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The Association of Catholics in Ireland (ACI) has issued a comprehensive report on the proceedings of their conference Future Families: Challenges for Faith and Society, held in anticipation of the World Meeting of Families 2018 planned for Dublin in August.
ACI challenges the WMOF to reflect the realities of family life today.

Brendan Hoban, writing in the Western People, looks at the continuing fall out from the recent referendum on the eighth amendment and expresses concern at a ‘moral triumphalism and political totalitarianism (that) has no place in public discourse.’
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“if this is the new Ireland then God help those who disagree with the emerging consensus. It won’t hold a candle to the control and oppressiveness of the Catholic past, and that’s saying something.”

Pádraig McCarthy draws our attention to the preparatory document: “Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology” of the Synod of Bishops for the Special Assembly for the Pan-Amazon Region.

Brian Fahy offers a reflection for the Feast of the Sacred Heart.
“That statue [of the Sacred Heart] represents the human form of the Lord and it is in his body that he came to bring God’s love home to me. That body enjoyed the warmth of this world and endured its bitter cold.”

We Are Church Ireland  launched a petition calling on Pope Francis to change Vatican theological language that is gravely insulting to LGBTQI people.

Patrick Burke is curate in Westport, Co. Mayo and is Pastoral Co-ordinator of Clare Island and Inishturk.
“The Pastoral Councils on both islands are vital to the life of the parish. They meet regularly, I’m only present occasionally. ….. In many ways they are an example of what we are now trying to do on the mainland – lay led ministry.”

Saints in June 01 June St Justin, Martyr Born about 100 at Nablus (Palestine); died about 165 in Rome. After lengthy study of Greek philosophies, he acknowledged Christ as the…

A sample of some reactions to the result of the referendum on removing the Eighth Amendment to the constitution.

An audio clip of Brendan Hoban speaking about the referendum results on MidWest Radio’s “Faith Alive”..

Apologies that we have to cancel this healing circle. We will be hosting it later in the year. Please keep up to date on the website.

Saints in May 01 May St Joseph the Worker This commemoration, instituted by Pius XII in 1955, proposes the example and intercession of Joseph as worker and provider. On this…

A link to the RTE Prime Time programme “Is the Church verging on schism?”

https://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/prime-time-30003251/10858801/?ap=1

Bishop Dr John McAreavey, at the centre of a controversy, has resigned as the Co Down Bishop of Dromore.

Tony Flannery, on his own website, responds to a letter to the Irish Times from Angela Hanley. Tony suggests that “the organizers of the World Meeting of Families have made a major mistake by redacting their booklet, and getting rid of any reference, by picture or text, to same sex couples.”
Another regular correspondent, Brian Eyre, asks if married priests and their families will be welcome at WMF.

Gerard O’Connell reports in americamagazine.org that Pope Francis has sent “Msgr. Charles Scicluna, the archbishop of Malta and President of the College for the examination of appeals (“in materia delicta graviora,” “in matters of grave crimes”) in the Ordinary Session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to go to Chile to hear those who have expressed their wish to submit elements in their possession”.

Chris McDonnell offers a thought on Holocaust Memorial Day – lest we ever forget where hatred and racism lead.

The President, Michael D. Higgins, met with the authors of ‘A Dialogue of Hope’.

Sarah McDonald reports in catholicireland.net on the talk given by Gabriel Daly at a recent ‘We Are Church’ function.
“Some powerful traditionalists in the Church are ‘dedicated to obstruction of all reform’ and could force ‘a severe division’ within the Church, even setting up ‘a schismatic Church’, a leading theologian has warned.”

Report from Papal flight to Rome from Peru by Junno Arocho Esteves
Catholic News Service

Sean McDonagh and the 10 contributors to the book Laudato Si’ An Irish Response were invited to visit the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin on Thursday, 18 January, 2018