The sudden death of All Hallows

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!

Brendan Hoban, writing in the Western People, feels that many have missed the true historic significance of the commission, established by Pope Francis, to examine the issue of the ordination of women as deacons .
“Leaving aside the ordination issue it has been obvious for years that women could have been involved at a much higher level in church affairs but that they were systematically excluded by an unapologetic sexist mentality in the Vatican.”

“The cat is out of the bag. By establishing the commission and outlining its remit, Francis has effectively opened up the issue of women’s ordination for discussion, even though a few short years ago his two predecessors tried ‘definitively’ to close that discussion down. A few short years ago we weren’t even allowed to think about women’s ordination. Now the Catholic Church is officially considering the ordination of women deacons.
August 2, 2016 may well be remembered as a crucial day in the history of Catholicism.”

Pádraig McCarthy draws our attention to the statement from the Oblates about the involvement of religious congregations in the government redress scheme for residents of children’s institutions.

Werner G. Jeanrond writes in Doctrine and Life about models of church for the future.
“Christian communities are called to become communities of love – and not models of some perfect society with a well-ordered male hierarchy.”
“We live and work at the intersection of two competing models of Church: the Church as well-ordered society and the Church as dynamic community. “

“All kinds of conflicts may appear on the road toward a better Church. All kinds of vested interests will show their often ugly heads when challenged. But in the present period of transition, we are invited to remain faithful to God’s love command,…………. this love command applies also in any struggle within our Church.”

Seamus Ahearne casts and eye over recent happenings.
“We celebrated St Patrick. Was his father a deacon and his grandfather a priest? I don’t know. The accretions of history have decorated the story and there is great unsureness. But it doesn’t matter really, the essentials of faith and mission have survived. His Confessions are delightful in their simplicity; evocative as a story; inspirational in how God works despite our own shortcomings.”