Tony Flannery, on his own blog, reflects on his experience of the past four years.
“I tell myself I have coped reasonably well….
I think it has also served to strengthen my views on the urgent need for reform in the Church…
I believed the process they (the Vatican) engaged in with me was seriously unjust and abusive…
His (Pope Francis) coming brought a great ray of light and hope for the Church, and lifted my spirits also…
But there are times when the reality of this enormous upheaval in my life hits me, and I feel oppressed by it…
Some of the things that tend to make me angry:
– The total indifference shown by the Irish bishops to the sanctioning of myself and five other Irish priests.
– Bishop Crean’s banning of my invitation to speak in Killeagh … did hurt me …
– the opposition to Pope Francis by very senior figures in the Church…
I have great support from my family and close friends, which of course is crucial. There is also a wide body of people who give me encouragement. “