Brendan Hoban's talk at Assembly of Catholic Priests (Ireland)

My name is Brendan Hoban. I'm 64 years of age. I'm a priest of Killala diocese. I'm almost 40 years ordained.

Over two years ago I was part of a small group of priests who founded the Association of Catholic Priests.

We did that to give priests a voice, to provide a platform for responding to a church in crisis; because authority is collapsing, vocations are in free-fall, practice is declining, the average age-level of priests is now 64;
and we felt in desperation that someone had to do something.

In less than 2 years we had 1000 members so we knew we were on the right track. What we wanted was to start a conversation about what was happening to our Church; about what needed to be done; and, in these strange' and difficult times, to attempt to plot a track into the future.

We realised quickly that we shouldn't and couldn't do this on our own, that many lay people ¬ forgive the use of that disrespectful term ¬we realised that many lay people felt as strongly as we did about it,
that the reforms envisaged by the Second Vatican Council had been modified, resisted, rejected by popes, bishops, priests and sometimes people too.

One thing was very clear to us – that unless structures were put in place to give the Spirit of that Great Council substance, that our task was hopeless.

So we attempted a first step towards an Assembly of the Irish Catholic Church, what should have been happening in our Church years ago,
and more than 1000 people participated in a wonderful day in the Regency Hotel in Dublin . . .
As a result we were confirmed again that we were on the right track,
that God¹s Spirit was guiding us . . .

Last Saturday in Galway, 430 people gathered for another Assembly 
and it was another great day . . .

and again here in Cork it's wonderful to see so many people gathered here .
. .

I have no doubt but that God is with us, that God wants his priests and his people to come together and to save the Church that we love . . .
We are doing no more than our duty.

Last Saturday in Galway Denis Crosby talked about the demon of fear that stalks our Church. He mentioned Orlando Figes’ book, The Whisperers, Private Life in Stalin¹s Russia, where speaking out against the official wisdom was so dangerous that people had to whisper their criticisms.

We¹re the Whisperers now but we have to do more than whisper, we have to find our voice, to stake a claim for the right and the responsibility
to speak our truth about the Church we love.

There are those, we know, who for different reasons would like to pretend that we¹re left-wing, radical, raving extremists, that we¹re trouble-makers and dissenters, that we¹re out to destroy the Church.

Well, let me put the record straight.
The ACP does not seek to overturn the defined teaching of the Catholic Church. I say the Creed at Mass every Sunday; I¹m proud to say it; and I believe every last word of it.

We mustn't confuse what's church teaching and what some people are saying is church teaching; we mustn't confuse teaching and governance; we mustn't confuse dogma and discipline; we mustn't confuse what can be changed and what can't. The ACP is not a threat to the unity of the Church. We cherish and we value and we wish to further the unity of all our people – unity among lay Catholics,
and with our fellow clergy, with Religious, with our bishops, with the Papal Nuncio, and with the Successor of Peter.

........

The ACP wants debate and discussion and dialogue because we profoundly believe that, in the present critical context, it is irresponsible not to debate and to discussion and to dialogue.
So we say to our leaders and to every Catholic in Ireland:
don't say to us that we¹re against church teaching when we cherish it.

Don¹t tell us that we¹re damaging Communion when we¹re working for it.

Don't tell us that we can only reflect on our experience, if we keep silent.

Don¹t tell us that we can¹t discuss the problems of our Church because we have a right and duty to do just that.

Don¹t pretend that silencing us will make the issues go away ¬ it won¹t.

Don¹t talk down to us to us as if we don¹t matter.

Don¹t refuse to meet with us because we¹re not going away.

Don¹t pretend that freedom of conscience and the dignity of every baptised person are strange concepts that we can pull conveniently out of the air to suit ourselves.

Above all, don't ask us to walk away.
It's our Church too.
We are not dissidents and it is insulting to depict us in that light.
We¹re at the heart of our Church.
We want to remain at the heart of our Church.
But we know that our Church is in deep crisis.
We know we need to talk.
We know we need to listen.
That¹s not just our right as baptised Catholics. It is our duty and, in present circumstances, it is our supreme responsibility.

At a time when our Church has lost so much credibility in so many areas, we need the pastoral and intellectual credibility of a robust debate in the Irish Church and the much-needed confidence that will bring.

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Full talk at the Assembly of Catholic Priests