Statement of the Association of Catholic Priests – Pope Francis and the ordination of married men.
The ACP calls on the Irish bishops to respond with courage and conviction to the direct challenge presented to them by Pope Francis
Pope Francis
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Married men could be ordained priests if world’s bishops agree – Pope Francis
“The Pope explained that he could not take everything in hand personally from Rome. We local bishops, who are best acquainted with the needs of our faithful, should be corajudos, that is ‘courageous’ in Spanish, and make concrete suggestions,”
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German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst dismissed by Pope Francis
praytellblog.com and the National Catholic Reporter are carrying reports that German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst has been dismissed by Pope Francis.
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What Protestants think of Pope Francis
Bill Tammeus, a Presbyterian elder, suggests a short list of disagreements Protestants might have with Pope Francis. (First published in the National Catholic Reporter on 19 March 2014: read original article and comments here.)
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Pope Francis has opened a door – let us enter
Gerry O’Hanlon SJ reviews Pope Francis’ first year and flags developments to watch out for. And he asks believers not simply to sit back and admire, but use the opportunities for dialogue Francis provides (first published in Irish Jesuit News).
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National churches should stand up to the Vatican
Christa Pongratz-Lippitt reports Cardinal Lehmann’s challenging words, in this week’s Tablet
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Shared governance of the Church by pope and bishops needs to be restored
Mary McAleese argues for the ‘imperative of collegiality’ in the Church, suggesting a reinvigoration of the Synod of Bishops as the way forward. (Delivered at the Von Hugel Institute, a Roman Catholic research institute of St Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge.)
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Pope Francis must meet with victims of abuse
The editors of America’s National Catholic Reporter share their open letter to Pope Francis, appealing to him to meet victims of clergy sex abuse.
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The Church could soon have only six sacraments
Brendan Hoban believes that if the Church doesn’t soon reform Confession it will end up with one six sacraments instead of seven. He suggests that Rite Three be more generally available (first published in the Western People).
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Gay Catholics organise seminar in Dublin
Gay Catholic Voice Ireland announce a seminar for gay Catholics to be held in Dublin in April, which takes its inspiration from Pope Francis’ words on the plane from Rio: “Who am I to judge?”
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‘The emperor has no clothes’: thoughts from a walk by the Tolka
Seamus Ahearne osa shares reflections from his early-morning walk in the Tolka Valley Park in Dublin, where he exercises daily, planning the day, praying and sorting things out. Problems with the new Missal came to mind as he walked, and creative solutions appeared also,
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Why won’t the Pope treat his faithful like adults?
Michael W. Higgins comments on the Vatican’s discouragement of the publication of the Synod survey results and fears Pope Francis may be losing his nerve (first pubished in the Globe and Mail, Toronto on 20 February 2014).
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International church reform groups seek meeting with Pope Francis
Tony Flannery reports that a letter has been sent to Pope Francis on behalf of reform movements in many countries, the ACP included.
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Pope Francis addresses engaged couples on St Valentine’s Day
Padraig McCarthy reports Pope Francis’ words to engaged couples on St Valentine’s Day. (The talk was in Italian and was published on the Vatican website: this is an unofficial translation.)
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ACP Leadership calls for transparency in the Irish Church
The ACP Leadership Team believes the Irish Bishops’ decision not to publish the results of the Synod Survey runs contrary to the spirit of openness being promoted by Pope Francis. (Contact details of Leadership Team are here)
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Recent spat between cardinals signals a ‘battle for the soul of the Church’
Brendan Hoban sees in the recent public disagreement between Cardinals Muller and Maradiaga a part of the ongoing struggle between Benedict XVI’s church and Francis I’s church. It is, he believes, a battle “between a black and white view of Catholic reality (take it or leave it) and an acceptance of the complexity of human experience (try to understand weakness and failure)…” (First published in the Western People).
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It’s time for the bishops and the ACP to talk
Tony Flannery reflects on the remarkable exchange between the Austrian bishops and Pope Francis, in which the the bishops were challenged to stay in close contact with their priests. He calls for the Irish bishops to do likewise.
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Synod Survey results published
The ACP Leadership Team publishes the results of the Synod survey completed by suubscribers to the ACP website before Christmas: 1,562 priests, religious, lay people, parents and teachers participated.
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Can this low moment in church life become an opportunity?
Seamus Ahearne draws inspiration from the Jews at Terezin and asks if we can emerge from ‘all that freezes and destroys the Joy of the Gospel in our lives’.
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Religion shouldn’t make people miserable
Brendan Hoban reflects on unhappy bishops and scrupulous priests — and invites people to re-discover the wonder of God’s love, following the example of Pope Francis (first published in the Western People).
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