ACP AGM via Zoom Wed Oct 28th @ 2.00pm
From the comfort of your own home or office
join us for the
Annual General Meeting of the ACP
via Zoom on
Wed Oct 28th 2020 @ 2.00pm
Agenda, running order and Zoom code to follow.
All welcome
From the comfort of your own home or office
join us for the
Annual General Meeting of the ACP
via Zoom on
Wed Oct 28th 2020 @ 2.00pm
Agenda, running order and Zoom code to follow.
All welcome
Brendan Hoban tells us in his Western People column that bishop of Rome “Francis is 78, and might be dismissed as ‘an ageing, disillusioned priest’ – but he knows the score. I would argue that Francis and the ACP are singing out of the same hymn-sheet, even if others seem determined to drown out our voices.”
Times They Are A-Changin’ Holy Week and Easter online: They (the online community) sat around the Table for Holy Thursday and felt at home. They Confessed and felt blessed and…
Brendan Hoban, in the Western People, reflecting on current controversies says that what really released the dam of anger and emotion was the revelation of clerical sexual abuse and the failure of Church authorities to understand its enormity and to do something about it. The revelations on clerical sexual abuse gave people the freedom to surface and to name other resentments.
Carol Nolan TD launched “The Theology of Integral Human Development” – a book, written by Matt Moran, which explores the role of faith in international development and public affairs. The…
Western People, 26.3.2024 In today’s papers (as I write) there’s a report on an investigation by the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit into the activities of a Garda unit based in the…
Chris McDonnell wrote recently in the Catholic Times, August 24th 2018, about the the late Raymond Hunthausen, retired Archbishop of Seattle.
“At a time when a number of those to whom the Church has given responsibility of leadership have fallen short of expectations, it is worth while pausing a moment and reflecting on the life of an outstanding man, who in spite of his being called to the Lord remains with us in example and deed. He was truly a man of the Beatitudes, who saw Christ in those about him and was himself Christ to those who were in need.”
There are two sides to this debate about freedom of speech within the Catholic Church and Fr. Tony Flannery, whilst giving a most interesting talk on the podcast, address only the first side. One side is the right of theologians and scripture scholars to explore new approaches to centrally important theological, scriptural and spiritual issues. After all, that is precisely what Vatican 11 did. The terms ‘centrally important’ are vital but not always clear or agreed upon. For example, I do not regard priestly celibacy as centrally important whereas Jesus the Christ’s real presence in Eucharist is. Without that freedom doctrines, and the spirituality built upon them, will never develop and grow.
The second side is the right of the Catholic listener/reader not to have his/her faith undermined or confused by books, articles, speeches that contradict or move far ahead of traditional and centrally important teaching. This, of course, presupposes that Catholics make the effort to be appropriately and correctly informed about their faith and do keep up to date. I accept that as being a big presupposition which touches on personal responsibility and the role of parish. The second side also requires a body to take difficult decisions about what is helpful and acceptable to faith development and what is destructive. The current body in the Vatican performing that function has been far too restrictive and ignoring of the human rights of theologians to be consulted and listened to before a decision is taken.