Fr Peter Byrne CSsR issues statement
A contributer to this website signed himself as Peter Byrne. Fr. Peter Byrne C.Ss.R. has stated clearly that he is not the author of such comments and wishes to be dissassociated from them.
Last Friday Pope Francis also had other matters on his mind along with the ‘Ad limina’ visit of the Irish bishops. He gave hour and a quarter long interview with the Spanish Newspaper El País.
A lot of what he says will sound familiar.
“Talk, please. A fraternal conversation, if you feel up to it, or at least in a civilized way. Don’t throw insults at each other. Don’t condemn before talking.”
“Too much order. When you read the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Paul’s epistles, it was a mess, there were troubles, people moved. There was movement and contact with people. An anesthetized person is not in touch with people. He protects himself against reality.”
The Website IP5, or onepeterfive, carries an interesting article about an open letter written to Pope Francis by a “former member of the curia”.
The letter originally appeared in the German-language magazine, FOCUS.
While clearly meant to be read as a criticism of Pope Francis it perhaps unintentionally gives a disturbing insight into much of the culture and mindset of the curia and how they see their position, power and status in the church.
Do all bureaucracies, in the spirit of “Yes Minister’s” Sir Humphrey, eventually come to think that they are there to be served rather than serve, that all wisdom resides in them and none in the temporary ministers, or popes, who come and go and that all decisions should be left firmly in their control?
Pope Benedict’s reasons for retiring become clearer every day.
[for international readers; “Yes Minister” was a BBC tv comedy. The chief civil servant, bureaucrat, Sir Humphrey was apt to reply ‘Yes Minister’ to every request of the Government Minister and then worked wholeheartedly at subverting every single plan and policy of the minister if it in any way infringed on the power and control of the civil service.}
A meeting has been arranged for 30 May to form a lay ‘umbrella group’ representing people interested in reform in the Church
Green Isle Hotel (near Newlands Cross) Theme: Priesthood in a Time of Crisis Tuesday October 4th a Public Session: 7. 30 to 9.30pmSpeaker: Fr. Kevin Hegarty – Priestly Ministry Today,…
This article, by Gerry O’Hanlon, is published in The Furrow. Gerry is outlining the rationale behind the event on May 7th, and his hopes for the future. We thank Gerry for the article.
The ACP Leadership Team sent this message today to all members; it gives advance notice of some events already organised for the Autumn
Please note: Online Registration and our bookshop will be available soon. Dismiss
So…I have the same name as a redemptorist and was quoting from their constitutions.
I had no intention of attempting to imitate Fr. Peter.
And I would add to that, how about contributors offering their email address. Identity and openness are of great value in honest exchanges.
I second Anne Walsh’s plea. The level of discussion would soar if people gave their real names.
This clarification once again urges me to ask the team leaders at the ACP to reconsider again the way comments are allowed to be put on your website-comments which are often posted under false names or anonymous names.
I think it serves no purpose or rather it serves a negative purpose.
Firstly it discourages most of your ACP members and others from engaging actively with the site -that is people who would be happy to be identified and secondly it encourages a level of abuse that is not constructive or helpful to many of the debates.
Indeed who wants to engage in a dialogue with someone when they have no way of knowing who they are corresponding with or what their agenda is ?
Surely allowing a dialogue to take place in this way resembles how the CDF engaged with Tony Flannery.
Need I say more.
It was I who assumed that it was the respected Redemptorist Fr Peter Byrne, who wrote what I considered, was a despicable attack on his brother Priest Fr Tony. For that I offer Fr Peter my sincere apology and seek his forgiveness. The opening lines of the offending post “Our Redemptorist Constitution” made me believe it was written by Fr Peter. Again I request your forgiveness, and with a contrite heart, will have a mass celebrated for your intensions.