PAUL CORCORAN,
Sir, - I was unsure at first whether to be amused by Frank O'Meara's letter of July 22nd or to pity him. I finally decided on the latter as he probably believed what he wrote.
The source of the Catholic Church's current malaise is a lot nearer to home. He is right in saying that the recent modernisation has been unsuccessful. It was unsuccessful because it was a superficial exercise, devoid of any real attempt at self-examination or reassessment of practice. The real reasons why there is widespread disillusionment are obvious to anybody outside. The following are some suggestions:
Firstly, celibacy makes the priesthood deeply unappealing to most men. I would go a little further and say that the desire to be celibate is a characteristic worthy of psychiatric examination. What makes the Church's stance on this area even more untenable is the large number of priests who have relationships, some of whom have children.
Secondly, it is obvious now that large numbers of very unsuitable characters were attracted to the priesthood when intake was high. Although a small minority of priests, the damage they have inflicted far exceeds their numbers. This, coupled with the Church's reluctance to accept responsibility for their actions, has done untold damage to the Church's credibility.
Thirdly, women are still very much second-class members of the Church. This will remain the case until they are granted the ultimate recognition, priesthood. No doubt it will be said that there are important theological reasons why they are not. The plain fact is that it would just not suit the Hierarchy.
Finally, a less credulous public are unwilling to blindly accept some of the Church's requirements such as the ban on artificial contraception or divorce, particularly when this comes from individuals who have been shown to have very human faults in recent years. When one considers all the facts it is remarkable that there have been any vocations at all. - Yours, etc.,
PAUL CORCORAN, Upper Kilmacud Road, Dublin 14.