Madam, – The heading of Patsy McGarry’s article (January 17th) “Bishop have again deserted their flock” is wide of the mark and misleading.
As one who works in a diocesan office, I observe on a daily basis the untiring efforts of the Episcopal Conference to address the horrific problem of the fall-out of child abuse, which of course is not just a church problem. The amount of time, energy and resources that have been invested into addressing the problem has been huge.
Efforts made to set up structures at national, diocesan and parish level to ensure adequate protection of children have been enormous.
Great strides have been made to address a difficult situation. No single issue has been tackled and prioritised with more earnestness and diligence over that past decade or so.
Bishops, like public representatives, have an unenviable task. They are expected to administer a diocese, be a pastor and religious leader, be a man of prayer and holiness, give spiritual and moral guidance, support and be available to clergy and laity in parishes, be a patron for education; these among many other things in an increasingly secular society.
When Jesus chose his 12 disciples he did not opt for perfect human beings. He selected people with feet of clay, who had a sense of vocation and mission – to be with Him and to go out and preach the Christian message. These, like all human beings were prone to making mistakes and to human error.
The bishops that I know through my work fit this category and like the clergy that Patsy McGarry salutes, give their own quiet, effective, humble witness to that calling of Jesus Christ! They do a good job in difficult circumstances.
I believe the heading of Saturday’s article is greatly exaggerated and sensational and does not reflect the genuine work of the bishops in Ireland today. – Yours, etc,