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Silenced Irish dissident priest airs complaints in BBC broadcast

CWN - October 26, 2012

A dissident Irish cleric has revealed that he considered leaving the priesthood when he faced disciplinary action from the Vatican.

Father Brian D’Arcy, who was silenced earlier this year by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, discusses his reactions to the Vatican action in a BBC report that will be aired next week. Father D’Arcy, whose advocacy for the ordination of women apparently prompted the Vatican’s move, voices his fear that Vatican officials are moving “to impose this legalistic Church again.”

“I want to be a priest. I love being a priest. But I am not sure if the Church loves me being a priest," Father D’Arcy says in the television documentary.

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  • Posted by: AgnesDay - Oct. 27, 2012 11:15 AM ET USA

    Well, Fr. D'Arcy, you hit the nail on the head. Your vocation and exercise thereof depend on the Church, not on you. Apparently being silenced hasn't made the appropriate change in your attitude.

  • Posted by: scotty - Oct. 26, 2012 7:30 PM ET USA

    The Catholic faith is not a 'buffet' where one can pick and choose what they want; a priest especially should know this. I will say this again - Church teachings are directed by the Magisterium, which in turn is inspired by the Holy Spirit. If one wants change - they PRAY! It is our strongest weapon here on earth.

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