Oct 31

Most important report: Irish priest @ Austrian  meeting
The Initiative has had little contact with the Austrian bishops during the past year. The leadership believes that the Austrian Bishops are afraid of Rome: They are prepared to take orders from Rome, rather than listen to the pastoral needs of the people.See comment of Chris McDonnell

Update from Bill Mulcahy Photos of tanks at Uganda school

US Elections: $ Spinners George Monbiot 
We should see this system as a ghastly warning of what happens
if a nation fails to purge the big money from politics.

Oct 30

Synod interview with HK's Cardinal John Tong  Call for 4 dialogues

Peru University re use of  "Catholic" 
c.f. David Timbs' article Peruvian Catastrophe

Oct 26 menu had this art by Card George re a world without religion. 
Last week I met an inmate (!) who is editor of  "world without religion" site which "has  big following in HK"

Prostate cancer tests do harm 

Dec 1: HK Oxfam gathering

Oct 28

Synod missed the boat
Jesuit Superior-General reflects on how Synod ignored history.
Full text of his address to Synod. What an important speech....which is why I hoped Synod might check these arts

Vat II DID make a difference Rober Blair Kaiser (Tablet)
Be aware during the coming year of efforts to dumb the Council down, to convince you that the Council didn't change the Church very much. After you recall what kind of Church we lived in before Vatican II, I think you will agree with me, and rejoice with me and be glad for what the Council did do, irreversibly, I hope

Vatican II anniversary: Homily by Bishop Geoff Robinson
I remember that first exhilarating month when John XXIII left the Vatican more often than the pope before him had in nineteen years. I remember him visiting the major prison in Rome and, rather than delivering a profound discourse on the morality of prison life, telling the prisoners of an uncle of his who had done time for sheep stealing. He won my imagination and my undying affection, as he did for millions 
of other people

Proposal to kick-start China-Vatican dialogue
Card Filoni's excellent suggestion

Vat II betrayed by lack of discipline
Reader: hanging judge at it again

For many years I've been intrigued by this reflection:
A way to cut unemployment God Calling (Oct 25)

Amazing TV interview (in English) with Kim Jong Il's grandsonson

How a famous English cricketer spent his last years helping the poor
(Enlarge for less difficult reading)

Bishop Pat Power in Rome on  Oct 11 anniversary of Vat II

Seriousness of US secularization Cardinal Francis George OMI 

The inner journey to peace Sr Joan Chittister (Catholica)
A really beautiful 10 minute video

Afghanistan: help local level Alleviation of poverty the main aim

SSPX expels Holocaust denier

Six new cardinals

Synod: Financial transparency

Synod: upgrade for Catechists?

Vat II - unlike any other council Cardinal Godfried Danneels
Reader: long but important article

Remembering Fr Vincent Lebbe Belgian who embraced China

US Catholics: focus on poverty rather than abortion (Reuters)
(Reader: should focus on both!)

A feminist reading of the Koran Ruby Hamad (Eureka Street)
What an important article!

Electoral Responsibility America Magazine Editorial
Both presidential candidates have taken positions that are incompatible with the moral law. “A nation,” wrote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

What does God do in Heaven? Joseph Girzone
All that to-do about the whole population of heaven spending their eternity falling down in worship of the Almighty is purely an unhealthy creation of our human imagination

We need to talk about marriage Cardinal George Pell

New insights into the birth of the modern Chinese Church
Fr Hugh McMahon SSC
Using Liam Brockey's Journey to the East: The Jesuit Mission to China 1579-1724, Hugh draws lessons from the efforts of Jesuits who laid the foundations of the Church in China, Korea and Japan

100 theologians' call to protect the endangered Common Good - especially 5 basic principles

Listen to the laity Tablet Editorial 
Does Church show face of Christ,  or of authoritarian disapproval?

Church badly divided after 50 years Sandro Contenta  (thestar.com)
The church has to listen to its people. The stakes are huge
The church is being torn by a classic power struggle. Reformers say Vatican II calls for a more decentralized and democratic church; the Vatican has instead centralized control while cracking down on doctrinal opposition for 30 years

Victorian abuse inquiry: (The Age) Catholic clergy the worse abusers

Not true: teach a man to fish... A moving story from Kenya (Oxfam)

Synod update from John Allen: 
HK's Card Tong speaks about China and about Church reform
Tong is a quiet, beaming, humble figure, utterly free of the clerical pretense
that some stereotypically associate with Catholic prelates

Digging out the problem  Teresa Mee (ACP) ("must read")
It's time to go where the absentee younger generation are and engage with them. 
We may find the cause of the problem is neither with them nor with any of the ‘isms’ being quoted by the hierarchy. Culturally, the Church is out of sync. with our generation in more respects than in the regalia of its leaders

Obedience  Brian Fahy (ACP)

Talk on Vat II Donald Dorr (ACP)
Outdated, ridiculous, and unChristian titles like Your Lordship/Grace should be replaced by forms of address in line with the words of Jesus in relation to leadership

What's gone wrong with my church?
My church has fallen prey to what is sometimes known as the ‘choke law’. This ‘law’ was first identified by Roman Catholic missiologists, but it applies to evangelical churches

Doctor's afterlife experience (Newsweek)   c.f.  Ben    Howard   Dr Mary    Dr Jeffrey

Comment re International Day  of the Girl Child 
Every three seconds a girl is forced  into early marriage
– about 200 by the time you get to end of this article 

Women deacons? George Ripon (Catholica)

Synod:  Bishops and Religious need dialogue

Ways out of economic depression Fr Bruce Duncan CSsR (Eureka St)
Austerity not the answer!

Pope: Ignorance of Creed breeds Cafeteria Catholics  (NCR)
Reader: Lexicon getting a work out

Synod: Plea re translation & subsidiarity

US moral theologian on Vat II

US bishop kicked sideways? Reader: Glad he stood his ground with the bullies in the Curia.

Vat II:  Birth of the World Church Brother Seán D Sammon  FMS
Church too European....

The Lost War of the Vatican
Part One   Part Two (Compass) Reader: Part Two has a lot more gravitas than Part One.
(Not accessible outside Australia)

Synod: John Allen's update
"A rather striking omission at the Synod: So far, nobody’s said anything about deacons".  
(Reason?  Vatican not in favor of deacons ?)

Re-embracing vision of Vat II Sr Clare Condon SGS (Good Oil)
The institution of the Church has become old and tired and too internally focused

Vatican II's  prophetic Declaration on Religious Freedom 
Bernard Teo CSsR (Good Oil)

Latest Christian Healing Ministries has article about Christmas  by Francis MacNutt with words 
"For everyone who has a desolate Christmas memory, God has reserved the greatest consolation"

Empty Promise George Monbiot 
The consensus is that climate change will hurt farmers in the tropics and help farmers in temperate countries

Victorian abuse inquiry: Salesian sex probe report queried

UK: Huge support for "A Call to Action" on Church renewal
One speaker was this website's Chris McDonnell whose blog tomorrow will report on the meeting

Comment by reader:
William Grimm made a very good point in drawing attention to the real hermeneutic of continuity, namely, the policy of the Council Fathers going back into their dioceses and episcopal conferences and putting the Council's inspirations into action

Synod: Ecumenism lives John Allen Anniversaries: Vat II & 95 Theses Important info re Ecumenism

Communist China keeps grip on gun
Fr Jeremy Clarke SJ (Eureka Street)

Oct 15

Vat II:  world's biggest meeting?
This article from Tablet shows how the idea of holding a council had been around for several decades

Synod update:  John Allen (NCR) Salvaton,  the movements, the poor

Happy Anniversary Vatican II Lots of material - especially the link to Opening the Church to the World
by Fr John W O'Malley SJ

World's oldest teacher: 99 year old  Fr Geoffrey Schneider SJ (ABC Video)

Troublesome priests Martin Prendergast (ACP)
“The Roman refusal to take up long-needed reforms and the inaction of the bishops not only permits but demands that we follow our conscience and act independently.”
Clergy are frustrated with what they see as false obedience to unjust ecclesiastical regulations, forcing them to say one thing, yet do another. Awakening from this imposed pathology, they affirm that now is the time to speak pastoral truth to hierarchical power. Communities, big or small, can change when consciousness of reality is awakened, relational power is nurtured and used for the common good.

Oct 14

Synod: An Asian plea for humility John Allen (NCR)
"Evangelization has been hurt and continues to be impeded by the arrogance of its messengers," Villegas said. "The hierarchy must shun arrogance, hypocrisy and bigotry. The Gospel cannot thrive in pride. When pride seeps into the heart of the church, the Gospel proclamation is harmed"

Vatilieaks: Lifting lid on dark secrets Robert Mickens (Tablet)
Butler's trial a scripted show

Civil war being waged in Church Joseph Girzone 
Fear of change can only too often prevent any compromise, and when that fear dominates, 
change in the Church becomes almost impossible

Fox News report on Pope's  Vat II anniversary homily
 "Ben spiritually lives in Middle Ages"

Church tax decree bodes ill for German Catholicism
Reader: Big fall out over this one

Victorian abuse inquiry: Church policy of silence exposed
Reader: Not a good look as perceptions go and would seem very weak and defensive in the public eye

Afghanistan "sliding to collapse" - Red Cross warning (Guardian)
c.f. "Foundations once destroyed,  we  look  to the Lord for help"

Oct 12

Get the facts straight about Vat II Fr William Grim (Ucanews)
During the year we will probably see  another case of the Vatican  rewriting the history of the Church

Synod: John Allen re address by Archbishop Rowan Williams

50 years after Vat II, Catholics still hoping for new vision Paul Collins (SMH)

Victorian abuse inquiry:
Church's credibility in tatters and  Police slam Church

Shanti Ministry in Hong Kong Serving minority groups, especially people from South Asia

What happened in British-run  detention camp in Kenya  in 1950's
George Monbiot Men castrated with pliers

Oct 11

Vat II: a map for the journey Tablet editorial
There is no papal mandate for imposing hermeneutic of continuity. 
Such a distortion of the council’s work amounts to a rejection of it

Synod photo:  HK's Card Tong far left of Pope

Synod & Evangelization Fr. Seán McDonagh  SSC

Melb priest to be defrocked (Age) Reader: no room at the inn

File of recent comments by readers Please use comment boxes! 

Oct 9:

Born on this day in 1623,  Ferdinand Verbiest, a Jesuit priest who was a close friend of the Chinese emperor,
and who designed the world's first auto mobile!

Back-pedaling on Vatican II Fr Michael Kelly (Eureka Street)
The Pope's plan seems to be an intellectualised version of the ghetto  Vatican II sought to break down.

Vatican II only "half realised"Cardinal Kasper (Tablet)
e.g. Episcopal collegiality   e.g. Co-responsibility of the laity

In case you're wondering where Australian blogger Bill Mulcahy has been recently, please check this !

Philippines peace deal will work? Historic deal with Muslims (Guard)

Oct 8

QQ & AA re Oct 7-28 Synod John Allen (NCR)

Pope's homily at Synod opening 

Hans Kung: Guardian interview End Church's "authoritarian" rule
"Vatican like Kremlin"   c.f. Kung's letter to bishops

50 years after Vatican II, should Pope John XXIII be a saint? (NCR)
John XXIII's council saved the Church from perhaps inevitable calcification and possible collapse.
c.f. John XXIII's Journal of a Soul

What can we do about child slavery? Tim Costello (The Age)
215 million children work in slave conditions

Oct 7

Alternative prayers Sunday 27(B) and  Sun 27(B) Gospel in drama form: What God has joined

Priests have earned the right to  speak about the state of the Church
Brendan Hoban (ACP)

The Vatican's very own revolution Barney Zwartz (The Age)

No more Vatican - SSPX talks? Chicago Tribune

Alain Woodrow's take on the Vatican II diaries of Yves Congar
(Tablet)

China will embrace democracy  - John Howard  (The Age)

Jesuit theologian to launch Vatican II book at Heythrop
UK readers: hope you can attend Fr Gerald O'Collins' lecture on Oct 18!

Listening to God's people Cardinal Martini's way
Elizabeth McKenzie (CathBlog)
With the availability of Church documents and insightful theological studies, it is surely time those members of the plebs Dei who have started to grow up, and who are hungry for a more mature experience of ‘Church’ than the one currently on offer, should be listened to 

Australian Rosemary Goldie was pioneer for Catholic women at the Vatican  (NCR)
"Since in our times women have an ever more active share in society, it is very important that they participate more widely also in the various fields of the Church's apostolate."

Vat II and the Australian impact (ABC Radio)

The dumbing new translation (pt 2) Dr Anthony Lowes (Catholica)
"Under my roof" ?   "For you and for many/all" ?

On being cyberbullied Sr Carmel Pilcher (CathBlog)

What is the role of a priest? (Part 2)
Dr John Collins  (Catholica) Vat II  50th Anniversary talk

What is the role of a priest? (Part 1) Dr John Collins  (Catholica)
Paper given at workshop to mark 50th Anniversary of Vatican II

Plutocracy's Boot Boys At: www.monbiot.com 

Colombia's president has cancer
See comment by John W !

Oct 2

Good reading on Mission
Fr Hugh McMahon SSC
He recognizes the inevitable tension  between those who preserve truth and unity and those who bring the Christian message to a variety of cultures and situations. The tendency of the first is to seek uniformity in expression and practice. The task of the latter is to promote variety. At present, emphasis is on the first & attention to the second is sacrificed

Francis Xavier was a top sportsman
so he'd be pleased that  Xavier College has so many top footballers!

Families only a means to an end Michael Mullins (Eureka St)
Only 50% of Aust Catholics married

Are we really God's entrepreneurs?
Fr Hugh McMahon SSC
The first generation of Columbans broke new ground in the unfamiliar cultural landscape of China, the second generation built up the churches of Asia and Latin America, and now the third generation is called to help those churches make the Christian message more their own

Interview with Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland (ACP)
 "The sickening reality is that the most heartbreaking problem we have in Ireland is that of young gay male suicide" (From comment one)

Cardinal Burke - Exhibit A
(Washington Post)
c.f. Burke's Law (David Timbs)
and Card Burke a model of humility

The killing of 8 Afghan women
Fr John Dear SJ (NCR)
The further down you read this article, the more moving it becomes.
And note the sentence: Of course, we now know that our war is all about natural resources, setting up a new oil pipeline from Iraq through Iran through Afghanistan