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Links to “The Two Popes” interviews with Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce and director Fernando Meirelle.

Sir Anthony Hopkins – “…. The religious politics of two opposing forces coming together, opposing opinions. Today we are not allowed to have an opinion, you have to be this or that, if you’re not this you are the enemy and it’s pathetic. This is what we live with today in this world …. You don’t believe what I say, then you’re bad, …. come on , grow up, we are all going to die, no one is perfect ….”

Every member of the Irish Bishops’ Conference received a copy of the ACI report Exploratory Pilot Study of Lay Involvement and Co-Responsibility at the December 2019 meeting of the conference.

Wishing you every blessing in the new year

Chris McDonnell shares his thoughts on a divided Bethlehem and his hope for the new year that may “see the removal of the many walls, both real and figurative, that still divide us.”

Pope Francis’ annual address to the Roman Curia.
“there is a need to be wary of the temptation to rigidity.  A rigidity born of the fear of change, which ends up erecting fences and obstacles on the terrain of the common good, turning it into a minefield of incomprehension and hatred.  Let us always remember that behind every form of rigidity lies some kind of imbalance.  Rigidity and imbalance feed one another in a vicious circle.  And today this temptation to rigidity has become very real.”

Pope Francis on the meaning and importance of the nativity scene.

Fr. Peter Daly, writing in the National Catholic Reporter, has some stern remarks about ambition being “one of the worst and most destructive features of clericalism. If we are going to reform the priesthood, we need to tame the demon of ambition and substitute the idea of servant leadership”

 The Association of Catholic Priests is now on Twitter.
 @ACPinIreland

Seamus Ahearne is thinking about recent happenings and the season that’s in it. “Beware. Be aware. We cannot set up an elitist version of faith where some belong and the rest don’t.  Faith is messy.  Advent is a search and an awareness of the presence of God in everyone and everywhere.”

Tim Hazelwood reviews Ministry Among God’s Queer Folk, LGBTQ Pastoral Care by Bernard Schlage and David Kunitz.
Tim writes “I see it as a valuable textbook which should appeal to all sympathetic and interested caregivers in parishes, schools, hospitals, and other environments. I feel it would be of particularly helpful to Pastoral Supervisors. The named resources and explanations are of great value and the two sexual rating scales are enlightening and useful.”
We are grateful to The Furrow for permission to re-publish this article.

Global Sisters Report, a project of the National Catholic Reporter, carries an article by Sarah Mac Donald about Sr. Carmel McEnroy who died recently in Galway.
Sr Carmel McEnroy was author of a groundbreaking work on the role of women in the Second Vatican Council,Guests in Their Own House: The Women of Vatican II.

Dublin Diocese issued a Press Release on Tuesday 03 December about the beginning of a process of significant change in Sacramental Preparation.

Chris McDonnell, writing in the Catholic Times, offers a few thoughts about the season of Advent. “The story of that journey to Bethlehem is mirrored so often in our present day society. Stories of refugee families in transit, struggling to care for young children or newly born infants abound in News programmes. Those living on the streets of this country are a constant reminder of the poverty that exists in our own affluent society.”

Thinking about some outstanding characters passed a while for Seamus Ahearne on his birthday.
(Happy Birthday, Seamus 🎂)

“Number of children who went through institutions investigated by Ryan Commission is about a quarter of 170,000 previously cited.”
In a statement on the commission website on Monday, Mr Justice Seán Ryan said “the commission’s report published in May 2009 contains a seriously erroneous statistic according to the general agreement of relevant experts and bodies. 

Fr. Michael Toomey of Clonmel has spoken out about the dire need for state resources to be properly deployed to help people with mental health problems. He spoke with Sean O’Rourke and Minister Jim Daly on RTE Radio 1. 
Sarah McDonald has also reported on this issue in the Irish Independent.

This year the WAC Ireland Advent Liturgy will be in the Chapel, Mercy International Centre, 64A Baggot Street, Dublin 2. 
Please join us on Sunday 01 December 2019 at 3.00pm for our Advent liturgy followed by a cup of tea and time to talk about Pope Francis and reform of our church. Our collection this year will be for CONCERN.

In his Western People column Brendan Hoban reminisces about his ‘Late Late’ moment on the famous programme that saw Brian D’Arcy challenge Cardinal Cathal Daly.
“D’Arcy, of course, was right in what he said on that 1995 Late Late Show. I salute his courage in saying it, when so many said nothing, even though they knew he was right and knew too that it needed to be said. And we all know now that what has happened in the last 25 years validates what D’Arcy said on that night.”

Further to the Sunday Independent story today, 17 November, the ACP issued a statement regarding Oliver O’Reilly PP and the position he has adopted in relation to the recent attack on Mr Kevin Lunney.

Jo O Sullivan outlines the journey from ‘slumbering’ catholic to ‘revolting’ catholic, from agonising ‘over continuing to participate in shoring up the dysfunctional Institutional Church by continuing to give of my time and talent to the Church’ to the decision that ‘I could come back into the fold with all my heart and all my soul, provided I sought out every opportunity available to me to bring about change.’
‘I find that the passion that drives me these days is to open Catholic hearts and minds here locally into a welcoming acceptance of our LGBT brothers and sisters.’