Dear Editor, At a time when other news outlets – including, sadly, other Catholic ones – fill their online and paper pages with ‘fake news’ about the Vatican, it’s reassuring to see The Irish Catholic holding the line for responsible journalism.
Only this week the Vatican had to quash rumours irresponsibly reported across certain elements of the Catholic media claiming Rome has had a ‘secret commission’ working on an ‘ecumenical Mass’ in which Catholics and Protestants could take Communion together. Supposedly it reported directly to Pope Francis, and operated without the knowledge of Cardinal Robert Sarah, head of the Congregation for Divine Worship.
Vatican spokesman Greg Burke has said these rumours are simply not true, with the congregation’s deputy head, Archbishop Arthur Roche, a supposed commission member, saying they are “utterly false”.
Last week also saw reports that Pope Francis had asked for a synod of South American bishops to consider – as something to help tackle vocational shortages in the Amazon region – the possibility of priests being able to marry. Again, this was rubbish: a Brazilian cardinal had apparently asked the Pope if the bishops at the synod could consider the possibility of whether married men of great faith could be ordained, and the Pope had allowed this to be included on the agenda.
That week saw too many Catholic media outlets – but not The Irish Catholic! – glossing over the news that the Church’s former doctrinal watchdog Cardinal Gerhard Müller has joined Vienna’s Cardinal Christoph Schönborn in saying how Amoris Laetita is orthodox and the dubia can be answered, focusing instead on how one American theologian published a letter – written, he said, with divine approval following a strange sign – rejecting the orthodoxy of the Pope’s teaching.
In your Reformation issue (IC 26/10/2017), Prof. Richard Rex quoted Hilaire Belloc saying truth lies in proportion – I’m glad The Irish Catholic gets its proportions right.
Yours etc.,
Louise Clarke , Clonsilla, Dublin 15.
Luther’s anniversary a good time to clear the air
Dear Editor, The 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s challenge to debate (allegedly) on the church door in Wittenberg has overshadowed a more significant anniversary. 2017 marks the 1950th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome.
Anniversaries characterised by ‘50th’ are normally celebrated. But has there been any reference in 2017 to this anniversary at any level of Catholicism?
Ss Peter and Paul could have created a split in Christianity on the question of circumcision as it related to spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles. But like the subsequent great reformers St Catherine of Sienna and St Bridget of Sweden the interaction between Peter and a mildly Hellenised Paul enhanced Church unity and enriched doctrine.
There is always need for the elimination of abuses and blasphemies in Catholicism but efforts to undo its sacramental foundations cannot be regarded as reform. Catholicism has seen off the efforts of Martin Luther in this regard, and despite its weaknesses and current confusions retains an intellectually rich theological tradition better able to negotiate the acids of the broader culture.
Moreover the Martin Luther anniversary provides a great opportunity to explain properly and correct the misconceptions regarding the wonderful reality of indulgences and encourage their incorporation into everyday Catholic life.
Yours etc.,
Neil Bray,
Cappamore, Co. Limerick.
Opinions are only for some
Dear Editor, When I read at the weekend of Katie Ascough’s impeachment as President from UCD’s students union because of her pro-life stance, I was dismayed.
Then I thought, why should I be dismayed at the behaviour of people who are willing to kill unborn babies?
As I was distributing pro-life materials at the weekend I detected a marked aggression from some pro-choice sympathisers. Sadly, it now appears in this country that if you are not pro-choice you are not entitled to your opinion!
Yours etc.,
Anne McGrath, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.
Parents unaware of guilt after abortion
Dear Editor, Further to Chai Brady’s article (IC 26/10/2017), I fully agree with Bishop Doran that no health professional should be legally forced to participate in any procedure to which they conscientiously object to on religious or moral grounds.
Although health professionals should always ensure that their personal values and opinions do not stand in the way of their patients receiving any available medical care or treatment, they should be aware of their right to refrain from providing, or participating in, treatments to which they conscientiously object. A health professional’s autonomy, as well as that of their patients, should be respected.
Julian Savulescu argues that “a doctor’s conscience is of little consequence when caring for a patient; if they are not prepared to offer treatments and care that are in conflict with their conscience, they should not be doctors”.
However a pro-life doctor is no more likely to apply for a position in an abortion clinic than a vegetarian would apply for a job in an abattoir! Are arguments like these simply part of a campaign to deprive a health service of dedicated professionals who dare to respect the sacredness of human life?
It is commonly believed that having an abortion to avoid having a child with a foetal abnormality will, so to speak, ‘solve the problem’. However research has shown that women can suffer long-lasting physical and emotional consequences.
Parents are frequently quite unprepared for the grief, guilt or depression experienced following an abortion for a foetal abnormality.
Yours etc.,
Christina Coakley,
Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo.
Would a congregation be prepared to pay for a married priest’s family?
Dear Editor, As Michael Kelly says (‘Priestly celibacy is a discussion that will rumble on’, IC 19/10/2017), the requirement for celibacy “is not dogma”. However, this omits how Pope Francis was formerly the Ordinary to the Eastern Rite Catholics in Argentina – and they do allow married priests (though not married Bishops). So Pope Francis may permit a married priesthood in the western Church – but that is unlikely to stem the catastrophic fall in vocations. Would a falling congregation be prepared to pay for the upkeep of a married priest’s family? Would married priests be prepared to uproot their whole family and move to the other end of a diocese at the order of their Bishop?
Whatever about married priests, this has nothing to do with women priests. The distinction must be drawn: celibacy is a matter of Church discipline which is only eight centuries old. Women priests are a matter of doctrine. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, only a baptised man may validly be ordained.
And as St John Paul II said in his 1994 apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis: “The fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as discrimination against them.”
Yours, etc.,
Kieron Wood,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Keep calm and relax – it’s only Christmas!
Dear Editor, What’s all this talk about ‘dreading Christmas’? How we spend Christmas is our choice. Some people have chosen to make the season a time for excess: too much of everything. Trying to keep up with the display of wealth of others drives the market to dizzy heights of greed.
No one is forcing you or me to follow trends. So why not choose independently how we are going to celebrate? I choose to create a peaceful, affordable, happy season without excesses. Explain this cheerfully and meaningfully to the children and to friends.
Have a warm, cosy house in which everyone will be welcome; Christmas tree and Crib if that’s what your heart tells you. Have the kettle on the hob and open arms to callers to share a cuppa, a chat and a laugh (no need for a crate of bottles in the back kitchen!).
Now relax and plan in peace; it’s your choice.
Yours, etc.,
Angela Macnamara,
Churchtown,
Dublin 14.