Don’t Call Bishops “Spineless Nerds and Sycophantic Half-Wits”

Hederman is some piece of work. He refused the priesthood as not being his vocation for years and then got ordained as soon as he was elected abbot of Glenstal so that he could take the job. I get the impression that he's the kind of man for whom ignorance was never a block to the formation of an opinion and he has not reticence in sharing those opinions. As for the ACP - well that greying brigade of liberals won't be around for ever.

As for the Irish bishops, the ones I know are good men but not all are totally devoted to their flocks. We could blame poor seminary formation, former nuncios and powers that be, and the present conference system for emasculating bishops. I think there's some truth in that. Yet I think part of the problem is that Ireland has changed so fast that the Church is still reeling. A student ( a layman) recently told me that he has experienced open hostility when he said he was doing a Masters in Biblical Theology. He was shocked by it. The clergy, bishops and priests, are struggling to cope.