There is a concerted campaign to relegate religion to the shadows of Irish society, writes Fr Martin Delaney
Recently I watched a US television interview with President Obama in the Oval Office of the White House. The interviewer from CBS mentioned to the president that she had heard he carries in his pocket some mementoes which are symbolically significant to him and from which he draws inspiration.
The interviewer asked if the president might share with the viewers what he was carrying in his pocket that day and he produced two items; a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe and rosary beads given to him by Pope Francis!
Here is a non-Catholic leader of a so-called superpower quite happily sharing on prime time television that he draws comfort and inspiration from two of the great symbols of our faith.
The Catholic communities in the US and in Ireland have both suffered significant reputational damage as a result of the evil of clerical child abuse and how it was mishandled by Church leadership.
Recently the movie Spotlight, dealing with the exposure of clerical child abuse in Boston won the Oscar for best film. Despite this the Church in the US seems to have weathered the storm and there is widespread evidence that the Catholic community has regained its self-confidence and is not afraid to take its rightful place in public discourse and community leadership.
When Pope Francis visited the US a few months ago his visit was covered extensively by all the major US TV networks in a most positive manner.
The situation in Ireland is very different. As I watched President Obama speak about the picture of Our Lady and the rosary beads, I could not help but wonder if any Irish Catholic politician would ever be able to be as comfortable witnessing to their faith in public. Many have commented how our president never mentions Jesus Christ in his annual ‘Christmas message’.
The 2011 Dáil speech by the outgoing Taoiseach attacking the leadership of the Church was billed by many media commentators as the “high point” of his tenure in office.
This speech was followed by the closure of the Irish Embassy to the Holy See for “economic” reasons.
The persistent attacks on denominational education from certain media and political figures lead many to feel, with some justification, that there is a concerted campaign to relegate religion in general and the Catholic Church in particular to the shadows of Irish society.
During these final weeks of Lent and as we celebrate the great Christian festival of Easter perhaps we might all reflect on how we as ordinary Catholic Christians respond to our changing cultural realities.
There are many things we might not want to borrow from our American cousins, but we could do worse than follow their example of putting our heads above the parapet again and finding new ways of witnessing proudly to the Faith we profess.
Jesus, Veronica… and us
St Brigid’s Church in Ballsadare, Co. Sligo has been renovated in recent years. When I visited I was struck by the depiction of the sixth station of the Cross, Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. The centre part of the towel with which Veronica wipes Jesus’ face had become a mirror.
When you look at this station you see your own reflection on Veronica’s towel. As I reflected on the sixth station in Ballysadare it struck me that at the most vulnerable point in Jesus’ life he stands in solidarity with each of us particularly when we are at our most vulnerable.
Bible breakables A woman was posting a well wrapped Bible as a gift to a friend. The post office clerk asked the woman if there was anything breakable inside. “Only the Ten Commandments,” she replied.
The two gondolas The City Council was discussing the proposal of more leisure facilities for the zoo. One counsellor suggested the creation of a lake with a gondola. “A great idea,” said another. “Get two so they can mate!”