Bishop John Kirby of Clonfert, commenting on the recent (September 20120 publication of the report of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church said
that he accepted the Board's review of how clerical abuse was handled
in the diocese “in its entirety”. He said that the diocese had
“rectified the deficiencies noted by the review and has implemented all
eight of the formal recommendations in the nine months since last
November”.
On a personal note, he admitted that he had shown a “previous lack of
understanding of the sinister and recidivist nature of the child
abuser, and the lifelong damage that this destructive behaviour has on
victims”. His most profound apology was reserved for his “grave mistake”
moving two repeated priest abusers to different parishes after
complaints were received against them. This, he said, placed others “at
serious risks”.
The “……lack of understanding of the sinister and recidivist nature of
the child abuser, and the lifelong damage that this destructive
behaviour has on victims” argument has been trotted out by churchmen
from the very first days this whole clerical sex abuse business became
widely known. This is beyond naivety. It is insidious and self serving
and downright untrue for the following reason. The institutional church
is an authority on evil. Its priests have been listening for centuries to
people - presumably including other priests – confessing their sins in the
confession box. The church has centuries of knowledge of all kinds of
human failings. To hear that a bishop in the 20th century had no
understanding of the crime of child sexual abuse and its consequences is
to invite us to believe that he is either a fool or a knave. There are
few foolish bishops.
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Thursday, 31 May 2012
An old smell
A new study confirms that people, like many animals, easily recognize a unique—but not unpleasant—eau de elderly: Scientific American, May 30, 2012 read more
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
How is it that auditing firms failed in their primary duty as auditors
of Anglo Irish Bank, Irish Nationwide and AIB to alert shareholders and
prospective shareholders and the country at large about the crisis that
was emerging in these institutions?: Vincent Browne, Irish Times, May 30, 2012 read more
Monday, 28 May 2012
Watch out today
Asteroid 2012 KP 24, a smallish rock about 25 meters (80 feet) across, will pass pretty close to the Earth on May 28: Discover Magazine read more
Town v country
Many living in the countryside still think they should be exempt from taxes or charges: Seán Byrne, Irish Times, May 28, 2012 read more
Friday, 25 May 2012
No contest
Robin Gibb didn't lose his battle with cancer, but he did choose to die with dignity: Jenni Murray, Irish Independent, May 22, 2012 read more
All a matter of taste
Overlooked aromatic compounds make huge contributions to tomato flavor,
which suggests a new way to improve the taste of high-yield crops: May 24, 2012 read more
Under a spell
English spelling is notoriously inconsistent, and some have gone further,
calling it “the world’s most awesome mess” or “an insult to human
intelligence”:
Thursday, 24 May 2012
Is God telling lies?
A reporter tracks down the remnants of Harold Camping’s apocalyptic
movement and finds out you don’t have to be crazy to believe something
nuts: Tom Bartlett, rd magazine, May 18, 2012 read more
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Ouch!
The hubris of Communication Minister Pat Rabbitte, who recently
lambasted the quality of political journalism in this country, would be a
lot easier to take seriously if the nation hadn’t been lumbered with
such a headline-grabbing array of greedy and grasping incompetents in
Leinster House for at least the last 30 years: Colette Browne, Irish Examiner, May 23, 2012 read more
Earthly flatulence
Scientists have found more than 150,000 sites in the Arctic where methane is seeping into the atmosphere: ,
May 22, 2012 read more
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Losing face
Facebook shares fall sharply in opening minutes on Nasdaq and end Monday more than 11% below Friday's offer price: Charles Arthur, The Guardian, May 22, 2012 read more
Space goes commercial
California's SpaceX has launched on a mission to re-supply the space
station - the first cargo delivery to the orbiting outpost by a private
company: 22 May 2012 read more
Worlds upon worlds
“What really interests me is whether God had any choice in creating the world.”
That’s how Albert Einstein, in his characteristically poetic way, asked whether our universe is the only possible universe: Brian Greene, The Daily Beast, May 21, 2012 read more
Monday, 21 May 2012
Cheeky or what?
Former government minister Ivor Callely was overpaid almost €6,000 in
mileage expenses -- but has refused to pay back the money, the Irish
Independent has learnt: Treacy Hogan, Irish Independent, May 21, 2012 read more
Robin Gibb R.I.P.
Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb died last night of cancer at the age of 62: Anthony Barnes and Tim Moynihan, Irish Examiner, May 21, 2012 read more
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Billy Bunter
The modern child has two chins, four buttocks, some pert little breasts,
a fat-covered liver and two brains: one in its head, and the other in
its belly: Kevin Myers, Irish Independent, May 18 2012 read more
What might have been
In last week’s Anglo-Celt report on past teachers of St Patrick’s
College in Cavan, the former priest, Seán Brady, received little
attention. Some former students, however, recalled a contentious,
dedicated teacher before he was laicised (and ostracised) in 1977, for
challenging his bishop’s authority over an affair now as forgotten as he
is: Dermot Bolger, Irish Times, May 19, 2012 read more
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Ever changing world
I was surprised when a 23-year-old co-worker told me she didn't remember a time before broadband Internet: Avram Piltch, Laptopmag.com, May 12, 2012 read more
Not so simple anymore
One of Homeland’s greatest strengths is that it shows how much modern terrorists now ape liberal Westerners: Patrick Hayes, Spiked, May 11, 2012 read more
Friday, 11 May 2012
El Nino e La Nina
From record floods to crippling droughts and wildfires, a natural swing
in Pacific Ocean temperatures can trigger climate chaos around the globe: David Fogarty, Scientofic American, May 10, 2012 read more
Doublethink
For decades a good number of us imagined, and were warned by
iron-in-the-velvet professors of theology, that a condom was a one-way
ticket to hell: Editorial, Irish Examiner, May 11, 2012 read more
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Making a bags of it
A reusable grocery bag played a central role in spreading a stomach bug
among teenage girls at a recent soccer tournament in Washington state, a
study finds: Live Science, May 2012 read more
Lying to ourselves
For most of our history, respectability was the only wealth we had: Gerard Howlin, Irish Examiner, May 10, 2012 read more
Staring into space
IT IS a telescope that will peer back to the beginning of time. It is so
sensitive it could spot a candle on one of Jupiter’s moons. And Irish
scientists have played a major part in its design and development: Dick Ahlstrom, Irish Times, May 10, 2012 read more
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Senate woes
Word from the rarified surrounds of Seanad Éireann, the crèche that
cares for the oldest and boldest children in the country, that the
rations are low and the natives are restless: Colette Browne, Irish Examiner, May 09, 2012 read more
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Whistling at thunder
More than 1,000 Catholic laity, priests and nuns called for dialogue in
the Irish church at a day-long conference in Dublin yesterday: Patsy McGarry & Marie O'Halloran, Irish Times, May 8, 2012 read more
Monday, 7 May 2012
Sham fight?
Evil, militant anti-Christian secularism is simply a myth: David Robert Grimes, Irish Times, May7, 2012 read more
Sunday, 6 May 2012
What a question!
'You never got to like it?" That was one of the remarkable questions
put to Brendan Boland when he was interrogated by priests in 1975 after
reporting to the Catholic Church his sexual abuse at the hands of Fr
Brendan Smyth: Colum Kenny, Sunday Independent, May 6, 2012 read more
Saturday, 5 May 2012
Hyperhyphenated
Everything you wanted to know about hyphens but were afraid to ask: David Robbins, Irish Independent, April 28, 2012 read more
Brave New World?
You read it here first: the game is over for the book: Donald Clarke, The Irish Times, May 5, 2012 read more
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Mind games
It seems that the brain, in specific situations, literally gets bored and starts scaring you: Esther Inglis-Arkell, i09, May 3, 2012 read more
Back to the dark ages?
There was a national outcry last night when a government minister warned
that rural parts of Ireland would be restricted to using only enough
electricity to power three lightbulbs and a kettle: Irish Independent, May 3, 2012 read more
Making a balls of it
The English Football Association is, in many respects, a woefully inept
organisation, as evidenced by its sacking of national team manager Fabio
Capello only months before England competes in this summer’s European
Football Championship: David Adams, Irish Times, May 3, 2012 read more
Wheels within wheels
IT JUST gets curiouser and curiouser. Just what was Cardinal (then Fr)
Seán Brady’s role when he attended that inquiry with two other priests
and 14-year-old Brendan Boland at the Dominican friary in Dundalk on
March 29th, 1975?: Patsy McGarry, Irish Times, May 3, 2012 read more
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Fiscal treaty
I don't know what to think about the fiscal treaty referendum. Let me be honest and admit that: Bock's blog, May 2, 2012 read more
Corruption: a Catholic thing?
We have long imagined or simply wanted to believe that the inherent
goodness and honesty of the great majority of people is a robust enough
buttress against the obvious and eternal corruption all around us: Editorial, Irish Examiner, May 2, 2012 read more
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Whistle blowing
One woman was man enough to shout stop: Marc Coleman, Sunday Independent, April 29, 2012 read more
Pragmatism?
I'm supporting the lesser of two evils and voting Yes: Stephen Donnelly, Sunday Independent, April 29, 2012 read more
Saturday, 28 April 2012
Friday, 27 April 2012
Votes for women
De Valera, Dillon's 'jaundiced' view of women's suffrage: Gerry Moriarty, Irish Times, April 27, 2012 read more
Thursday, 26 April 2012
Forebodings
Parallels with Germany of 1930s haunt Europe: Hamish MacRae, Irish Independent, April 25, 2012 read more
Taxing where you live
A good property tax is about getting land used well and financing local services and amenities: Ronan Lyons, Irish Times, April 25, 2012 read more
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Clever woman
Too ugly for TV? No, I'm too brainy for men who fear clever women: Mary Beard, MailOnLine, April 23, 2012 read more
Philosophy
Has Physics Made Philosophy and Religion Obsolete?: Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, April 23, 2012 read more
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
What's in a name?
As we hunched in the moist, crepuscular warmth of a
civilised hostelry, nodding at each other meaningfully with narrowed
eyes, one of our elite band raised a warning finger: Bock's blog, April 23, 2012 read more
Anti social?
For the first time, the Labour Party is actively increasing inequality in Irish society: Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times, April 24, 2012 read more
Monday, 23 April 2012
Catholicism
How much longer can the Catholic Church resist change as its influence shrinks?: John Cornwell, The Guardian, April 3, 2012 read more
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Local government
Vulnerable suffer while public servants are coining it: Carol Hunt, Sunday Independent, April 22, 2012 read more
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Church
The clergy can embrace sincere questioning but not to the point of killing core beliefs: Breda O'Brien, Irish Times, April 21, 2012 click here
Politics
Flying SF could soar even higher with a new leader: Noel Whelan, Irish Times, April 21, 2012 click here
Abortion
Put humanity before extreme beliefs: Michael Clifford, Irish Examiner, April 21, 2012 click here
Media
Content is at the core of concerns about Denis O’Brien’s place in Irish media landscape: Colm Keena, Irish Times, April 21, 2012 click here
Friday, 20 April 2012
Papacy
Why media apparatchiks are hostile to Pope Benedict: John Waters, Irish Times, April 20, 2012 click here
Government
We need to end bureaucracy and reach out to rebuild economy: Matt Cooper, Irish Examiner, April 20, 2012 click here
Computers
Will the $25 Computer Change Everything?:
Orion Jones, big think, April 19, 2012 click here
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Freedom
Is freedom a religious or secular idea?: Paula Kirby, The Washington Post, April 19, 2012 click here
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Politics
Populism, poor decision making and cowardice infect Irish politics and
have brought the State to the brink of financial ruin on three
occasions: Editorial, Irish Times, April 18, 2012 click here
Sex
The sex industry is repulsive, but it cannot be wished away: Tanya Gold, The Guardian, April 18, 2012 click here
Religion
Church not in communion with changed beliefs of Irish Catholics: Colette Browne, Irish Examiner, April 18, 2012 click here
Media ownership
Oligarchs should get their hands off INM: Vincent Browne, Irish Times, April 18,2012 click here
Vatican
Pope has consistently come down on dissent within the church like a hammer: Patsy McGarry, Irish Times, April 18, 2012 click here
Public Service
Dysfunctional culture of Civil Service management: Eddie Molloy, Irish Times, April 18, 2012 click here
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Religion/Science
Jon Stewart Doesn’t Understand How Science Works Even a Little Bit: Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, April 17, 2012 click here
Consolation
Evolution has given humans a huge advantage over most other animals: middle age: David Bainbridge, The Washington Post,
Summer is coming
To relieve the annoying itch of insect bites, your
best bet may be the simple application of ice to numb the bitten area
and reduce inflammation: Cynthia Graber, Scientific American, April 16, 2012 click here
Fatalism
German novelist Heinrich Böll identified the profoundly fatalistic mentality of the Irish: Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times, April 17,2012
Monday, 16 April 2012
Travel
The world's most decadent hotel services: Nikki Bayle, Yahoo Travel, April 16, 2012 click here
Humour
It's the end of the line for toodle pip...and no more kisses on the bottom: Terry Prone, Irish Examiner, Monday April 16, 2012 click here
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Language
Whistling Pigs - German Adventures with Google Translate: Jalees Rehman, TNW, 15th April 2012 click here
Science
The Science behind the Iceberg that sank the Titanic:
Scientific American, April 14, 2012 click here
Humour
‘She had him down as Finglas’s answer to Stephen focking Hawking’: Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, The Irish Times, Saturday, April 14, 2012 click here
Politics/Law
No real interest in punishing wrongdoers: Michael Clifford, Irish Examiner, Saturday, April 14, 2012, click here
Religion
Christ himself preached that the truth will set us free: Colum Kenny, Sunday Independent, April 15, 2012 click here
Politics
Can Labour continue to support the Croke Park deal while protecting those dependent on social welfare?: Stephen Collins, Irish Times, April 14, 2012 click here
Finance
Rejecting the EU fiscal treaty could leave the Republic in a very dangerous position at a perilous time: Dan O' Brien, Irish Times, April 14, 2012 click here
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