Pre-Synodal Assembly, Athlone, Sat 18 June 2022 – a review

USA Bishops Conference: Begun in late 2022, the Continental Stage of the Synod was the second stage of the three-year process initiated by Pope Francis in October 2021. For the…

Two articles that remind us of the huge responsibility there is on all church members to ensure they are not risking life or health when re-opening after lockdowns.

An Irish Times story about a Dublin church being forced to close after ignoring regulations also covers the comment by Archbishop Martin of Dublin about the need to respect the sacrifices made by so many.
“The current public health policy has required sacrifice on the part of all of us. People have accepted that. I think of those who have had to bury a loved one without the normal process of grieving, with funeral rites limited to a bare minimum. We must show respect for those whose sacrifice has been greatest.
Public health policy will only work when its proposals and sequencing are fully respected by all. There is no room for self-dispensation from or self-interpretation of the norms. Jumping the queue by individuals or communities puts everyone at risk”
In another article

Michael J. O’Loughlin of americamagazine.org interviews a man we have become familiar with on our TV news programmes, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
““There have been situations in multiple countries where the source of the cluster was a church service,” he said. “That’s the reason why we gotta be so careful about that.”
As a result, even if churches are open, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions should consider staying home, “because they really are at high risk,” he said. “It would be so tragic for someone who just comes to a place of worship, gets sick themselves, or gets infected and brings it home to an elderly person who might have a compromising comorbidity, and the person gets seriously ill and dies.”

Maynooth University in conjunction with Messenger Publications invites you to register for the 
WEBINAR BOOK LAUNCH of We Remember Maynooth: A College Across Four Centuries Edited by Salvador Ryan and…

Homily of Archbishop Dermot Farrell on the Feast of Saint Kevin 03. JUN, 2021 Mass celebrated in Saint Mary’s Pro Cathedral, Dublin, for the Metropolitan Chapter There is a deep…

Brendan Hoban, writing in the Western People, casts an eye over Fernando Meirelle’s film The Two Popes.
Brendan draws one very definite conclusion; having stated that the enjoyment of the film is enhanced by the stunning background of Castel Gandolfo, Rome and the Vatican, Brendan says “It’s easy to see why that artificial world is a dangerous context for impressionable young men who can be easily convinced that Rome represents standards that should be replicated in the wider church and the wider world rather than unambiguously rejected.
Everything about this film suggests that the opposite is the case. The Rome depicted in The Two Popes should be given a wide berth.” 

Paddy Ferry draws our attention to the coverage in novenanews.com of Pope Francis’ remarks that he intended to deliver to Pontifical Mission Societies. Pope Francis addressed ‘pitfalls’ in the church in his message, including, “The elitist temptation in some organisations connected to the Church can be accompanied at times by a sentiment of superiority and of intolerance towards the rest of the baptised, towards the people of God who may attend parishes and visit shrines, but are not ‘activists’ busy in Catholic organisations”