Fr. Vincent Twomey: “Where’s The Humanity?”

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Father Vincent Twomey appeared on last night’s Prime Time on RTE 1, with Miriam O’Callaghan, to discuss the fate of Cardinal Sean Brady in the wake of this week’s revelations.

Twomey: “May I just preface my remarks by saying I’m here very reluctantly. I didn’t want, I’ve refused several invitations to speak on this thing. I was very glad two years ago when this thing first broke. I was out of the country, in a mission area, where there was no connection, I couldn’t get any mobile. So I didn’t have to comment. But even then I felt, whatever about the man’s individual situation and I think as Joe (Fr Joe McDonald, another guest on the show, who refused to call fro Cardinal Brady’s resignation) said it’s very easy for us to stand in judgement today. But considering the damage that was done by that awful man, Brendan Smyth. Considering the repercussions, one can only say that, somehow or other, you know the Cardinal unfortunately has lost his moral credibility.
“Now I personally am very fond and have great regard for Cardinal Brady. I think there’s a sense of a Greek tragedy about all of this. In the Greek tragedy people do things intentionally, doing the good thing, in fact they do some awful, dreadful things happen, as a result of their actions. And they have to pay for it. Oedipus for example. And they pay for it, even the Greeks realise, by suffering. And I think Cardinal Brady must be suffering enormously at the moment. But the sufferings of the, of the victims, the enormity of what happened, the whole situation with regard to what happened there. Cardinal Brady, in his own defence, quite rightly said he did what he thought was his duty. Well I think that was the problem. I think there are issues coming out of this whole thing which the church, internally, has to look at far more seriously. How is it that this legalistic approach, this preoccupation with law ‘I’ve done my duty, therefore everything is OK’. What’s behind that? Where’s the humanity? The imagination? That actually can’t realise that these children had suffered so much.
On the otherhand I do think it is incumbent on us to actually try to really face up to the situation that happened then honestly. And not to hide anything.”

Miriam O’Callaghan: “And I hear you’re saying you’re very reluctant to be here, to do this, but would you call on Cardinal Brady therefore to resign?”

Twomey: “I think calling is easy to say. I was asked my opinion before I came here. Did I think he should resign? And I’ve already said publcly, reluctantly, very reluctantly, that I think he should resign. But I’m not calling for his resignation. But I do think..his position…If he were a curate, if he were even a parish priest today, it would still be bad. It would have to be examined, yeah. But being the Primate of All Ireland, being the head of the church in Ireland, president of the episcopal conference, that’s a different position altogether. And I think for the good of the church I think it is really tragic as I said, but I’m afraid I’m of the opinion that he should resign.”

Watch here (@14mins)

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