‘The bottom line is that the church finds itself a despised stranger in its own land, its massive contributions devalued, its voice largely missing, not just on the child abuse issue but on any of the significant issues of our time.’ ~Terry Prone

The revelations from the Dublin Diocesan report have yet again churned up feelings of disgust, horror, nausea, anger and total dismay. The reports are truly damming and shameful. It is another sad and sorry chapter in the history of the church. Instead of being a bright positive light in a darkened world, the church has instead brought everyone into a deep dirty quagmire. All the good work down through the years and its massive contribution to life and society has been swept away. It will take many years for the wounds to heal. It will take even longer for trust and credibility to gain a foothold again. The institutional church as we know it is dying on its feet. There are few who will mourn its passing. We have all been let down but especially the victims of child sex abuse. As we begin our journey through Advent this weekend we pray for everyone affected by the sorry revelations from this damming report. We pray for green shoots, for a sense of hope and new beginnings.