Vatican lifts sanctions on silenced Irish priest
Pope Francis believed to have intervened directly in Fr Sean Fagan’s case
Pope
Francis is believed to have intervened directly with the Vatican’s
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to have all sanctions
on silenced Irish priest Fr Sean Fagan (86) lifted.
Pope Francis
is believed to have intervened directly with the Vatican’s Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to have all sanctions on silenced
Irish priest Fr Sean Fagan (86) lifted.
It was confirmed to
The Irish Times
in Rome last night that Marist priest Fr Fagan, who has been subject to sanction by the Vatican for six years, is no longer so.
The superior general of the Marist congregation
in Rome, Fr John Hannan, said last night that Fr Fagan is now “a priest
in good standing” where the church is concerned.
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It has also emerged that the change in Fr
Fagan’s circumstances may have involved direct intervention by both Pope
Francis and the former President of Ireland Mary McAleese.
The Irish Times
has learned that Mrs McAleese, who is away from Rome at the
moment, wrote to Pope Francis last December requesting that he directly
intervene where Fr Fagan’s case was concerned. Receipt of the letter was
acknowledged by the Pope’s secretary. It is understood that the Marist
congregation was informed of Fr Fagan’s changed situation at Easter.
Others understood to have been approached to
intervene with the Vatican on Fr Fagan’s behalf include his own
congregation, the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, the papal nuncio
Archbishop Charles Brown and the former head of the Dominicans Fr
Timothy Radcliffe.
For many years Fr Fagan, who has suffered ill
health for some time, had been critical of rigid stances by the Vatican
on issues to do with conscience and sexual morality notably in letters
to this newspaper. In 2003 he published the book
Does Morality Change?
And in 2008
Whatever Happened to Sin?
In 2010 he was informed by the Vatican’s
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that he would be laicised
should be write for publication any material it considered contrary to
Church teaching and should he disclose this to media.
Remaining copies of his book were bought up by
the Marist congregation whose website last night still carried a
statement first posted in February of last year which reads that “ the
writings of Fr. Sean Fagan in the book
What Happened to Sin
do not have the approval of or represent the views of the Society of Mary.
It was reported at the weekend that the CDF’s
change of stance towards Fr Fagan was because “he loves the Church in
spite of all its weaknesses: that he accepted his censure and observed
his restrictions; and to his advanced age.”
Welcoming the news the Association of Catholic
Priests (ACP) said in a statement yesterday that “it has been a source
of great unease to our members and of continuing shame and embarrassment
to our Church that a priest and theologian who has made such a huge
contribution to Gospel and to Church over very many years would not be
regarded as a priest ‘in good standing’.”
It said that “statements welcoming the lifting
of restrictions on Fr Fagan by the Marist Order, the CDF and the Irish
Catholic bishops are the least that might be expected.”
It also noted “that the decision of the CDF,
according to reports, was influenced by pressure brought to bear through
the efforts of friends.” It believed “that a concerted effort by the
orders and congregations, supported by the Irish bishops, could lead to
the lifting of similar restrictions on other members of the ACP
colleagues of Fr Fagan, and from the Marist congregation.”
This was a reference to those other priests
silenced by the Vatican, including Fr Tony Flannnery, Fr Gerard Moloney,
Fr Brian D’Arcy, and Fr Owen O’Sullivan.
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