Move over, Pope Benedict

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion . . .”

Freedom of religion is one of the central tenants of American beliefs. Our country does not have an official religion (though that may surprise some), and the population is such a mixed bag it would be impossible to unite under one system of beliefs.

That is not the case in Ireland, where 87 percent of the population is Catholic.
One can see the Church’s influence on Irish laws. Divorce wasn’t legalized until 1995, and abortion is still banned. The Church also runs 90 percent of primary schools.

Because of the intense ties between religion and government, the Church “effectively dictated the social policy of the state,” said Eamon Gilmore, Ireland’s deputy prime minister.

But no more.

This summer, Ireland’s prime minister, Enda Kenny, took to the floor of Parliament to express his disgust with the Church in light of the recent exposure of sexual abuse by clergy.

“The rape and torture of children were downplayed, or ‘managed,’ to uphold the primacy of the institution — its power, its standing and its reputation,” Kenny said.

Needless to say, Church authorities aren’t pleased with this rebellion. The Vatican has withdrawn its ambassador to Ireland, and the Irish do not have an ambassador in the Vatican.

Though Kenny’s words have angered some on the religious right, his background as a Catholic from a conservative area has given his words more weight.

The whole country is outraged about the attacks on children that were exposed a couple years ago — as it should be. The Irish are deeply religious and mostly Catholic; the betrayal has struck a heavy blow.

In light of the findings — and the Church’s limited response — the government is right to try to wrest control away from the clergy. It’s important to impose more control on an institution that sometimes considers itself outside government laws.

Kenny’s attitude toward the Church has been met with approval by many, especially since the Irish have seen many of the abusers get away without secular justice.

The clergy might answer to a Higher Power than local government, but they live in Ireland and have to follow Irish laws. The pope shouldn’t have the authority to yank the criminals back to Rome to do with them as he wants. Ireland needs more stringent laws when it comes to religious leaders.

The pope’s response — or lack thereof — was shameful when the abuse came to light, and his continued response isn’t doing him any favors.

His condemnation of Kenny and withdrawal of his ambassador aren’t going to win him followers in Ireland, and neither is his response to Kenny’s remarks: a 24-page letter that claims a lot of what Kenny said was “unsubstantiated.”

The Holy See obviously doesn’t care about Ireland, which used to be one of its most stubborn supporters.

Ireland should stop caring about what the Church thinks and start taking back control.

­—hanns@indiana.edu