The Roman Inquisition Has Not Gone Away

Like all Catholics, Fr. Tony treasures the core faith doctrines within the Good News of Jesus Christ. However, like many Catholics today, Fr. Tony disagrees with the outdated opinions of a small group of clerics in regard to non-faith matters to do with women and sexuality. The consensus of a majority of Irish Catholics and many pastoral priests in 2020 is that the era of apartheid for women in the Catholic Church and patriarchal domination should have been consigned to the dustbin of history a long time ago. Many Catholics in the developed world have concluded that there must be equality and justice for women in the leadership, governance, teaching office and ministry of the Catholic Church. They are convinced that it is not possible in the developed world to evangelise in the language of sexism, misogyny, homophobia, and patriarchal monarchy. Fr. Tony is being unjustly persecuted for honestly expressing the consensus of many Catholics.

There are eerie parallels between the infamous Galileo case in 1633 and Fr. Tony’s current persecution by the CDF. A big question in 1633 was whether the universe is geocentric or heliocentric. A big question today is whether the Church is centred on patriarchs or the people of God. The accepted wisdom from ancient philosophers together with literal interpretation of Scripture was of a geocentric universe up to the 1500’s. In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer went against the old orthodoxies and postulated a heliocentric universe. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was an Italian astronomer who used telescopes to verify Copernican theory. This got Galileo into serious trouble with Cardinal Robert Bellarmine of the Roman Inquisition which had proclaimed Copernican theory false and erroneous in 1616. Galileo persisted with his scientific research and published his confirmation of a heliocentric universe in 1632. Accused of heresy and scandal undermining Catholicism in its fight against Protestantism, Galileo was tried by the Roman Inquisition in 1633, ordered to recant his scientific evidence under threat of torture/death and forced to spend the last 8 years of his life under house arrest in Florence. Tragically, the ignorant anti science position and anti-modern knowledge is still with us under authoritarian regimes worldwide today. Rome got it very wrong with Galileo in 1633 and, sadly, it took 350 years to issue a partial apology.

Most of us lay persons are free to walk away from intransigent clerics and proceed to build up the Kingdom of God elsewhere in Her great world. However, Fr. Tony does not want to walk away since priesthood is his life and treasured vocation This ongoing abuse of a good priest by Roman clerics brings shame and despair on us. It totally undermines our attempts as baptised adults to present credible Good News of Jesus Christ to our young people and to build up the vital parish communities. On Sunday 27th September, we all prayed for migrants and refugees fleeing from medieval regimes. The CDF have exiled Fr. Tony from his public ministry. Their collaborators seek to make refugees of us from our Church family when we confront Peter about non-core matters and plead for urgent reform. It is a glaring injustice and abuse when an elite caste of clerics in so called holy offices persecute honest pastoral priests and double down on apartheid for Catholic women. Those of us Catholics who favour urgent reform and action for justice must speak out and act in any way we can.

Joe Mulvaney

Dundrum, Co. Dublin

September 27th, 2020