Bishop Willie Walsh says society should focus more on the positive

The Bishop of Killaloe Dr Willie Walsh has said that society needs to focus more on success stories rather than always trying to apportion blame when something goes wrong. 

Bishop Walsh made his remarks at the annual People of the Year awards in his home town of Roscrea last week where he was guest of honour. 

Speaking at the awards, Bishop Walsh said, “This sort of function is very important and really worthwhile.  One of the things that have happened in our society in recent years has been the discrediting of a great deal of those of us in leadership positions.  It has developed to a stage now where it has become an active pastime finding someone who has been wronged and finding somebody who has been responsible for that wrong and then pour all our scorn and anger against that person.” 

“I am not objecting for a moment to the anger that there has been against us Bishops in recent times, I can't object to that and we have to accept it for our mistakes.  But I do believe we have developed a bit of seeking out those who have been wrong and finding someone to blame.” 

“I have no objection to people being accountable and having to account for the mistakes they made, but how often do we draw attention to the success stories, the people who have done so much for the community?  So a function like this is very important to honour people who have made outstanding contributions to the community and I think that is desperately important in the world in which we live today.”

In concluding his speech Bishop Walsh said, “it is always nice to come home, back to where one belongs, and that he always has a great sense of coming home to Roscrea, the place he owes so much to.”

In a brief reference to his impending retirement he said, 'You send it in (to Rome) at 75 but Rome, being the Eternal City, can take six to twelve months to appoint a successor, so I will probably be around for some time to come.”

by Sean Ryan