Welcome Dialogue
The ACP is happy to inform members that a meeting is being arranged between representatives of the ACP and the Irish Episcopal Conference, represented by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin and Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, President of the Irish Episcopal Conference.
The meeting comes as a result of a request from the ACP, made on 10 August 2017, to meet with the bishops before the proposed visit by Pope Francis to the World Meeting of Families in August 2018.
The date that is being proposed for this meeting to take place is Monday, 15th January 2018 at 11.00 a.m. in Archbishop’ s House, Drumcondra, Dublin.
The ACP very much welcomes this opportunity for dialogue.
The text of the letter from the secretary of the Episcopal Conference is carried below.
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The letter from the ACP to the bishops.
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At last, a positive response from the bishops. Good news.
Glad to see. Long overdue. I hope it will being a lot of dialogue and understanding.
I agree, Gerard @1, very positive news and thank God for it. It’s one of a few little signs of hope lately. We just have to keep praying and planting seeds. We must never give into despair or – heaven forbid- become indifferent.
To Paddy Ferry on the 11th November Day’s Reading thread, thank you for the reminder about Junia. What a pity we have few called Phoebe or Junia in our generations. Forgotten women like so many.
It honestly couldn’t be happening at a better time. I think once you connect with Bishops and make a strong commitment that you all have a duty to find and realign all those priests/bishops who are contrary to Francis’s teachings (which is coming at them most important time of our lives – some would say the 11th hour), everything will be great.
The United States is starting to inspire the condemnation of a swath of their own body religious (Hollywood). Most if not all these people could retire tomorrow, I would expect, earnings/assets still in the millions. Oh well – times are tough I guess.
There is a real mismatch in these letters. The bishops want to discuss only WMOF. ACP wants to discuss much more including what might happen with Pope Francis. It’s hilarious to imagine the two Martins sitting together to represent the conference in dialogue with ACP. I am not sure they could have a civil conversation alone without ACP. This has the making of high farce.