Evil Spirits Exist: Ireland and "Clergy" Abuse

Although at least one biography of St. Jean Vianney tried to play down his encounters with the "Grappin" - his name for the Evil One, the Saint's experiences of the Devil, including the loud banging on the door, the whispered nickname, "Potato eater!" and having his bed set on fire, show us that there is an evil reality which is personal. Not only is there a Devil, as the official teaching of the Church attests, but there are evil spirits which may be identified as fallen angels or demons.

I have just finished reading a book entitled, "The Dark Sacrament". It presents several real-life cases of possession, "haunting" and oppression in Ireland, and the cases are taken from the experiences of two exorcists, one an Anglican priest, the other a Catholic monk. More than one of these cases involved the abuse of children by Catholic priests. Evil spirits are not only involved in the actions of those priests - pushing them towards evil and obviously encouraging sexual desires that we would regard as disordered, but spirits often badly affect the lives of the abused - the victims. I have personally dealt with some abuse victims who needed deliverance, but there are some sad people out there who are victims of clergy abuse, and some of them are in need of formal exorcism.

I quite understand the reticence of some priests - and more worryingly, bishops - to accept this. To be honest before I was appointed exorcist, I would have though much of what I now know about or have experienced was the stuff of fairy tales. Unfortunately much of it is real. The film "The Exorcist" did not tell the whole truth, to the extent that it gave many people a false idea of both exorcism and exorcists, BUT, there IS some truth in that film (it was, after all based on a real case). It is interesting that Fr. Amorth, the famous exorcist of Rome says this is his favourite film.

Those who doubt that demons are involved in sexual abuse should read the book. I have no idea how many Irish priests have been affected by this kind of thing. Some cases turn out to be false, but then there are others that we know little or nothing about because they are simply not brought to light. Some priests who have been involved in abuse die before their sins are discovered. There may be other problems following from that!

To my mind, abuse cases need to take account of the presence of evil and exorcists should be consulted. I have said this before and been ignored. Perhaps it is only when people actually witness the presence of evil (and that sometimes means seeing something as well as hearing something) they will be convinced of its reality, but if I am not hallucinating or a pathological liar, and if other exorcists - who were chosen by their bishops because they were regarded as balanced and trustworthy - witness to the reality of these things, then it is about time those involved in dealing with abuse victims and perpetrators took notice.

A Bishop "Tells it like it is"

In January of this year, the retired Bishop of Lancaster, Rt. Rev. Patrick O'Donoghue gave a talk to the Oxford Newman Society which was unlike any talk given by any Catholic bishop in England and Wales in living memory. Referring to his two documents, "Fit for Mission? Church" and "Fit for Mission? Schools", he asked,

"Why...are some Catholic education authorities, even bishops in this country, so fearful of Fit for Mission Schools?"

He also spoke of the, "pathetic situation of catechetics in this country" and referred to a "certain scepticism or embarrassed reserve about the supernatural dimension of the Faith", saying that this can be found in the lives of many clergy and laity.

Many priests - and I count myself amongst them - will recognise much truth in what he continues to say. His recent remarks in Ars, delivered during a retreat for clergy of the Northampton Diocese, are even more revealing. He speaks of a "wall of silence" in relation to the other Bishops' reception of his documents. He also accuses "some" bishops of disloyalty to the Pope. I guess this remark is meant to include any bishop from whatever country or diocese who has serious theological disagreements with the present Pontiff, but it still leaves uncomfortable questions about the other bishops of England and Wales, and it is obviously meant to do so.

A few years ago I read a very scholarly and balanced study of Catholic education which included an honest critique of the education policies of the Bishops of England and Wales. It is called, "The Ebbing of The Tide" by James Arthur. I never saw this book reviewed in any Catholic newspaper or magazine in England. I only know one other priest who has read it. Like me, he considers it to be a "bombshell". As far as I know there has not been any response from any Catholic bishop. Arthur conclusively shows that the Bishops of England and Wales have failed to follow Vatican guidelines in their guidance of Catholic education and catechesis in this country.

Like many priests I have to deal with young Catholics, asking to have their children baptised, who are living with their partner and have little or no real understanding of the Church's position regarding sexual morality and Marriage. I always ask them what school they attended. Without fail it is the local Catholic High School. Not only that, but they often have no understanding of the "Sunday Obligation" and why the old tradition of attending Mass on Sunday is important. They think that they can receive Holy Communion as and when they want whatever their situation. This is not all. I have often felt sick in seeing how some of these - often very generous and honest - young people are encouraged in their ignorance by other clergy, as though none of this really matters. I know of one priest in a deanery meeting who was told not to ask "certain questions" when the deanery meeting was visited by the local high school headmaster. Some things are not to be discussed. The distinction between mortal and venial sin has disappeared. Most Catholic young people know nothing of this - because they have not been told.

Some will attempt to say that it is up to the priests in their parishes to teach these things, but as we know, we only have around seven to ten minbutes to speak to people, often in a church full of distractions where some people switch off as soon as the homily begins. Not only that, the practice of preaching on the readings sometimes goes against a straightforward sermon on basic doctrine. Sometimes people will say, "we don't want to hear any of that" as though they have a right to suggest that the priest should not teach certain aspects of the Faith.

I remember some years ago being in Harrogate when we three priests agreed to preach a series on the Ten Commandments. After one Sunday sermon on the Sixth and Ninth Commandments I found a small group of men waiting for me outside the church. One of them said, "We think there should be a moritorium on sermons like that, Father - as it says in the Tablet" (he had it in his hand). The other two priests had similar responses. Have we "caved in" to this kind of pressure? Are we afraid to speak the truth because it may upset or offend people? Are we nervous about facing the facts about our poor catechesis and the dreadful absence of many young people at Mass? School Masses continue to see hosts of young people receiving Communion. Priests know that, in some cases, they have never seen some of these people at weekend Masses - unless they remember them from Primary School days or First Communion day.

I think it is time we ALL told the truth. This is NOT a condemnation of young people - it is not all their fault (if ever!). We must be open and face facts and stop congratulating ourselves as if trying to drown the truth which cries out for recognition.

The Icon of Christ The High Priest

This icon appears on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops . The author has given his permission for its (non-commercial) use for the Year for Priests. This is his own description of the icon;

"This icon (egg tempera and gold leaf on wood panel, 28” x 22”) is based on a fifteenth century Greek prototype; here Christ is shown in Latin Rite vestments with a gold pelican over His heart, the ancient symbol of self-sacrifice. The borders contain a winding grapevine and altar prepared for the celebration of the liturgy of the Mass; in the borders are smaller icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.” Czarnecki explains: “I wrote the icon about seven years ago [for seminarians and priests] to be able to see Christ in themselves, and themselves in Christ. We often hear that the icon is called a window; in this case, it’s also meant to be a mirror.” The Good Shepherd reminds the priest that he is to “lay down his life for his sheep” (www.seraphicrestorations.com).

Models of Priesthood

I guessed (and hoped) that Pope Benedict would say something significant about the priesthood and priestly spirituality. I did not expect him to declare a "Year for Priests". Linking this with the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney which providentially fell on the Solemnity of The Sacred Heart - and perhaps it was this that inspired him - is a wonderful gift.

Our main focus is on Christ the High Priest. After the Lord, we need to look again at the life and example of the Cure D'Ars. it would also be good to consider other priestly "heroes" and saints, and there is much to be learnt from looking at how Catholic priests have been depicted in literature and the Media. The picture above is of Karl Malden in the film, "On The Waterfront". He gave one of the best dramatic portraits of a Catholic priest.

My church was built by Fr. John O'Connor, the model for Chesterton's "Father Brown". Chesterton admired Fr. O'Connor's intellectual abilities. In Father Brown we also recognise humility and humanity. St. John Vianney can seem a very distant and daunting figure, with a spiritual life that is way beyond anything most priests can attempt. But this is a mistake. It is worth re-reading Trochu's magnificent biography (for my money one of the best biographies of a saint). When Pope John Paul 11 visited Ars, he spoke about the need to learn from the example of St. Vianney. Some priests criticised the Pope for saying this, suggesting that the Cure D'Ars was almost irrelevant to the priestly life today. Following John Paul's visit, the Fraternite de St. Jean Vianney was founded in Ars (its headquarters being at the Seminary there). Even a short pilgrimage to Ars (I have been at least five times) leaves a lasting impression and encourages most priests to be more generous in living their vocation.

It's good to have models and heroes, and I hope to share some of mine from time to time during the coming year - from the Cure D'Ars to Blessed Damien and beyond.

Corpus Christi and First Holy Communions

I have been away from blogging for a while because of illness and because I have simply been too busy at times.

This morning we had our First Communion Mass. The congregation was larger than normal and included some Catholics who no longer practice the faith in any way that we would recognise, as well as some who seem to have no allegiance to any denomination. I always think that these events are opportunities to preach the Gospel. Just how much impact this makes is something I can rarely judge, but preachers "plant seeds" and then must wait or leave the rest to God.

These days I often enter a "Billy Graham" mode, which means that I preach the essentials and invite people to accept Christ. Actually I have been doing this, on and off, for some years.

This morning I spoke about the experiences of Fr. Hermann Cohen and the late Andre Froissard, both of whom had extraordinary experiences in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament - experiences that led them to conversion. I recommend Froissard's book, "God Exists, I Have Met Him".

May Devotions

We had our "May Devotions" on Sunday. In this parish it consists of a procession to the outdoor shrine after Mass. We had quite a lot of children for the procession. In many parishes these days it is rare for large groups to come out to Sunday afternoon devotions. Here, if I put on anything on Sunday afternoons I have only a small number of parishioners (no more than five or six) but people come from elsewhere - mainly from Bradford which is 20 minutes away by car. At least having the May Devotion(s) after Mass means that many more people are encouraged to honour Our Lady. The statue in church will remain for a while to remind people that this is a special month for Our Lady. Hopefully some will say the Rosary now and then. A plus was having children from the school next door. They led the singing with three of the teachers. it was all very enjoyable. I just wish I could get people to come out on Sunday afternoons!

The Tabernacle Veil

(The photo is of the sanctuary of "my" church - The Holy Spirit, Heckmondwike, Yorkshire)

Why veil the tabernacle? The immediate and short answer is, because the tabernacle in the desert had veils and because there was a veil sheilding the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple. The fact that this Temple veil was torn in two does not mean that we should abandon the use of veils and curtains. That would be a simplistic, not to say childish, interpretation of that tremendous event.

In Catholic understanding, the purpose of the veil is not to hide something, but to disclose something. When we veil the tabernacle we are saying something about its contents. Usually, the veils we use are actually curtains. This can be taken to express the fact that the Temple curtain was torn in two; access to God is granted through the death of Jesus Christ. However, we cannot see the face of God and we cannot see the Risen glory of Christ. We "see" Christ and receive the Christian Mysteries in faith, and the veil represents our faith as well as speaking of the Mysteries that we cannot see clearly in this life. These Mysteries are so great, so wonderful, so beyond our comprehension and our ability to focus, that we veil them to remind us of their magnificence and holiness.

In the Instructions of the Roman Missal we are told that the tabernacle should be veiled unless the doors are designed to be used without a veil. In other words, if veils are not used, the doors of our tabernacles must be beautifully designed and made, so that they proclaim the greatness of the Sacramental Presence. In the Old Rite the point was made that the veil is used to proclaim the Presence, as is the Sanctuary light. It has to be said that some priests apparently took down tabernacle curtains without realising their importance, and often, scratched, stained and plain-looking doors were exposed which tended to suggest that the contents are not as important as they were thought to be! It may seem strange, but this is how some people have interpreted some of the things that were done in our churches following the liturgical changes said to have come from Vatican 11. Though tabernacle curtains and veils are no longer obligatory, unless the tabernacles themselves - or their doors - are particularly well-designed, veils or curtains should be used.

I remember recently visiting Lisieux and being in the magnificent Parish Church (not the Basilica!) in the town, and looking for the Real Presence. There is a tabernacle set into the old reredos. It has no veil or curtains on it and there is no Sanctuary light. I found another tabernacle in a side altar - again, no curtains and no light. I walked down to the front of the church and as I came to the right side of the transept, there behind my shoulder was another tabernacle, set into the wall. Again, no veils or curtains, but this time there was a light. This brings up the subject of the moving of tabernacles and the Sacramental Presence, but that is for another post.