Dear Editor, Your recent report inviting applications for the post of Maynooth president concludes: “Applicants to include written permission from bishop or religious superior”. It strikes me that this condition rather narrows down the pool of eligibles, amounting to a virtual veto on some potential contenders. Surely the crisis in our national Church and in Maynooth itself calls for innovative – if not radical – leaders in our key institutions.
One could say that, generally speaking, our current Church leaders, bishops and religious superiors alike, are safe, compliant, traditional-minded men – and thus liable to weed out those contenders who think outside the box or question the old assumptions and practices. So predictably their nominees will also be safe, compliant, traditional-minded men and women.
The inclusion of women in this statement might be considered to imply a criticism of our patriarchally-structured Church, and would obviously rule me out of consideration – even if I had the right qualities and qualifications (and if were 45 years younger). Others would be ruled out on even flimsier grounds.
My suggestion is: why not drop the pre-emptive clause and open up the field to those who might dare to question the old assumptions and try new approaches?
Yours etc.,
Matt Carpenter,
Rathgar, Dublin 6