Homosexuality and the Bible to be explored in Dublin conference
A conference on ‘Homosexuality & The Bible’ is to be given by Augustinian Kieran O’Mahony in Dublin in June. Full details in the EVENTS section (see menu at top of this page).
Mark de Vries in his blog ‘In Caelo et in Terra’ comments on and provides a translation of the third commentary of the German language bishops’ group at the Synod.
Perhaps we can all learn from the German speaking bishops when they ask for forgiveness;
“Here, a confession was important to us: wrongly understood efforts to uphold the Church’s teachings time and again led to hard and merciless attitudes, which hurt people, especially single mothers and children born out of wedlock, people living together before or in place of marriage, homosexually oriented people and divorced and remarried people. As bishops of our Church we ask these people for forgiveness.”
Here Sean raises interesting questions about the impact of the last twenty years or so on the faith of Irish Mothers. We are grateful to Sean for raising important questions for discussion on our website.
What to do with church buildings when there are no priests is an issue that will face most parishes in the immediate future, despite the fact that church authorities soldier on as though no drastic changes are on the horizon.
Alan McGill puts forward a suggestion on how these buildings can be utilised ‘by predominantly or entirely lay communities so as to continue to be oases of prayer and pastoral care’.
Alan McGill works fulltime as Director of Faith Formation and Liturgy at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the city-center of Atlanta. He is a native of Dublin.
Brian Fahy, reflecting on his own life experiences, decides that “Emotional self-sufficiency is a destructive notion. We need the interplay of one another and the learning processes that enable us to move into emotional inter-dependence if a healthy life is to ensue.”
It is a timely reminder along with the call in The Tablet for seminary reform. “The seminary system dates from the sixteenth century, and aimed to produce experts in the Catholic faith. That’s all well and good; but there are other needs too. Modern priests should also be mature human beings who can understand the modern world without being absorbed by it.”
The Kerry diocesan branch of the ACP met recently and members offered suggestions why few priests respond to local ACP meetings.
Pádraig McCarthy collates comments on the Irish Times series on ‘Catholicism Now’ in the week beginning 2 June.
He writes: ‘So far, I’ve found nothing surprising, except where they’ve got it wrong. Here are a few comments, maybe useful if it comes up in discussion. The Irish Times is not good at accepting and publishing corrections. Your relevant comments welcome. — Pádraig McCarthy.
I was at two talks given by Fr Kieran O’Mahoney recently and I can highly recommend him. He is a very engaging speaker with a great sense of humour and a passion for his subject. He also has the gift of really connecting with his audience and this topic is vitally important. There are so many people suffering deeply because of a failure to understand. This story below is not an isolated one unfortunately.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/opinion/bruni-one-schools-catholic-teaching.html?comments%23permid=14&smid=fb-share
The amount of youth suicide in Ireland attributable to our homophobia or our cute-hoor silences will never be measured.
I cannot attend the conference due to another previous engagement, but I am delighted it is taking place, and I pray and hope it is very fruitful.It is a most important issue and I pray God’s blessing on this timely initiative and all the participants,speaker and organiser.Let it be indeed the Good News” which brings liberty to captives.” There has been too much suffering too long for too many of our brothers and sisters.
I would also be wanting to know what is said at this conference.
I’ve been reflecting today on the notion that it is the gay/lesbian on-going protest for change that probably has the best traction world-wide, even though, there is also, ‘pushback’. We know that the Vatican held the line for years and years on issues, especially, the ordination of women, and could be years and years before same sex marriage is a Catholic reality. However, I am wondering if the time has passed for the Vatican to be able to continue to “push away” what it does not want to hear or deal with. I’m thinking that it may be the pressure from the gay and lesbian community that is the “straw that broke the camel’s back.’ If the Vatican continues to refuse to hear this protest group, I think, it will be this issue, this fight, that will ultimately create schism.
I have a friend in his 60s come out today. He feels like an immense weight lift off him. He can breathe better and his friends and family did not expect it but have been fantastic.
Maybe I should thank ACP for existing or we’d never have met.