Seamus Ahearne wrote this in response to the post ‘De-centralisation and the selection of bishops’.
It deserves its own space and as usual Seamus challenges us in a gentle way to expand our horizons.
“We don’t have to protect God. God is used to our mess. Let’s take hold of the vision from Rome and apply it locally.”
Iacopo Scaramuzzi reports on some off the cuff remarks made by Pope Francis at a Conference sponsored by the Congregation for the Clergy.
He told bishops: “Be present in your dioceses of resign”
To priests he said “It is not normal for a priest to be often sad, nervous, or of a hard character; it is not good, and does no good, neither for the priest nor for his people,”
About those wishing to enter the seminary he said authorities should think twice if the young man “is too confident, rigid and fundamentalist”.
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Pádraig McCarthy poses some interesting questions as we face into a general election in the Republic of Ireland early in the new year.
“We have an election coming early next year, significant for the centenary of 1916. How does our faith in Jesus Christ inform our active citizenship?
What inspiration and challenges can faith offer to setting goals in political and public life? “
Robert Mickens in his ‘Letter from Rome’ on Global Pulse Magazine comments on the stresses and strains that surface when trying to attempt de-centralisation in the church. He says “Reactions to the US bishops’ deliberations this week at their fall meeting suggest that Catholics may have drawn the conclusion, unwittingly, that decentralization may not be all that it’s cracked up to be.”
However he adds ‘it is going to be a rough and rocky road to healthy decentralization in the Catholic Church. It’s not likely to happen until the synodality that Francis is trying to instill in the Church’s way of living and being also embraces and transforms the way bishops are selected.
Even if a change in the discernment process for choosing our pastors were to be implemented in the next couple of years, it would probably take at least two more generations before we’d get an episcopate that would make decentralized government effective.
Having said that, there are some men in miters – even those with the august rank of cardinal – who should be doing everything as the pope wishes, both in style and emphasis.
And they actually do work for him. They are called apostolic delegates and Vatican officials.”
The Tablet recently carried an edited version of a lecture written by Cardinal Walter Kaspar for The Spirit of Catholic Renewal, a conference held at Durham University as one of the events to mark The Tablet’s 175th anniversary. In his absence due to illness, the lecture was delivered by Professor Eamon Duffy.
In his address Cardinal Kasper asked “How can we heal the many wounds of the Church caused by its divisions? How can we heal the many wounds of our world? Once more Pope Francis gives us the right cue. It is taken from the very centre of the Gospel; its name is mercy. Reconciliation, including reconciliation of divided Christians, can be achieved only by mercy.”
Sarah Mac Donald reports in the NCR on a recent talk on “What Needs Reform in the Church?” by Fr. Gabriel Daly who was speaking ahead of the launch of his new book, ‘The Church: Always in Need of Reform’
Fr. Anthony Ruff OSB reports on the meeting of the U.S. bishops at Baltimore.
He raises the possibility of some movement on the ongoing problems with the current “translation” of the Roman Missal with the election of a new chair to the U.S. bishops liturgy committee.
“it is noteworthy that the bishop who spoke most negatively about the new translation, Archbishop Wilton Gregory, was a candidate to be chair of the USCCB liturgy committee. He was elected. His term will begin in 2016.”
” Archbishop Wilton Gregory, also a former USCCB liturgy committee chair, rose to echo Trautman’s concerns. Before printing up more books with the current translation, we ought to look at the problems with the translation. There should be a review of the problems with the new Missal.”
Isn’t it time the Irish bishops addressed the problem realistically and had a real discussion about it?
Rocco Palmo reports that Pope Francis today, Sunday 15 November, visited Rome’s Evangelical Lutheran church for an ecumenical dialogue.
Speaking of her marriage to a Catholic, a woman member of the Lutheran congregation addressed “the hurt we’ve felt together due to [their] difference of faith” and asked about their ability “to finally participate together in Communion.”
In response Francis said “I ask myself and don’t know how to respond – what you’re asking me, I ask myself the question. To share the Lord’s banquet: is it the goal of the path or is it the viaticum [etym. “to accompany you on the journey”] for walking together?”
Notice of talk by Sean McDonagh on Climate Change; Water & Biodiversity.
Seamus Ahearne writes about the necessity of the ACP.
“I think the ACP exists not just to make noise or to be prophetic but to add ballast and communion to the collective in ministry. We are at breaking point as priests. We will fall apart if we stay apart.”
” the ACP is to reach out and call attention to the tiredness and to the ageing of the diocesan priests. What is the support structure for them? Creating clusters and adding on more work to do cannot be the answer. Creative and imaginative ideas are necessary (as Francis said). We cannot go on as we are.”
“The ACP isn’t just a vehicle for the journalists to use or an association of renegades. The ACP cannot be about the big noisy issues – nor can we forever be fighting big causes. It is the essentials of faith that are our interests and the ordinary issues of day to day life.”
Updated to include a translation of Pope Francis’ address. Translation kindly provided by Pádraig McCarthy. Translations of the Popes addresses are very slow to appear in Rome so our thanks to Pádraig.
Joshua J. McElwee reports in NCR on a speech by Pope Francis to a national conference of the Italian church in Florence.
Pope Francis made a fairly strong statement that the Church must continue to face problems of the present in new and culturally relevant ways.
“Before the problems of the church it is not useful to search for solutions in conservatism or fundamentalism, in the restoration of obsolete conduct and forms that no longer have the capacity of being significant culturally,”
“Christian doctrine is not a closed system incapable of generating questions, doubts, interrogatives — but is alive, knows being unsettled, enlivened,” said the pope. “It has a face that is not rigid, it has a body that moves and grows, it has a soft flesh: it is called Jesus Christ.”
As we move into the darker times of the year, the readings at Mass remind us more and more of the end of time, and the glory awaiting believers. We trust that God stays with us always.
Brendan Hoban writes in the Western People about the type of bishop Pope Francis is appointing and longs for bishops in Ireland ‘to take risks, to go forward, to face the future courageously’.
Gathering together in the Lord’s house, we bring simple gifts into God’s presence – our love, our care for each other, our worshipping hearts and voices. We ask for the grace to continue to show love through the coming week.
Soline Humbert recommended this recent article by Joan Chittister OSB in NCR as worthwhile reading.
Joan argues that ‘if Pope Francis takes the question of married men seriously, that could, for a change, lead to real change’.
…”young unmarried women see little or no place for themselves in the male church.” …”So pollsters track them as they go somewhere else seeking spiritual nourishment or, just as likely, go nowhere at all. Disillusioned with the gap between Christian teaching and Catholic practice on equality, religion has little meaning for them now. In a world where secular institutions are more likely to recognize the fullness of a woman’s humanity than the church does, church does not interest them much anymore. “
“I am convinced that until the women’s question is addressed in the church, the numbers will continue to decline, and the church will fail in the 21st century”
Alan Titley wrote a strong article in Irish on page 13 of the Irish Times of Tuesday, 04 November.
Pádraig McCarthy offers his own “rough unpolished translation”, for those not fluent in Irish.
“Compared to most of the states of the world we are as secular a state as you would find within the distance of a relatively long plane trip.
But you’d need to be living under a stone, or live only in the world of television, or inside a cave, if you thought that events of cultural life – among which religion is included – would not take their place in the life of that community.”
Clarification concerning statement issued by the Catholic Communications Office Media Service of November 2nd 2015.
A group of Catholic priests have taken Pope Francis at his word in calling for dialogue in the Church and have called for open discussion on the need for equality of Women in all aspects of Church life, including Ministry.
Their statement is attached for your information.
Luca Badini Confalonieri, Research Director, on behalf of the Trustees, Patrons and Staff of the Wijngaards Institute recently appealed directly to Pope Francis for the Re-instatement of the Ordained Diaconate for Women.
“There should be no room in our Roman Catholic Church today for the rationale which subverted female deacons in the Middle Ages: the phobia concerning menstruation and the conceit that women are innately inferior to men.
The need for the ministry of women deacons is plain in every country. May your hands be the first to restore the diaconal dignity to women.”
As we move into the ‘month for the dead’, November, Seamus Ahearne speaks of his experience of funerals in parish life. “The Church still can provide a scaffolding to carry the event of death which is beyond our words and our understanding.”
“The Rituals of the Church still help to carry the mystery of death. This remains true even though most people now have little contact with Church or little grasp of the language of Church. It is an enormous demand to stretch our creative ability to ensure that every family feels totally welcomed. The response we make, has to explore the depths of our humanity.”
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