Rome
Where is the Wellspring?
Saturday, August 18th, 2007
I’ve just returned from Taizé (ecumenical community near Lyon (France)) after spending some time in Rome and I can’t help but wonder what direction this Church of ours is heading in….as an institution. Do we have our priorities right?…or is it just jet-lag?
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“An honest declaration” - What’s the problem?
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007
There’s been a lot of talk in the media recently about the document released on the Vatican’s website (www.vatican.va) which re-affirmed the Church of Rome as Christ’s one true Church on Earth. The document, ‘Responses to some questions regarding certain aspects of the doctrine on the Church’ was drawn up by the Congregation for the […]
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Our wellspring of morality
Friday, August 3rd, 2007
Catholics have often been accused of blindly following a supreme authority (Roman Pontiff) and in so doing sacrificing there own views…there own soul. An argument as to a Catholic’s first allegiance, when making a decision, has raged in the Church for years. Some theologians claim the infallible word of the sitting pope must dictate the […]
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Dedicato a te
Monday, July 30th, 2007
I don’t really remember very much about the Latin Mass. I became an altar-boy a short time before the transition to the celebration of Mass in the vernacular and so the development of my faith life has been almost entirely through a language that I fully understand. But I do recall my training as an […]
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Thy Kingdom Come
Monday, July 30th, 2007
In an article from Zenit News Pope Benedict is reported as encouraging the faithful to take up their role as builders of a ‘temporal world order’…someone of faith may call it a ‘Kingdom of God’. What our Pontiff was pointing out was a common reluctance of those in political office to allow their faith into […]
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A reaction to a reaction by the ‘Reverend’
Thursday, July 26th, 2007
[In writing the following I hope I don’t offend any readers but what I say is what I believe.]
‘During the 12th of July celebrations in ‘Orange’ sections of the country a cry of outrage could be heard from Co. Antrim. Yet when the shocked observers saw the source there was little surprise’.
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A Church for Sinners.
Thursday, July 26th, 2007
It has been noted on occasion that the Church is not for perfect people but for sinners who wish to repent. The Church is based on a 2000 year tradition of life in Jesus Christ. But just because we recognise the founding fathers as saints doesn’t mean they weren’t sinners.
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A democratic Church??
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
It is unheard of in the west today to speak badly of democracy as a form of governance and to speak well of a more dictatorial style. What many Catholics tend to forget is that the Catholic Church is not a ‘democracy’.
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‘Infallible!’ or ‘Infallible?’
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007
What does it mean when we say the Pope is infallible? It means, basically, that the Holy Fathers teachings on faith and morals can be pronounced a ‘no-go-area’ for the faithful. If the Holy Father declares a teaching on faith or morals as connected to Divine Revelation then that teaching is ‘infallible’. This doesn’t mean […]
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The Past = The Future?
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007
Recently Pope Benedict issued a decree to allow Roman Catholic priests to say Latin Mass more frequently. Will this move bring back those who are seeking a return to the old ways or will it alienate a large portion of church going people?
With mass attendance in some countries as little as 5%, can we expect this […]
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