The Hidden Cost of Unaccountability

John Young is a practising Catholic who prays the Apostles Creed. He has over five decades of adult experience of the problems caused by misuse of unaccountable power within the church.

Centring his novel (‘Wanting’) on the cost of the unaccountability of its clerical structures upon all members of the Catholic Church – including clergy themselves – he : –

Outlines his subject in ‘The Setting‘ – a brief description of the situation in the fictional diocese of Ternan, Ireland.

Dramatises the toll that the absence of structures of clerical accountability can take on any priest of integrity  – in a society that has become anticlerical due to a seemingly unending tide of scandal (‘Wanting – Chapter I‘).

Shows how even a bishop’s spokesperson may be constrained in his response to a crisis by fear of intrusive media attention. (‘Wanting – Chapter II‘)

Illustrates in ‘Wanting – Chapter III’ how a clerical monopoly of initiative in the church can frustrate and even defeat the commitment of women – very often its most devout and active members.

Without (so far) the resources that would allow us to host discussion on this critically important topic on Forever! JonahComing.Com we invite readers of this novel to discuss it on their own chosen forums, or directly with one another.  Those who feel able could go to our contact page to suggest further areas for attention as the plot of this novel develops, coming up to Advent.

John Young’s intention is to complete this story – on a positive and optimistic note – in time for the Rome summit of Catholic Bishops in February 2019.