Fr Flannery and the Catholic Church

Hopefully the report that the Vatican is to take action against Fr. Tony Flannery will turn out to be true.

Fr. Flannery has garnered quite a high and favourable media profile over the years by dissenting from Catholic teaching and generally bad mouthing the Pope.

I’m sure it’s gratifying to be on the receiving end of such approval. Hans Kung has shown that anti-Catholicism can be quite a lucrative career move.

Although as a distinguished Swiss pastor observed, the Lutheran Church initiated all of the reforms so beloved of Herr Kung (and indeed Fr. Flannery) with less than spectacular results.

Surely though a serious question mark arises over Fr. Flannery’s integrity?

Given the level of his dissent/disagreement from Church teaching, would the honourable course of action not be to leave the Church he so fundamentally disapproves of?

Eric Conway

Balreask Village

Navan

Co. Meath