The Courage of the GodlyOphelia Benson draws on her considerable reserves of scorn to mock the new Archbishop of Westminster's piously self-pitying statement that it took `courage' for clergy involved in child abuse to confront their actions. The vanity of it, the self-love and self-absorption, the misdirection, the narcissism, the callousness - it's just staggering. Courage! Courage forsooth! What courage?! The subject here is six decades of gross abuse and exploitation of generation after generation of children by adult nuns and priests; what does that have to do with courage?! It doesn't take courage for a grown-up well-fed strong adult to bully and starve and torture and shame a child. On the contrary, as we all know, or ought to, large strong people tormenting smaller weaker people is the very opposite of courage. The Catholic church condoned and concealed this kind of behavior for decade after decade after decade - it is much too late for it to talk about its own courage no
Ophelia Benson draws on her considerable reserves of scorn to mock the new Archbishop of Westminster's piously self-pitying statement that it took `courage' for clergy involved in child abuse to confront their actions.
The vanity of it, the self-love and self-absorption, the misdirection, the narcissism, the callousness - it's just staggering. Courage! Courage forsooth! What courage?! The subject here is six decades of gross abuse and exploitation of generation after generation of children by adult nuns and priests; what does that have to do with courage?! It doesn't take courage for a grown-up well-fed strong adult to bully and starve and torture and shame a child. On the contrary, as we all know, or ought to, large strong people tormenting smaller weaker people is the very opposite of courage. The Catholic church condoned and concealed this kind of behavior for decade after decade after decade - it is much too late for it to talk about its own courage no
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Archbishop of Westminster attacked by Dublin Archbishop for abuse comments -Times Online
The new Archbishop of Westminster today faced an unprecedented attack from a fellow Roman Catholic prelate over comments he made over the Irish child abuse scandal. The criticism from Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, came just hours after the two-hour installation ceremony of Vincent Nichols, replete with pomp and ceremony in front a congregation of 2,000 at Westminster Cathedral in London. Dr Martin said that it was "unhelpful" of Archbishop Nichols to praise the "courage" of Irish priests who abused children and then confessed. Dr Martin told the Irish Independent: "His comments, as reported, have not been helpful. My thoughts and anger are entirely on the side of victims.
The new Archbishop of Westminster today faced an unprecedented attack from a fellow Roman Catholic prelate over comments he made over the Irish child abuse scandal.
The criticism from Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, came just hours after the two-hour installation ceremony of Vincent Nichols, replete with pomp and ceremony in front a congregation of 2,000 at Westminster Cathedral in London.
Dr Martin said that it was "unhelpful" of Archbishop Nichols to praise the "courage" of Irish priests who abused children and then confessed.
Dr Martin told the Irish Independent: "His comments, as reported, have not been helpful. My thoughts and anger are entirely on the side of victims.
Either Diarmuid Martin has given up all hope of getting a red hat, or he is a genuinely good guy. notes from no w here
