perhaps partly because they have been told by the bishops to be quiet, partly because of fear, and partly because of the prospect of jeopardizing their academic careers—then who is able to speak?

This article was published in today’s Irish Independent.

The current dispute over certain ‘goings on’ in the national seminary in Maynooth raises serious questions for and about the Church, questions that will not be resolved by simply changing personnel, or by adjusting the type of spiritual or theological formation being taught there. These questions are not peculiar to Maynooth, but are common to seminaries in Europe, North America and other places.

There has been some confusion as to whither or not all sanctions were lifted from Sean Fagan before he died. The Irish Times has twice reported that they have, and the Tablet has now published the same ‘fact’.
But unfortunately it is not true. All that was lifted was one part of the sanctions; the others remained in place. So, to say that his good name was fully restored by Pope Francis is, I’m afraid, not correct.