The Irish Times reports the Vatican has removed its sanctions of silence it imposed on Irish Marist priest, Sean Fagan.
The Superior General of the Society of Mary, Fr John Hannan SM, told the Irish Times, Rome, that Fr Fagan is now “a priest in good standing” where the church is concerned.
Fr Fagan, 86, a moral theologian, was silenced by the Vatican in 2008 following the publication of his book “Whatever happened to sin?”
At the time the sanctions were imposed, the Vatican advised Fr Fagan if any word of their actions against him reached the media he would be stripped of his priesthood.
Fr Hannan is pleased the threat of further sanctions, stipulated in 2010 have been removed and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) will no longer adjudicate on them.
The Irish Times reports that Pope Francis and former President of Ireland , Mary McAleese are thought to have been directly involved.
The Irish Times learned that Mrs McAleese wrote to Pope Francis last December requesting he intervene. Receipt of the letter was acknowledged by the Holy Father’s secretary.
Mrs McAleese, 2012, criticised the Vatican’s treatment of five silenced Irish priests, labelling their treatment as “dreadful”.
She described Fr Fagan and similarly silenced Redemptorist, Fr Tony Flannery as “good men who have loved this Church with passion”.
Others who also the Irish Times understands to have intervened on Fr Fagan’s behalf are
- the Society of Mary,
- Diarmuid Martin, the Archbishop of Dublin,
- Archbishop Charles Brown, the new papal nuncio to Ireland, and
- Fr Timothy Radcliffe, the former head of the Dominicans.
As part of Fr Fagan’s silence, the Ireland province of the Society of Mary was required to purchase all remaining copies of the book, and disassociate itself from his views.
On 1 February 2013, the Marist Fathers Ireland published a notice on its website saying that Fr Fagan’s writings in the book “What happened to sin” do not have the approval nor represent the views of the Society of Mary.
Ireland’s Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) welcomed the news of the removal of Fr Fagan’s sanction, calling the sanction “shameful and embarrassing to our Church”.
Sources