Bishop deserves support for stance on Fr Flannery

I wish to comment on the articles on the ongoing reaction to Bishop Crean’s decision not to allow Fr Flannery speak at Killeagh.

I wish to support Bishop Crean for his stance in this matter.

A couple of years ago we had a mission in our parish. the Redemptorists were invited and so was Fr Flannery even though he was silenced by the church two months earlier.

For the entire week Fr Flannery behaved in a way that could have been seen to sow division.

As a practising Catholic I expect priests giving a mission to encourage us in the faith. However as Fr Flannery has different views to the Church, I found it hard to listen to him.

For the life of me I cannot understand why any Parish Council would invite him to give a lecture. Surely everyone in the Church knows about Fr Flannery and how when asked why he didn’t leave the priesthood over his silencing, his answer was “where else could I earn a living?”

I also read the comments about this matter in the Irish Examiner Letters page.

The savage attack on the Catholic Church in this instance is typical of a media who think it is their duty to vilify my Church as often as they get a chance.

Perhaps parish councils should read the vitriolic news articles against our Church and stop giving them grist for the grindstone?

Betty Cotter

Islanduane

Mungret

Co Limerick