The report on their recent meeting submitted by the ACP in Kilmore diocese reveals disappointment with the Irish Hierarchy that they did not meet with the Leadership Team of the ACP — among other things.
Pádraig McCarthy notes the extreme inequality now visible in Irish society, where 1,200 people died as a result of fuel poverty last winter, yet the nation’s 300 wealthiest individuals saw their wealth increase massively in 2012. He finds church leaders almost silent on the matter and asks if the ACP should take it up, in line with the our consitiution.
Tony Flannery raises the questions over the protection of child abuser Maciel Degollado which remain unanswered — a major issue that the new Pope will need to deal with if he is to attempt to reform the Curia (article first published in the Irish Times on 11 March).
This weekend, the Church hears a call to rejoice: now that we have reached the midway point of Lent, the glory of Easter is so much closer. We renew our Lenten commitments and hasten towards the paschal celebrations.
The ACP Leadership Team reports on their recent meeting with members of Killaloe Priests Council in Ennis
The following statement has been issued by the Leadership of the ACP on March 7th, 2013
Brian Fahy shares the lesson of accepting people as they are, which he learned from his late wife Margaret. He wishes the church would learn to accept all its gay members as they are — drawing on the story of the Prodigal Son to illustrate his message.
Today, as we gather to listen to the Lenten call to repentance, we worship our God of kindness who, like a patient gardener, always gives people a second chance …
In a BBC interview, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, speaks of the need for a debate on priestly celibacy. And he believes it may be time for a pope from the developing world.
The ACP Leadership Team provide a brief summary of a very well attended meeting of ACP priest-members on Feb. 20th, commenting that “it would be impossible to do justice to the many great interventions at the meeting”.
Mattie Long (a priest of Tuam diocese) admires the courage of Pope Benedict in retiring when he could no longer provide effective ministry. He hopes this act might embolden Irish dioceses to face the dramatic reduction in priest numbers with more visionary solutions than the clustering of parishes.
Alan Hilliard (a priest of Dublin diocese) wrote this open letter to Fr Tony Flannery as a response to a talk given by Tony at the meeting of ACP priests in Athlone.
The qualities Karl Rahner suggested we look for look for in a candidate for bishop or parish priest are given here by Pádraig McCarthy.
Bernard Cotter offers bidding prayers for use at masses next weekend. In his own parish of Newcestown, young people read out the intentions, so they are designed for this. Two young people read three intentions each.
Pádraig McCarthy presents the Church’s teaching on justice, as outlined at the 1971 Synod of Bishops.
Brendan Butler of We Are Church outlines the main issues that he would like to see the new pope dealing with.
The 40-day pilgrimage to Easter that began on Ash Wednesday is just a few days old. We pray that God, who sustained Jesus in his 40 days of temptations and suffering, will support us on our journey also.
John Hassett, the VF of Maynooth Deanery, explains why he has resigned his position.
Gerry O’Hanlon SJ suggests that the prevailing mood in the Church in relation to Vatican ll is a sense of disappointment, of hopes unfulfilled (article first published in the Winter 2012 issue of Studies).
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