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Brendan Hoban, writing in the Western People, again comments on the decreasing numbers of priests to serve in Ireland and the consequences that arise as a result for the remaining, mainly elderly, priests.
But he adds “my interest here is not in the priesthood issue.
Rather it’s on how the failure to address this issue by the leadership of our Church is impinging on the immediate victims (the present priests) caught in the slipstream of an on-going decision by the Irish bishops to continue to avoid ‘the elephant in the living room’.
“Are there not a few bishops who might do a Bishop Kräutler on it and have a chat with Pope Francis about the implications of his Christmas message – ‘the world has changed and so must the Church’?
What is it about that sentence that the Irish bishops don’t understand or refuse to accept, even though almost every Catholic in Ireland seems happy to acknowledge?”

In the light of recent reports of gruesome homicides Pádraig McCarthy comments on the lack of respect for human life in our society.

Pádraig McCarthy offers a prayer from Walter Brueggemann as we face into the election campaign.

“I can confirm that this morning, at the instruction of the emeritus pope, I asked Cardinal Robert Sarah to contact the editors of the book requesting that they remove the name of Benedict XVI as co-author of that same book, and also to remove his signature from the introduction and conclusion [to it],” stated Archbishop Gänswein, who is also the prefect of the papal household.

He said: “The emeritus pope in fact knew that the cardinal was preparing a book and had sent a brief text on the priesthood authorizing him to make whatever use he wanted of it. But he did not approve any project for a book under the two names, nor had he seen or authorized the cover.”

Updated with a link to an interview of Tony Flannery by Monica Morley on Mid West Radio’s Faith Alive programme.

Tony Flannery posted a very interesting start of the year reflection on his personal blog.
It is nothing less than scandalous that Tony still is “withdrawn” from ministry and that this situation is allowed to continue by those in authority.
“I am inclined to believe that if there is to be any change in my situation it will happen this year. If not, then I will have to accept that things will remain as they are for whatever amount of life I have left. I can cope, I think, with not ministering as a priest any more. At my age I wouldn’t be doing much anyway. But living within an institution that acts in such a cavalier and unjust fashion, and is quite happy to sit with that injustice and do nothing about it, will be the difficult part.”

ACP expands its social media presence with a new Facebook page.

Brendan Hoban, writing in the Western People, casts an eye over Fernando Meirelle’s film The Two Popes.
Brendan draws one very definite conclusion; having stated that the enjoyment of the film is enhanced by the stunning background of Castel Gandolfo, Rome and the Vatican, Brendan says “It’s easy to see why that artificial world is a dangerous context for impressionable young men who can be easily convinced that Rome represents standards that should be replicated in the wider church and the wider world rather than unambiguously rejected.
Everything about this film suggests that the opposite is the case. The Rome depicted in The Two Popes should be given a wide berth.” 

With the first Sunday of the Word of God coming up on 26 January, Pádraig McCarthy has produced a leaflet to encourage people to read Scripture, with some simple introductory notes, and a list of the Sunday readings for the current year. Pádraig is very happy to make it available for download on our ACP website.

This has been updated to include a leaflet outlining the structure of the Books of the Bible.

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.