SOME CATHOLIC PRIESTS ARE ATHEISTS - SOME NEVER PRAY





I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT SINEAD O'CONNOR. ON THE ONE HAND I BELIEVE THAT SHE IS A VERY DAMAGED AND HURT PERSON - BUT ON THE OTHER HAND SHE SAYS SOME VERY PROFOUND THINGS.

BUT A FEW YEARS AGO ON A BRITISH SUNDAY MORNING PROGRAMME SHE SAID SOMETHING THAT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE AND ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE.





SHE WAS ASKED WHAT WAS REALLY WRONG WITH THE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.





HER ANSWER HIT ME LIKE A BOLT OF LIGHTENING. SHE SAID:





MANY PRIESTS DO NOT PRAY ANYMORE









WHEN I WAS ORDAINED IN 1976 A PRIEST I KNEW INVITED ME TO DINNER IN HIS HOUSE ONE DAY. AT THE END OF THE DINNER HE SHOCKED ME BY SAYING: "PAT, I DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD ANYMORE. I AM AN ATHEIST"





I FOUND HIS STATEMENT SHOCKING BECAUSE I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN BE A PRIEST, SAY MASS, LEAD PEOPLE IN PRAYER AND BE AN ATHEIST. HE WAS OBVIOUSLY JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS. HOW SAD! AND WHAT AN UTTER CONTRADICTION!





BUT OVER THE YEARS I HAVE COME TO KNOW THAT A LOT OF PRIEST ARE ATHEISTS, AGNOSTICS OR DO NOT PRAY.





HOW LONG IS IT SINCE YOU WENT INTO A CHURCH AND FOUND A PRIEST PRAYING THERE ? SEE WHAT I MEAN?





IN THE PAST YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN A PRIEST IN HIS CHURCH PRAYING. YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN SEEN PRIEST PRAYING BEFORE AND AFTER MASS. YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN PRIESTS WALKING AROUND THE CHURCH GROUNDS PRAYING HIS PRIESTS' PRAY BOOK - THE BREVIARY.









SAINT PETER'S CATHEDRAL BELFAST





WHEN I WAS IN SAINT PETER'S CATHEDRAL BELFAST (1978 - 1983) I USED TO DO A HOLY HOUR EVERYDAY IN THE CATHEDRAL FROM 5 - 6 PM. THE ADMINISTRATOR FATHER VINCENT MC KINLEY AND THE SENIOR CURATE FATHER JOSEPH MC GURNAGHAN USED TO COME INTO THE CATHEDRAL AND STAND IN THE SANCTUARY MOCKING ME, GIVING ME THE TOW FINGER SALUTE AND MAKING SIGNS AS IF THEY WERE MASTURBATING.









FATHER MC KINLEY USED TO TALK ABOUT ABOUT A PREVIOUS CURATE AT ST PETERS WHO PRAYED AND WHO IN HIS OPINION WAS "MENTALLY DISTURBED". FATHER MC KINLEY TOLD THE STORY OF HOW HIS BREAKDOWN CAME: "HE CAME INTO THE PRIESTS DINING ROOM ONE NIGHT WITH HIS BREVIARY IN HIS HANDS AND ASKED US TO SAY EVENING PRAYER WITH HI. AT THAT STAGE WE KNEW THE FUSE HAD BLOWN".





OLDER PRIESTS v YOUNGER PRIESTS





I BELIEVE, THAT WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS (AS ABOVE) MORE OLDER PRIESTS PRAY THAN YOUNGER ONES DO.





THE YOUNG PRIESTS THAT HAVE COME OUT IN THE LAST 20 OR 30 YEARS ARE SCARY. I SEE IT MYSELF IN THE DIOCESE OF DOWN AND CONNOR.





THEY ARE SO RIGHT WING. SO OUTWARDLY CONSERVATIVE. THEY ARE HARDLY HUMAN. THEY ARE ALL "CANONICALLY CORRECT" BUT SO LACKING IN COMPASSION.





THEY CONDEMN PEOPLE WHO DON'T AGREE WITH THEM OR WHO THEY REGARD AS NOT CANONICALLY CORRECT.





THEY ARE ALSO SCHIZOPHRENIC. THEY PREACH CONSERVATIVE RIGHT WING CATHOLIC TEACHING ON A SUNDAY YET THEY ARE OUT THERE BONKING EVERYTHING THAT MOVES. THEY ARE PRIMARILY GAY - WICKEDLY GAY.





THEY CRUISE GAYDAR ON THEIR COMPUTERS. THEY ARE TO BE FOUND CRUISING TOILETS AND GAY CRUISING PLACES AND THEY GO ON HOLIDAYS AS A GROUP TO GAY VENUES IN SPAIN.





PLEASE DON'T GET ME WRONG. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING A GAY PRIEST OR BISHOP AS LONG AS YOU ARE HONEST ABOUT IT AND NOT BEING HYPOCRITICAL.





BUT THE ONES I AM TALKING ABOUT ARE THE CYNICAL, WICKED, DOCTRINE- CORRECT, PRAYERLESS, AGNOSTIC / ATHEIST, WITHOUT COMPASSION CREATURES .





ANd SINEAD O CONNOR IS RIGHT. WHEN PRIESTS STOP PRAYING AND STOP STRIVING TO BE "HOLY" THAT THE CHURCH GOES DOWN THE TUBES.





Bishop Pat Buckley. 4.8.2013.



