lep.co.
uk
day2day
For the past eight years, Bishop
Patrick O’Donoghue has never
shied away from controversy as
the head of the Catholic
Church for the Lancaster
Diocese. Now, before his
retirement on May 1, he speaks
exclusively to reporter CHRIS
VISSER about his
achievements while giving his
very frank views on the difficult
issues the church faces
‘ORDINARY PERSON’: Above –
Patrick O’Donoghue, the Bishop
of Lancaster, presents Pope
Benedict with his Fit for Mission
documents during a visit to
Rome
“I am a very ordinary person and
have had tremendous opportuni-
ties in life.
“I think as I get older my prayer is
much more thanks – praise and
thanks and appreciation of cre-
ation and looking at the beauty
and thanking God for the beauty
of creation.”
Bishop O’Donoghue has a lot to
be thankful for – he has met five
Prime Ministers, enjoyed a warm
relationship with Princess Diana
while at Westminster Cathedral
and been in charge of a church he
loves in the vast “rural diocese” of
Lancaster.
But while at the helm of the
Catholic Church in Lancashire,
leading around 110,000
Catholics, he has often been criti-
cised for his hardline approach.
He fell out with the Catholic Car-
ing Services (CCS) society when
they adopted Government regu-
lations on allowing same sex cou-
ples to adopt, leading it to break
away from the church and re-
name itself Caritas Care.
He has also been accused of “fun-
damentalism” by MPs for calling
on Catholic schools to stop teach-
ing about “safe sex” and remove
anti-Catholic material from li-
braries.
As he spoke in his mild Irish ac-
cent, which has been somewhat
diluted since he arrived in
England from his native country
50 years ago, he remains firm
on his often controversial
views.
On same sex couples, he says:
“My view is a very simple one re-
ally that the child requires a fa-
ther and a mother. God made
man and God made woman.
They complement each other and
where on earth can this happen
more than in marriage?
“I believe that the child should be
faith
A life of
hopes
&
clarity...
valued and nurtured in a family
situation with a father and a
mother – it’s very simple.”
He adds on homosexuality: “They
are human beings and so they de-
serve respect. I believe man and
woman were created for a rela-
tionship with each other and this
is God’s plan for a family life.”
The Catholic church has often
been criticised for its stance on
condoms, which the UN claims is
not helping the fight against sexu-
al diseases such as AIDS in
Africa. But the bishop disagrees.
He says: “The condom is giving
people the hope that there can be
sexual play without responsibility.
“I was in Zambia fairly recently. I
found out, in fact, one of the
biggest problems facing the coun-
try in regard to AIDS is unem-
ployment.
Next page: Picture special on the social event
of the year: The Preston Mayoral Ball 2009...
“Sex, as it were, is their only
recreation rather than a wonder-
ful relationship between man and
woman.”
But the bishop may gain more
widespread approval for his views
on “pervert priests” after a num-
ber of high-profile cases of Lan-
cashire clergy linked with pae-
dophile offences, including Fa-
ther Edmund Cotter who was
jailed for five years following of-
fences in Fulwood during the
1970s and ’80s.
He says: “I think the paedophile
thing has been disastrous. I think
it is an absolute breach of trust
that parents cannot feel safe
where their children are con-
cerned in the presence of the
priest.
“We must see it as a sickness and
an illness. If there is a breach of
trust, that’s a very, very serious
thing and it’s damaging to the
young person and damaging to
the priest itself. They should be
removed from the parish.”
He also has open views on multi-
culturalism and is keen to share
with other religions. He admits
this stance has led him being the
“BNP’s biggest target” though
says “he doesn’t take them too se-
riously”.
The Bishop explains of multicul-
turalism: “It’s a wonderful
achievement in our time, provid-
ed that one section doesn’t try to
dominate another. I think it’s
wonderful to go into the schools
to find multiculturalism happen-
ing.”
He also reveals how he was
against the war in Iraq and how
he fell out with ex-Prime Minister
Evening Post, Monday, April 27, 2009 13
Our top five
local web stories
lep.co.uk
Evening Post
online
No3&4: PNE
Gang rival suffers kidnap
terror ordeal
Illegal immigrants bound
for Lancashire
No soft edge for PNE
at Birmingham
PNE’s St Ledger ready
for dream St Andrews
return
Sneaky speed trap
snapped by reader
Also in
day2day
Tony Blair. The bishop says:
“There was a time when I liked
Tony Blair, but I’m afraid that
was short-lived. TODAY ’S
“I thought he got us involved in CHOICE 11.30 SUN,
SPO
Iraq without really taking on Ne
board the voice of the people of 12.15 CASH
(C)
the country.” 1.00 BBC
(C)
He adds of Gordon Brown: “The 1.30
economies of the world are in a
1.45
terrible mess – I think he has to 2.15
shoulder quite a lot of responsi-
3.00
bility for 10 years in charge of the C TWO,
finances.” HEROES: (BB eals the 3.05
Angela rev
He is even slightly critical of how
the Pope is advised, though thinks At-a-glance
he is a “great leader”.
The Bishop explains: “People
make him out to be quite silly
TV guide
with regard to his understanding PAGE 28
of use of condoms and so on but I
think he is a great leader, quite a
different leader from John Paul
II, if I can say more scholarly,
more reflective.”
As we come to the end of the in-
terview, it is evident he is going to
miss his position as the cleric
looks set to return to his native
Cork for retirement. He says he
hopes to do more writing and
reading in a “country parish” and
is still feeling “in good health”.
Puzzles
And he leaves with a word of ad-
vice for his successor and fellow
& Stars
Irishman Father Michael Camp- with Russell
bell. He says: “I’d say be himself Grant
and not try to be like anybody
else. Listen as lots of people
would want your ear and it’s good
to hear people.
“Be abreast of the issues – the po-
litical issues and the church issues PAGE 29
– cultivate a deep life of prayer
yourself and encourage others to
deepen their prayer life.”
On May 1, his successor takes
over what Bishop O’Donoghue
describes as a “happy diocese”, just a click away
but he admits “tough decisions
need to be made”. lep.co.uk