Seán Walsh: Mary

With the backdrop of recent environmental crises like flooding in Spain and fires in Los Angeles, what does care for creation mean for parish communities in Ireland?  How can faith…

Pope Francis has issued his much awaited response following the Synod on the Amazon. In his document ‘Beloved Amazon’ Francis calls for greater lay participation in the church and says the training of priests in the Amazon must be changed so they are better able to minister to indigenous peoples. “Every effort should be made” to give the faithful access to the Eucharist.
He also writes “This urgent need leads me to urge all bishops, especially those in Latin America, not only to promote prayer for priestly vocations, but also to be more generous in encouraging those who display a missionary vocation to opt for the Amazon region”
He does not deal specifically with the issues of the ordination of women as deacons or married men as priests.

Brendan Hoban, writing in the Western People, suggests that the prospect of attracting sufficient male celibate vocations is so remote and that the implications of the crisis so far-reaching that “Doing nothing is not just irresponsible but a counsel of despair. Denial is no longer an option.”

Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research Introduction “Catholic moral teaching on [homosexuality] will be intellectually marginalized to the extent that it avoids engaging with the experiences of the people and the…

Brendan Hoban, in his Western People column, reacts to the letter, Beloved Amazon, issued by Pope Francis last week.
“It is important for us to name the disappointment, the frustration, the sadness, the upset, the anger that are part of the fall-out from last week’s letter.”
“The answer is that for some people, and progressively more, the waiting is over. Parents with children – teenage and adult – understand why time is important. Our leaders seem to be in denial about the impact such catastrophic delays are having on the confidence and the membership of our Church.”

Diarmuid O’Murchu DIARMUID O’MURCHU WEDNESDAY, 9th JUNE (please note change from our usual Tuesdays) 14.00 BST 09.00 EDT   15.00 CET ROOT & BRANCH  are delighted to welcome our much…