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Donabate supports Fr Tony…

St. Patrick’s Parish
Parochial House
Donabate
County Dublin.
Telphone: 01-8436011
Parish Office: 01-8434574
Email: stpatricksrcdonabate@gmail.com
www.donabateparish.ie
11 March 2013.
Dear Father Tony,
We are the members of the Pastoral Council of the parish of Donabate, Portrane and Balheary, Co Dublin, and we write concerning the position in which you find yourself following interventions of the CDF in recent times. We have read your statements in response to these interventions with sadness, disappointment, and bewilderment.
We are sad that a priest who, in the spirit of your Congregation’s Founder, has given almost four decades’ exemplary and tireless service to the Gospel and our Church should have had his ministry terminated in this way.
We are disappointed that the CDF conceives its responsibilities to the Gospel and our Catholic faith as properly discharged through the medium of correspondence of the content and manner of their communications with you. The invocation of law and sanctions, and the peremptory tone of the Congregation’s demands, evoke the ways of a secular boardroom or other such governing entity, and we can only say that we should have expected better from those in authority in an institution whose Founder was Jesus Christ.
Finally, we confess to bewilderment regarding the CDF’s rejection of your response to its requests. One does not need to be trained in Theology to see that you are deeply committed to magisterial teaching on the core tenets of our Catholic Faith, and that the questions which in your view remain open are for a long time now those that trouble the minds of a great many conscientious and good-living people in our Church.We would like to assure you of a place in our prayers. We hope that a way will be found to bring light and peace in this unhappy situation. Above all, we hope that you are soon restored to the ministry to which you are so clearly devoted.
Yours sincerely,
Padraig Haran, (Chairperson)
Joe Connolly, (P.P.)
Deirdre Meyler
Angela O’Sullivan
Pat Hannon, (P.C.)
Mary Bond
Ken Spratt
Pat Reilly, (C.C.)
Deborah McArdle
Alain Rochecouste

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The recent Synod; the penny drops!

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‘Synods of bishops for decades have been highly embarrassing gatherings.’
Brendan Hoban in his Western People column takes a look at the recent Synod of bishops.
‘Representatives of bishops from around the world usually gathered in Rome, dressed immaculately for the occasion and delivered set speeches – all in the knowledge that the final statement was already drafted before they had left home!’
This time it was different;
‘At the opening Francis spelled it out in no uncertain terms for delegates: debate, say what you think; don’t be afraid to speak your mind.’

6 Comments

  1. Brendan Cafferty says:

    I think the momentum in support of Fr. Tony is gaining rapid traction, especially with election of new pope. Its is such a shame that a fine priest like him should be treated in this fashion. He has many more years to offer as a priest and it actually funny if it were not so sad that he is being treated as a sort of heretic by his church.

    Reply
  2. Mícheál says:

    Would it be too much to hope that more clergy and councils follow this courageous example? Or is it simply that those who last week were buying lace and silk have rushed out to buy sandals? How sad that so many in the church cannot find the courage to speak out.

    Reply
  3. Association of Catholic Priests says:

    The following was received from Inagh Parish Council, Co. Clare
    Dear Fr. Flannery,
    At the most recent meeting of the Inagh Parish Council there was a proposal from one member that a letter of support be written to you. This was agreed by the rest of the council members and from their direction, I as Parish Council Secretary, would like to offer you the full support of the Inagh Parish Council in your endeavour to give a voice to what a lot of Catholics think that is right and needed in the church in the 21st century. We do not condone that you have been silenced and we do not agree with sanctioning someone who is expressing their views and opinions.
    (The letter was signed by the secretary)

    Reply
  4. Ned Quinn says:

    And just to remind everyone of a previous posting. The pastoral council of Darndale/Belcamp parish (Dublin) unanimously voted in support of Fr. Tony Flannery.

    Reply

  5. The CDF has not been assigned a different cardinal, but, given, the humility and compassion of Pope Francis, has Father Tony Flannery attempted to meet with him?

    Reply
  6. Marie macfarlane says:

    Dear Fr. Flannery,
    You gave a retreat here in Schull about 25 years ago, and what a response, never was there such a following. We, the supposed church admire & agree with your teaching but no one listens to us as I can see there is a reluctance to be honest and speak in the Catholic Church. No wonder there are so many falling away from the existing church.

    Reply

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