Joy Carol and Bishop Willie Walsh

From time to time we are blessed to meet a special person who makes a deep and lasting impression on us. Bishop Willie Walsh of Ireland is one of those people. When I was researching my book Journeys of Courage (Ave Maria Press, USA, and Veritas, Ireland), I was privileged to interview him. Because he had such a positive and healing impact on many people – including me, I am writing two blogs about him. “Part 2” will be posted on October 1.

Several years have passed since I was in Ennis, County Clare, and first met Bishop Walsh. When I recently returned to Ireland, I felt excited to have the opportunity to meet again with the now-retired Bishop. I recalled that at the time of our first interview the media was filled with news about accusations of child sexual abuse by the clergy of the Catholic Church in both Ireland and the United States. I remember seeing a poster in the Ennis Cathedral with these words:

The Church has always had its limitations and sinfulness, but child sexual abuse by priests and religious is one of the saddest manifestations of this reality. Such exploitation of the vulnerability of children is a betrayal of trust of the gravest kind. Our bishop has stated and restated that the healing and well-being of victims remains the priority. The beginning of healing is facing the truth. The collusion of silence that has for so long committed the innocent to misery must be broken. Our Church needs a new kind of listening – where the Church itself can be informed and even transformed. Can the Church be healed? With God all things are possible.

After reading that candid message, I had felt a sense of hope when I learned that “our bishop” referred to in the statement was Bishop Walsh, the gentle, humble man I interviewed.

According to Bishop Walsh, working as a bishop had been a fulfilling experience, but the issue of child sexual abuse had felt like a nightmare. “That has been a great source of sorrow to me,” he said. “Over the years I’ve met people who were abused by priests. Each time I am struck by the enormous pain caused and the destructive nature of the abuse. I have spoken also to priests who have abused; they too carry immense pain and shame in their own lives. The pain surrounding this whole issue is enormous. I realize that when we talk about the possibility of reconciliation and forgiveness, that too can be hurtful to victims who are perhaps not ready for that.”

The Bishop decided that the end of the millennium was an appropriate time to express sadness about what had happened. “I wanted to hold out a healing hand to victims – not just to victims of sexual abuse, but to anybody who had been hurt by priests or laity or anyone connected to the Church. To do that, we decided to do a walk through most parishes in the three counties across the diocese as a Pilgrimage of Reconciliation.”

In his letter inviting people to join the Pilgrimage, Bishop Walsh wrote: “Wherever human beings interact with each other there will be hurts caused. Which one of us can say, ‘I have done no wrong. I have caused no hurt to anyone?’ Can I invite each one of us to pause a while and consider if there is need for us to acknowledge some hurt caused and to ask for pardon. Asking for forgiveness, offering forgiveness, being reconciled to each other – is there a better way to end the old and to begin the new? We are all pilgrims on our journey of life. This pilgrimage will give concrete expression to our desire to make amends and to be reconciled with each other and with God. Maybe in meeting one another, or in walking a few miles on the road together, we can grow towards understanding and eventually forgiveness and reconciliation.”

From November 26 until December 19, 1999, the Bishop walked across the diocese in rainy, windy, and cold weather. He began each day in a local church with a liturgy of reconciliation. The service opened with Jesus’ story about two people who went into the temple to pray. “Only one of them returned home at rights with God. That was the one who humbly acknowledged he was a sinner. On this pilgrimage of reconciliation each one of us is invited to acknowledge our own story and undertake our own pilgrimage: a journey of authentic conversion.”  Then they set out walking.

Beloved God, giver of the gifts of forgiveness and reconciliation. We thank you for the life of Bishop Walsh who helps us realize that there is so much that we do that is hurtful to you, to others, and to ourselves. Help us to ask for forgiveness and to offer forgiveness to one another and to ourselves. May we be reconciled to one another and to you. Amen.

Joy Carol
www.joycarol.com