Gerry O’Connor CSsR and ACP Leadership weekly Sunday video homily

Pope Francis has issued new norms for the universal church outlining how allegations of abuse have to be dealt with.
It has received extensive coverage in Vatican News.

Michael Sean Winters also writes in the National Catholic Reporter of the latest directive of Pope Francis that “establishes new laws for the universal church regarding both the scourge of abuse and the equally abhorrent covering up of such abuse.”
“If you are ordained, or belong to a religious order, you are now a mandatory reporter of abuse. You can’t ignore it.”

Brendan Hoban writing in the Western People argues that as long as Bishops don’t listen to people and priests “we (as church) relegate ourselves to the sidelines because we present ourselves as controlling and demanding, refusing to listen or engage with the issue.”
Brendan also suggests that there is a crying need for competent church people to be used to communicate effectively with media and public. “Not every bishop is blessed with the ability to think on his feet or to manage the combination of words that does justice to what he wants to say.”

Pádraig McCarthy notes that many towns are proposing to keep Christmas lights up until the beginning of February, to bring light to the darkness in lockdown. Westport has been doing it…

DOES SUNDAY MASS MATTER? The Document from the Bishops’ Conference (on the Mass) raises  questions: Why does Mass matter? It was discussed at our Deanery and then at our Parish…

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