Advent Memory: Maynooth, Jerusalem and Ronan Drury

Nicole Winfield – Associated Press in America Magazine reports: ROME (AP) — Vatican officials declined on Tuesday to say if women would be able to vote on concrete proposals about the…

VATICAN CITY — The head of the Vatican’s powerful doctrinal congregation Sept. 22 defended his office’s request that an Irish priest sign four strict oaths of fidelity to Catholic teachings,…

Brendan Hoban writing in the Western People suggests that “Part of the problem we have in the Irish Catholic Church is that little respect was given to the critical voices that time and again warned against the icebergs stalking our voyage. A lack of vision, a failure in leadership and an inability to cope with the complexities of a changing world meant that the uncritical voices, especially those that echoed official thinking, were given an inordinate influence in the last few decades. And anyone who didn’t subscribe to the old conservatism was taken out in some shape or form.”

Chris McDonnell writing in the Catholic Times comments on the ongoing crisis about abuse; “We cannot avoid the downpour of critical comment that now surrounds us. It is only through our sincere and humble action that we can begin the re-establishment of the credibility of the Christian message.
It will demand a re-examination of structures and disciplines that may have led us down this broken path.”

It seems that all Masses with congregations will be cancelled in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Archbishop Neary of Tuam has issued the following directive; “all Masses with congregations in parishes in the Archdiocese of Tuam should be cancelled.”

UPDATE – Irish Bishops
“In the current emergency situation, all are dispensed from the obligation to physically attend Sunday Mass.”
“Every Catholic is entitled to a dignified Christian burial.  Attendance at Funeral services and Masses should be limited to close relatives and must not exceed 100 attendees within the church building.
Similarly, Church weddings and baptisms may be celebrated on condition that the attendance in church does not exceed 100 people.”

Reporting on the Tuam story has often been wild and sensational, and out of touch with known facts.
Padraig McCarthy