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Dissident Irish priests berate top theologian

CWN - August 08, 2011

A group of dissident Catholic priests in Ireland has released an unusually bitter personal attack on the country’s most noted theologian because of his support for a new English translation of the Mass.

The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) said that Father Vincent Twomey’s public statements have “more to do with living in the past than ministering in the present or preparing for the future.”

Lashing out at Father Twomey, who is a longtime theology professor at Ireland’s Maynooth seminary and a former student of Pope Benedict, the ACP claimed that many of its members “have shone much more brightly than he in the theological firmament.” The group claimed that despite assurances from Church leaders, “the vast majority of theologians, liturgists, and priests working in Ireland are worried, unhappy, upset or angry” about the new translation. The ACP said that it would have been “pointless” for its representatives to attend a seminar at which Father Twomey and others explained aspects of the new translation.

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Show 3 Comments? (Hidden)Hide Comments
  • Posted by: stpetric - Aug. 08, 2011 10:37 PM ET USA

    If these guys were intentionally trying to torpedo the new translation, they wouldn't be doing much different from what they're doing now.

  • Posted by: Eric - Aug. 08, 2011 9:40 PM ET USA

    And you wonder why the Irish Church is in so much trouble.

  • Posted by: GabrielAustin9013 - Aug. 08, 2011 8:10 PM ET USA

    One should always be suspicious of groups that claim to represent "the vast majority of ...". The technique was first used by the Russian communists who made such a claim - that it was they who were "the Bolshevists".

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