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Pope Francis confirms norms concerning bishops’ retirement
Andrea Tornielli writes in http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it about the regulations concerning the retirement of bishops.
Of note is the statement that “Worthy of the church’s appreciation is the gesture of one who, motivated by love and the desire for a better service to the community, believes it is necessary because of ill health or other serious reason to renounce his office as pastor before reaching the age of 75.”
Is this something priests should consider as a realistic alternative to taking on more and more duties as they grow older and colleagues die. Might it be the only way to force everyone to realistically confront the issue of the ever reducing number of priests?
Bob Dylan: “Money doesn’t talk, it swears…”
A member subscribes: There are times when I think all our efforts at calling for reform in the church are really at an amateur level when compared with those who…
Chris McDonnell’s column looks at Children in Lockdown
It’s about our future Chris McDonnell CT February 19th 2021 There have been many casualties brought about by COVID, lives lost, families broken, businesses closed. Society has been brutally and…
Reflections at a Funeral
Gabriel Daly attended the funeral of Seán Fagan and has now penned some thoughts on Seán’s funeral and ‘the suffering and injustice inflicted on him by the leaders of his own church.’
‘The presence of a bishop at Seán’s funeral would have been a golden occasion to express metanoia and the readiness to respond more sensitively to the the message of the Gospel. It would have meant so much to his family.’
‘It cannot be said too often that peace, unity and friendship in the church do not depend on agreement about matters that do not belong to the essence of the faith. What the Gospel prescribes is willingness to live together in peace, friendship and respect for ideas and attitudes that one cannot share, and finally, if possible, even to be open to the desirability of reform. …….
Pope Francis is leading with words of mercy and healing. Why are we not following?’
Gabriel Daly is author of ‘The Church always in need of Reform’, Dominican Publications, www.dominicanpublications.com
Silly Season Scrum: Archbishop Martin and the Media
In the wake of the controversy aroused by Archbishop Martin’s comments about his decision to transfer the three Dublin diocesan students from Maynooth Seán McDonagh wrote in the Irish Independent last week to express his surprise and disappointment at the issues that exercise and energise some of our bishops and most of the media.
“nobody mentioned three of the most significant documents of the modern Church – The Joy of the Gospel, Laudato Si’ : On Care For Our Common Home and The Joy of Love. These are pivotal documents in the modern Church and yet, they were missing for the debate.
I look forward to the day when the media – if they are genuinely interested in the future of the Irish Church- will afford the same time, interest and energy to discussing the latter as they have to this week’s Maynooth story. “
Perhaps we could apply that wish for the media to church as well and even to commentary on our website!
Time stops still as we remember
Seamus Ahearne is reflecting on life as it goes on all about us. “To look around is essential. To see. The birds. The buds. The wind. The hills. The air. The underground. The people. Gratitude. Appreciation. God-moments and Good-moments. Our attention has to be on what we have and what we have been given.”