La Chiesa cattolica in Irlanda

fonte : irishabroad.com

2006-01-20 15: 36:07

At least 150 women have been involved in sexual relationships with priests in Ireland since the early 1990s - with six giving birth to children, it was claimed today.

Several women were happy to keep their babies, but four of the secret affairs ended with women travelling to England for an abortion - one of which was paid for by her priest lover.

The claims were made today by controversial Catholic Bishop Pat Buckley days after 73-year-old cleric, Fr Maurice 'Mossie' Dillane, admitted fathering a child to his 31-year-old lover Madonna Byrnes.

Bishop Buckley, who runs an independent ministry in Larne, Co Antrim, claimed that over the past decade dozens of women contacted his Bethany support group seeking counselling.

"147 women have been in touch with me," he said.

"I know six of them have had children with priests. Four have had abortions, on one occasion the priest paid for the abortion and on another the priest travelled with the woman to have the abortion.

"But I think 147 is a very conservative figure."

The Bethany support group was set up in 1992 in the wake of the scandal involving Bishop Eamon Casey who fathered a son to American divorcee Annie Murphy.

However, while the Casey affair caused a nationwide scandal at the time, the news that the respected Fr Mossie had become a father was greeted with good wishes and blessings from friends, parishioners and colleagues.

Ms Byrnes, a Dublin-based schoolteacher, gave birth to the boy during a two year relationship with the 73-year-old curate.

Fr Dillane, a highly regarded priest in the Woodford-Looscaun parish in east Co Galway, was forced to quit the Clonfert diocese after he was confronted by his bishop.

The cleric is believed to have had a two-year relationship with Ms Byrnes, whom he first met over a decade ago when posted to a different parish in the Galway area.

Fr Mossie, his lover and their child are now believed to be in hiding.

Bishop Buckley, however, noted figures from American academic and retired priest Richard Sipe who claimed that 40% of priests were involved in relationships with a woman at some stage in their life.

Broadcaster Fr Brian D'Arcy said that he had no evidence to support Bishop Buckley's figures. And he insisted there were many priests who feel in love, or were involved in relationships but had not broken their vow of celibacy.

"Just because someone happens to be in love with them does not mean they are in bed with them," Fr D'Arcy said.

He said priests were often able to carry on good and proper relationships with women without compromising themselves.

"Most guys do that honourably," Fr D'Arcy said.

At present there 2,801 priests actively serving in the Ireland's 1,300 parishes. Almost 596 priests are currently on sabbatical or sick leave.

Bishop Buckley also revealed that he is often contacted by men training to be priests to discuss the troubles they face with celibacy.

"I have a regular little stream of seminarians who come to talk to me to tell me that they feel called to the priesthood but not the celibacy."

And the Bishop insisted that while celibacy should be cherished, forcing it on young men leads to problems in the long run.

"I think celibacy is a wonderful thing and a great gift to those for whom it is suited, but it is suited for the minority," he said.

"If you try and impose it on 480,000 priests worldwide then I think you turn a gift into a law. I think it should be kept, but optional."

The Bishop of Clonfert, Dr John Kirby confirmed in a statement earlier this week that a priest had admitted to him on January 6 that he had recently fathered a baby.

Dr Kirby said he hoped Fr Mossie would be given time and space to plan for the future of the baby and mother.

[Modificato da admin/moris 22/01/2006 19.42]