“Cardinal Muller should be replaced” – We are Church International
Following the resignation of Marie Collins ‘We Are Church International’ has issued a call for Cardinal Muller to be replaced at the CDF:
Pope Francis
The Way of Francis – a real alternative
Brendan Hoban writing in the Western People wonders what would happen if Francis was more like Trump in his approach to change; “It would be interesting to imagine, for a moment, what might happen to the Catholic Church if Francis was to adopt Trump’s more robust approach.”
He concludes “But clearly that’s not Francis’ way. Because he believes that how you do something is just as important as what you do.”
What Pope Francis was thinking of last Friday – the day of the Irish Bishops ‘ad limina’ and Donald Trump’s Inauguration
Last Friday Pope Francis also had other matters on his mind along with the ‘Ad limina’ visit of the Irish bishops. He gave hour and a quarter long interview with the Spanish Newspaper El País.
A lot of what he says will sound familiar.
“Talk, please. A fraternal conversation, if you feel up to it, or at least in a civilized way. Don’t throw insults at each other. Don’t condemn before talking.”
“Too much order. When you read the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Paul’s epistles, it was a mess, there were troubles, people moved. There was movement and contact with people. An anesthetized person is not in touch with people. He protects himself against reality.”
Clearing one’s voice?
An interesting report by Sandro Magister is being carried at Settimo Cielo, that ‘Liturgiam authenticam’ is to be revisited by Pope Francis. ‘Liturgiam authenticam’ was the criteria for the translation of liturgical texts from Latin into modern languages which led to the “new missal” with its beauties like ‘prevenient grace’, ‘consubstantial’, and had us praying for ‘the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds’ at the start of Advent.
Francis and Leonardo Boff
It used to be said that once one became an Irish bishop the new bishop would never have a bad dinner and never again hear the truth.
Going on comments made by Leonardo Boff it would seem that some in the Vatican are trying to ensure the second half of that theory becomes reality for the bishop of Rome by controlling what mail gets through to Pope Francis. “The pope told Boff not to send the materials directly to him, however, because Vatican underlings would grab it and it wouldn’t get to him. He advised Boff to send the materials to the Argentinian ambassador.”
Praytellblog carried a report of an interview with Leonardo Boff that appeared on Christmas Day in the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Cologne.
‘Asked about the lack of concrete church reforms under Pope Francis, Boff maintains that “Pope Francis is more interested in the survival of humanity and the future of the earth than he is in the church and its inner workings. He wants above all that Christianity make a contribution to these overarching problems”. ‘
We are Church – Curia Reform
Statement by ‘We are Church, Ireland’ in response to Pope Francis’ address to the curia.
Message from Tony Flannery to Pope Francis
When An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, visited Pope Francis recently he agreed to take a message from Tony Flannery to the Pope.
Doctrinal Authority in the Francis Era
Richard R. Gaillardetz writes in commonweal magazine about the issue of doctrinal authority and Pope Francis.
“Pope Francis is refashioning the exercise of doctrinal teaching authority in the church. There should be no question of the pope’s fidelity to church teaching; by any account Francis must be considered a doctrinal conservative. Many Catholics, on the left and the right, by thinking of the magisterium in a largely juridical key, focus far too much on the pope’s authority to officially pronounce on doctrinal matters”.
Reform of the curia and resistance to it
Gerard O’Connell in Americamagazine reports on the address of Pope Francis to the curia.
We’re not ready to meet the Pope
Brendan Hoban in his Western People column questions if we’re ready to hear the message of our Papal visitor.
… “the sad and difficult truth is that we’re not ready in Ireland for the man from the pampas of Argentina or the message of mercy and compassion that reflects the gospel Jesus preached…”
“The terrible tragedy is that we won’t listen because we can’t hear what Pope Francis is saying or accept the direction in which he’s pointing the Church.
The sad truth is that while a defensive Church is up to its neck in denial, our people will have their tongues out for the message Francis brings and the promise he represents wishing it, willing it and wanting it.”
Doubting or dissenting Cardinals?
Michael Sean Winters writes in the National Catholic Reporter about the fact that “Cardinals Brandmüller, Burke, Caffarra and Meisner decided to publish their letter …….. openly challenging the pope to clarify parts of Amoris Laetitia that they find to be a source of confusion.”
He concludes with the strong opinion that ‘to publicly voice doubts about the magisterial teaching of the church is not something a cardinal should be doing or, if he does, he should have the decency to include his red hat with the submission of his dubia.”
Pope Francis in dialogue with Jesuits
Pádraig McCarthy directs our attention to a meeting held on 24 October between Pope Francis and Jesuits who had gathered in Rome for their 36th General Congregation. Pope Francis conducted a “cordial dialogue” with delegates who asked him questions which Francis did not want to see beforehand.
Taoiseach goes where bishops fear to tread?
RTE is reporting that An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, may have raised the issue of Irish priests who have been ‘silenced’ at a meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican.
How small is small?
Chris McDonnell in his recent article in the Catholic Times offers his opinion on comments made by Archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput about the benefits of having a “smaller, lighter Church if her members are also more faithful, more zealous, more missionary and more committed to holiness”.
Chris sees the comments as a backlash by some in the context of the “interesting change taking place in the United States as the conservative nature of the US hierarchy is gradually being eroded by the appointment of bishops more in tune with the openness of Francis.”
He further states that “To advocate a smaller, purer church challenges the very nature of a pilgrim Church, where the open arms of a Christian welcome demands that we offer what we have and accept others who might wish to share the journey.
It all smacks of religious sectionalism that takes no account of the bumps and difficulties that we all experience.”
Liturgical hope?
Anthony Ruff OSB in his Praytell blog gives a round up of reactions to the sweeping changes made by Pope Francis to the Congregation for Divine Worship .
Dare we hope that the new appointees will address the disaster that is the “new translation” of the Roman Missal?
Time to Break Out
Pope francis urges bishops to be vigilant over who they admit to the seminary as world needs “mature and balanced” clergy according to a report by Christopher Lamb in www.lastampa.it
The report continues ‘Priests must leave their “fortresses” ‘ says Francis and also quotes him as saying ‘the Church should stop reducing Catholicism to a “recipe of rules” while clergy needed to break out of their closed worlds.’
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CHRISTOPHER LAMB
Marco Politi – The Association of Catholics in Ireland in association with the Loyola Institute, Trinity College
Marco Politi will speak in the Loyola Institute, Trinity College, on Tuesday 18th October at 6.30 pm.
Pope Francis and Fr Sean McDonagh
Fr Sean McDonagh, a member of the leadership team of the ACP, recently met with Pope Francis.
Maybe the nuncio to Ireland and Irish bishops might do likewise on a regular basis.
Pope Francis and the Challenge of being Church today
Bishop Vincent Long of Parramatta, NSW, spoke recently about how we are now ‘living in a watershed and a privileged moment in the history of the Church.’ It is a time with demands and challenges for us.
He said that in church ‘It is not “business as usual”. There needs to be an attitudinal change at every level, a conversion of mind and heart that conforms us to the spirit of the Gospel, a new wine into new wineskins, not a superficial change or, worse, a retreat into restorationism.
Gaudium et Spes, the guiding document of the Council, presented a new paradigm: the church is not an enclosure which protects its members against the sinful world. It is a fellow pilgrim with the men and women of our age. It is a church incarnate in the world. Therefore, it is time not of fearful retreat, disengagement and self-referential pomp, but of accompaniment and engagement.
The church will be less than what Christ intends it to be when issues of inclusion and equality are not fully addressed. That is why you heard me say that I am guided by the radical vision of Christ. I am committed to make the church in Parramatta the house for all peoples, a church where there is less an experience of exclusion but more an encounter of radical love, inclusiveness and solidarity.
We cannot be a strong moral force and an effective prophetic voice in society if we are simply defensive, inconsistent and divisive with regards to certain social issues. We cannot talk about the integrity of creation, the universal and inclusive love of God, while at the same time colluding with the forces of oppression in the ill-treatment of racial minorities, women and homosexual persons.”
It is a long but worthwhile read and can be downloaded in Pdf format
Some cardinals should see red!
Brendan Hoban in the Western People suggests it’s time that Cardinals who are obstructing the reforms of Pope Francis should be called to order.
“Francis has very publicly told members of the Roman Curia that they often suffered from ‘the pathology of power’ which produced ‘ a superiority complex’ “
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