John Flemming, Bishop of Killala, Making it up as he goes along.

 

The Bishop of Killala, a diocese without a vocation in ten years, announces the "re-birth of Vatican II" with a made up liturgy which he proudly announces is something which is not being done anywhere else. Of course not you muppet - because you made it up!!

These boring, deranged, lost loonies have inspired a generation of Catholics to apostatize and yet they loudly proclaim how brilliant they are (listen to Bishop Fleming's homily for examples). This despite the extraordinary evidence to the contrary! Who is he trying to convince? We can see he is completely useless, God only knows why Rome allows this to continue....Perhaps he is trying to convince himself?

It seems that bishops have become administrators. Overly concerned with PR, bricks, mortar and money. This is not their primary role. The first thing any decent manager will do is evaluate where they need help, then work to ensure the best people are put in those positions. The impression you get from most bishops is of an overly officious, bureaucratic organisation with no understanding of where it is from and what it is supposed to be trying to achieve. This is particularly true in Ireland.

The verbose and complex rhetoric used is, frankly, boring and off putting. Although it appears designed to make the orator appear more intelligent than they actually are. It is the language of a dusty, confused multi-national conglomerate. It never seems to speak to the Gospel message - the Good News of Jesus Christ, the call to repentance and holiness, the truths of our creation and salvation by a God who loves us and wants to be with us. Having an Irish family and having spent much time in Ireland, I am extremely familiar with the atmosphere in Irish Churches. The liturgy tends to be a kind of race: the laity act like they are trapped and can't wait to get out. Beauty is extremely rare, an honest spirituality if present, tends to be accidental. The whole thing is a chore. A ritual which the vast majority don't understand and have stopped caring about. They go anyway for social reasons or habit. Some older people still know and care, but almost everyone fifty and under is disinterested.

The Church in Ireland still hold much of its bricks, mortar and money. But for how much longer with men like this in charge? The time for these men to honour themselves is coming to an end.

Robert Nugent offers excellent analysis here: