Response from David Quinn

Taoiseach Enda Kenny recently released a statement to the Dail regarding the Vatican’s 1997 letter to the Irish bishops on sex abuse. David Quinn, a columnist for the Irish Independent, responded to Taoiseach Kenny’s statement and other attacks on the Vatican.

Here is an excerpt from Quinn’s column:

In the sort of language normally associated with a Richard Dawkins or Ian Paisley, he accused the Vatican of “dysfunction, disconnection, elitism . . . narcissism” and effectively of not caring about the “rape and torture of children”.

Among other things, Kenny’s speechwriters included a wildly out-of-context quote from the then Cardinal Ratzinger. There is a difference between necessary and valid criticism of the church on the one hand, and unrestrained church-bashing on the other.

In a similar vein, Kenny added his voice last week to those who believe the breaking of the seal of confession should be required by law.

Kenny is obviously no anti-Catholic, but he needs to realise that, historically, only the most anti-Catholic societies have ever done such a thing.

You can read the whole column here.