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The Silencing of Truth
Earlier today, the Vatican announced that “the Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese” of a certain American Bishop. Now, on the face of it this might seem quite mundane – after all, the Holy See, announces such resignations almost every day. Normally, these are because the bishop in question has reached the age of 75, prior to which time they are bound to submit their resignations; the Holy Father then may choose either to ‘activate’ the resignation or, sometimes, to allow the bishop to continue in post for a while longer. But this particular case is a little bit different to others. Firstly,…
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A Decisive Moment
The world watched events in Russia yesterday with a high degree of incredulity, and with not a little concern. While some declared that “our enemies’ enemy is our friend”, others with a little more astuteness noted that this is not necessarily the case; the enemy of an enemy can all too quickly become a new enemy of ours – and sometimes, a worse one. What is clear is that the events yesterday in Russia are not over, nor are they merely the end of something – they almost certainly herald the beginning of something. The nature of that ‘something’ remains to be seen. At the deepest level, yesterday was a…
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An Opened Window
I was born just before the closing of the Second Vatican Council. As a child, my religious upbringing was very ‘ordinary’ – I saw and experienced no real oddities in the practice of the faith, and that has essentially remained the case in the intervening years. During those years, I have heard much about the experiences of others – some good, some not so. That may be others’ experience, but mine has always been quite pedestrian. One of the most-quoted lines regarding the Council came from the man who convoked the Council – Pope John XXIII. He apparently spoke of wishing to ‘open the windows of the Church and let…
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A Field Of Blood
In the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke describes the demise of Judas Iscariot. Luke tells us that Peter stood among the brothers and recounted how Judas, after his betrayal of Jesus, “acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness.. and it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language ‘Akeldama’ – that is, field of blood”; Peter notes that the brothers need to find someone to replace Judas – “let another take his office” (Acts 1: 18-19, 20). And so it is clearly seen that those in the office of what we now call ‘bishop’ may well prove…
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A Step Too Far
A number of weeks ago, I was walking past one of the major hospitals in Glasgow. Standing outside the perimeter wall were a number of women who were silently protesting against abortion. One or two of them were quietly praying the Rosary, while a couple held up placards saying what they were doing and why. When the women are approached, they are very happy to be engaged in conversation and will very politely explain the purpose of their actions. Similar silent protests are in place outside at least one other very large hospital in Glasgow. There is no aggression, no hostility, no shouting – they are simply, quietly there. At…
