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AN IRISH GROUP has made a substantial breakthrough in establishing rights for children of priests internationally.
Set up last year, Coping International is a representative group for individuals who are the children of priests around the world.
The group has already come to an agreement with the Catholic Church in Ireland about the administration of their service – and now has reached a similar agreement with the Catholic Church in the Philippines.
At a plenary assembly in the country earlier this year, a request from Coping International was considered and bishops were instructed to make the “necessary and appropriate interventions” when dealing with the children of priests.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie the founder of the organisation John*, who has personal experience in the area, explains, “What we offer is representation.
People come to us with their stories. And with or without documentation, with or without DNA, we will then go forward on their behalf to the diocese.
This commitment from the church in the Philippines allows the group to administer help in cooperation with the church in the same way that it is able to do in Ireland.
Going forward Coping International aims to further expand its operations and set up similar infrastructure in other countries.
“We’ve received hits on the website from 75 countries, “explains John, “Without an advertising budget. Why are people in 75 countries Googling ‘I am pregnant, the father is a priest’ or ‘my father is a Catholic priest’? Why are they doing that? Quite obviously because it is a worldwide phenomenon.”
The group has been contacted by individuals from places as diverse as the United States, Australia and Uganda seeking its services.
Individuals contacting the service have stories that include being made to sign 1,000 pages of a confidentiality agreement; having been born to a mother who became pregnant as a result of a sexual assault and; individuals who only discovered their true parentage in adulthood.
“It is not a problem when a priest has a child,” John says, “It is only a problem if someone considers it a problem. And the main people who consider it a problem are the Catholic church.”
*John is a pseudonym being used for confidentiality reasons.
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Hindsight should be this government’s manifesto.
@Will Roche: “Say the line, Bart!” “Lessons were learned.” “Yaaaayyyyyy!”
@JusticeForJoe: I am waiting for them to say, “Sure we are not as bad as the lads next door”
‘said that there was no evidence that they were bought for a celebration for that evening’
Would that picture not stands as evidence?
You and your departments seem to make a lot of mistakes if the job is to big for you resign. It seem you are not running your departments properly and you are only interested in what your E. U. masters to you
Yes you should’ve raised the issue with the Secretary General instead of raising glasses of bubbly
comments section must of been left open by mistake (:(:
Another great witch hunt about to begin fascinating that was not one gathering of journalists anywhere in Ireland during lockdown
So a wonderful virtuous and honourable industry
Or ………..Omerta as was the case with Irelands most famous cocaine snorting DJ
@Jerry Slattery: Holding people in positions of power and influence for valid and proven reasons is not a witch hunt. By your photo I assume you are old enough to remember the days in which Irish politicians routinely and blatantly paraded their indifference and even indignation to being held to account for their own actions (often corrupt). Coveney is no f-o-o-l and he knows this should have been dealt with differently.
@David A. Murray: Holding to account people……
@Jerry Slattery: Oh, won’t somebody please think of the witches! You seem to think the people who make our laws should be free to decide which of those laws they have to obey, themselves. Have I got that right?
Coveney should have become a whistle-blower…lol
These tribunals over nonsense ‘storm-in-a-teacup’ allegations are such a waste of tax payer money and government time when there is much more pressing business like the rising cost of living and housing etc. Seems like when one “scandal” dries up another one rears its head.. I’m all for accountability and standards in public office, but people need to see the big picture and get over it.. Have these public accounts or oireachtas committee appearances or internal investigations ever amounted to anything other than a headline that just fades over time?
have your say