The Archanalyst of Dublin

Once more the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, delivers the diagnosis, the analysis of the problems in the Church.

And once more he fails to deliver any suggestions for fixing things.  Nor does he seem to be remotely aware of his part in the failure.  Patsy Mc Garry writes:

Catholic teaching on contraception, cohabitation, same sex relationships, the divorced and remarried is “disconnected from real life experience of families – and not by just younger people”, said Archbishop Diarmuid Martin last night.

In general, church teaching in those areas was found to be “poorly understood . . . poorly accepted” by Catholics in Dublin, he said at a meeting in Holy Cross College, Clonliffe. He was commenting on findings of a consultation in the diocese.

Every time the good Archbishop opens his mouth some sort of subtle nuance drops out.  Where Cardinal Brady (God help us, has he still not retired?) back in 2008 managed to condemn same sex civil unions in something like clear terms, Martin, in a letter to the Irish Catholic wrote:

The debate about civil unions is precisely about a situation in which the mutuality of the sexes is no longer seen as something anthropologically unique and irreplaceable, but simply a cultural construct which can be adapted and changed. That is the central issue which the Church should be addressing in her catechesis and in her witness towards society.

No doubt the faithful in Rialto and Fatima Mansions were grateful for the clarity of that contribution.

So now Catholic teaching is disconnected from real life. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be.  Christ has always made "impossible" demands on us.  He wants hands cut off and eyes plucked out to avoid sin.  He expects sinners to go and sin no more.  He expects marriage to be for life.  He wants us to love God and neighbour more than we love ourselves.  Of course there's a disconnect from "real life".

It's the right thing to do, because it's about the children

Dear God, who will rid us of this troublesome Taoiseach?

I was listening to the Great Unbearable on the radio this morning as he was asked to comment on the abduction of two innocent Roma children by Irish State authorities on the dubious premise that they had blonde hair.

"This is about children, it's about children."

Oh, so that's okay then.  This is one of those lines that politicians run to when all else fails, and when Enda is being interviewed in public you can rest assured that all else has already failed.  Other fall back lines are:  "It's the right thing to do" and "This is about protecting lives", usually before you're whacked with a Mickey Finn.

So it's about children. 

Presumably when children were taken off unwed mothers and put up for adoption in foreign countries it was about children.

Presumably when children were sent to industrial schools because their parents were poor or their mother had died it was about children.

Now of course we're told we must wait while An Garda Siochana and the HSE investigate themselves before we form any conclusions or comment.

It might have been helpful if the same Guards and HSE had waited, investigate and formed some conclusions before snatching the children in the first place.

Let's have a look at Section 12 of the Child Care Act, 1991, the legal provision used by the Guards.

12.—(1) Where a member of the Garda Síochána has reasonable grounds for believing that—
(a) there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child, and
(b) it would not be sufficient for the protection of the child from such immediate and serious risk to await the making of an application for an emergency care order by a health board under section 13,
the member, accompanied by such other persons as may be necessary, may, without warrant, enter (if need be by force) any house or other place (including any building or part of a building, tent, caravan or other temporary or moveable structure, vehicle, vessel, aircraft or hovercraft) and remove the child to safety.

An "immediate and serious risk".  Being blonde carries some risks - but I'm not sure sufficient to warrant [Ed: they don't need a warrant] police action.

Remember during the referendum on children the No side warned about State overreach and intrusion into the family. 

And you're not even safe in a hover craft.  Perhaps a hot air balloon. 

Róisín Bán - We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience.

Róisín Bán?  The small white rose.

Those of you familiar with Sophie and Hans Scholl, Saint Alexander Schmorell (Orthodox), Kurt Huber, Willi Graf and Christoph Probst will know exactly what it refers to and what it can mean in the context of Ireland.  When did our country begin its decline?  Someone asked me that today.  I don't know the answer.  But things have not been right for a long time.

This afternoon is our opportunity to be part of the resistance, to say publicly that we will not silently acquiesce in the destruction of our country, that we will be a new White Rose, a Róisín Bán for our time and place.  Do whatever you can.  Talk to people, wear Precious Feet or a cross on your clothing.  Write letters, blogs, tweets.  Wear a Róisín Bán and tell people what it stands for.  Display it on your own blogs (copy the image on the right if you like).  Be the conscience for other people.

Merrion Square, Dublin, Saturday 19th January at 4.30pm.  

Don't mind the wind, the rain or snow, 

We need you there, you have to go.