Priest ‘not silenced’ on Church future

A priest who was censured earlier this year by the Vatican has said he has not been warned about his future conduct ahead of two large regional meetings on the future of the Church in Cork and Galway.

Fr Tony Flannery of the Association of Catholic Priests was censured by the Vatican ahead of an event organised by the ACP in Dublin last May, with his colleagues expressing their concern that he was being “silenced”. That meeting attracted approximately 1,000 Catholics, many of whom expressed disaffection with the Church, amid concerns that some priests were being “gagged” by the Vatican because of their views on certain issues.

Yesterday, the ACP announced it will hold two similar meetings, in Galway’s Clayton Hotel this Saturday and the Radisson Blu Hotel in Little Island, Cork, on Oct 13.