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A commentary from the other side…
Dear Friends,
STOP PRESS: i HAVE JUST RECEIVED NEWS THAT BISHOP GEOFFREY ROBINSON HAS BEEN BANNED FROM SPEAKING IN LOS ANGELES BY CARDINAL MAJONY. FULL DETAILS WILL BE PUBLISHED ON CATHOLICA IN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES. As Fr Daniel Donovan said to me when sending today's commentary through: "you've published a number of commentaries recently giving the perspectives of priests who have left. Here's one from the other side!" It is a moving commentary too where Fr Dan shares some pretty personal stuff about what he went through when one of his closest friends left the priesthood. He has a wider objective than simply reminiscing though. He's also been called in at times to assist parish communities re-establish a sense of equilibrium in the chaos that often accompanies the sudden removal of their pastor. I've broken the commentary into two parts. Today he shares his personal feelings and provides a general introduction to the problem he believes needs to be addressed. Tomorrow we'll publish his suggestions for a strategy. I suspect this commentary will become a much used resource into the future for communities that find themselves in turmoil through the resignation of a pastor, the unexpected removal of a pastor, or even in situations like parish amalgamations and closure. Reading the blogsites that have sprung up in the wake of the Bethel disaster in Perth, there is a community (and ex-members of a community) that might benefit from pastoral care like what Fr Dan is suggesting in Perth at the moment albeit that it was not the forced removal of a priest in that instance. <Read Fr Dan's reflection>
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