Fidelity And Ambiguity, Conformity Or Defiance?

It has been over a week since I blogged last. I have been busy with parish and other duties. And it seems we have just slipped into July - I didn't see that one coming, not so soon. 

But a lot has happened in that week. Poor Meriam Ibrahim is still suffering. According to news sources, she will probably be put on trial again, this time for falsifying documents, ie using a name, her name, which the Muslim authorities of Sudan do not accept. Her step-brother, who called for her execution, is also trying to have the authorities put her under his jurisdiction so he can prevent her from leaving Sudan and, I presume, force her to convert to Islam. I do not think that will happen. During all her trials, Meriam has refused to renounce Christ or the Church and I think she may well prefer to die than convert. That would make her a martyr and probably even eligible for beatification. We must continue to support her with our prayers.  At the moment I believe she is in the US Embassy: is there any way US authorities could get her out of Sudan?

I note a post from Fr Ray Blake on his blog in which he asks where all the bloggers have gone. It was reading that this morning that pushed me online now. It is an interesting post and I find myself agreeing with what he says.  A lethargy seems to have descended on many, the discussions under Benedict have now changed to fears, raw defence of Catholic orthodoxy and accusations of disloyalty whenever someone is suspected of raising a question about the present pontificate. Meanwhile the whole approach to teaching the faith has changed. Now a priest is attacked and censured for explaining Church teaching clearly, while the approved method now seems to be maximum ambiguity "clarified" only by meaningless, fuzzy language. What a strange country we are walking in now. No wonder faithful people are resorting to silence for the sake of loyalty and unity. But I wonder what will be the consequences of that?

Finally, the response to the US Supreme Court decision on the Hobby Lobby case is very interesting. The wave of anti-Catholic rage has been most enlightening. The New York Times ran a one page ad which is reminiscent of the old days of anti-Catholic bigotry. The guys over in Creative Minority Report point out that the ad features a large image of Margaret Sanger, the mother of eugenics. There is also a good article in The Federalist by David Marcus in which he wonders if it is possible for Catholics to serve in the US without being accused of being intolerant. Strange times indeed. 

I think Pope Benedict said once that the Church may well have to go underground again, and that time may not be too far off. Reading the signs of the times I think he might be right. But I do have to wonder, if such a time is coming, is our response as a persecuted people one of ambiguity and fuzzy language, or should it be that of Meriam Ibraham: of faithful defiance in the face of those who would have us conform, silenced or dead?

That Story: Two Good Articles

I think I will finish up writing posts on the Tuam Story, it is becoming clearer that this is one the media have cooked up from a genuine piece of research which studied poverty and care institutions in the past. It is not about the Catholic Church, it is about Ireland and the way she treated her most vulnerable citizens.  As someone said to me the Tuam story and the broader issues it raises are more about what Ireland did to the Catholic Church rather than what the Catholic Church did to Ireland. There's something in that.

Anyway, I want to bring two excellent articles to your attention, both from non-Catholic sources: Forbes and Spiked.  The Forbes piece puts the spotlight on the media and notes, quite accurately I think, that "the global media are becoming less and less accountable". It seems checking facts and context are becoming less and less of a priority in the newsrooms of the world.

The article on Spiked is from its editor, Brendan O'Neill, an Irishman who regards himself as an atheist, and one in the honourable sense of that term. He is open, fair and critical, but in what I have read of his stuff he is never dismissive. His piece on Tuam is worth reading and making others aware of it.

The Catholic Church Is To Blame....Again

 

What a week it has been. The abortion act is being pushed through parliament under the veneer of democratic debate.   Some TDs and Senators are standing by their conscience and refusing to support legislation which will condemn innocent children to death: they are to be commended and supported.  

 

Meanwhile the Association of Catholic Priests has come out in support of the abortion bill, but do so in a sneaky way by featuring a pro-abortion article on their website and as yet no pro-life article.  The excuse offered was that the ACP is just giving a woman an opportunity to reflect on the issue.   No surprise there, really.  Rebellion against the Church's moral teaching always includes the endorsement of abortion and its attendant crimes.  At the end of the day no Catholic organisation can be "pro-choice".  There can be no choice - no one has the right to choose to intentionally end the life of another human being.  We don't tolerate it in other areas, so we should certainly not tolerate it here.

 

And then there was Barack Obama's visit to Ireland.  The media coverage was wall to wall and the national broadcaster was fulsome in its coverage.  Many have commented on the sycophantic nature of the coverage, and it was pretty stomach churning.  It is amazing how Irish liberals crawl before Democrat US Presidents.  

 

But Mr Obama did not bring joy to all hearts. It seems Catholic schools in Northern Ireland were to blame for the years of violence and bloodshed.  In educating our young people and passing on our Christian faith, it seems we were planting the seeds of the Troubles.  Thankfully some are expressing their anger, among them Bishop Donal McKeown, Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor.  Obama's comments were not only not true, but deeply offensive.   So far no apology from the president: I don't expect one.  But why should we be surprised?  It's just another anti-Catholic diatribe, and they are very common now, even among those in the Church.

 

This, though, is interesting as Northern Ireland society is slowly changing.  While political parties are still defined along religious lines - they are really political - nationalist and unionist which are usually aligned with Catholic and Protestant traditions.  However, when you begin to look closely at what these parties stand for, you begin to see in the "Catholic" parties, a sharp distancing from Catholicism and her moral teaching.  For one Sinn Fein, the majority "Catholic" party in the North, is in fact a Marxist party, and pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage etc etc.  The minority "Catholic" party the SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party), while not coming out as so anti Catholic moral teaching, its members have supported the gay marriage bill in the UK, through they still maintain that they are still pro-life.

 

On other hand, a close look at some of the Protestant parties reveals something very interesting.  Some are as pro-abortion as Sinn Fein, and still anti-Catholic.  One, however, seems to be more "Catholic" than any of the other parties, "Catholic" parties included.  Though firmly founded on anti-Catholic principles, the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party), holds sacred the same moral teachings as the Catholic Church.  It is pro-life, pro-traditional marriage and pro-family.  Its founder, Ian Paisley, a rabid anti-Catholic Presbyterian minister was, in public, scathing of Catholicism, yet in private he didn't care what religion you were: if you needed help you got it.  Indeed he had a community of Catholic nuns among his fans as he was a regular visitor and supporter.  I think he used to call them "my little sisters".

 

Irony of ironies, it may well be that one day soon, with "Catholic" parties supporting immoral policies, Catholics may well turn to their traditional enemies and find in their ranks men and women of similar moral outlook and Christian commitment.  To even suggest that now will bring ire on your head, as a friend of mine discovered recently.  But on the ground now there are many committed Catholics who are having qualms of conscience voting for parties who though identifying as Catholic, are supporting measures which contradict Catholic principals and moral teaching: they are already looking elsewhere. 

 

The future of Northern Ireland may not be as simple as some may think it should be - a reconciliation based on pure secularism.  Who knows, perhaps the Catholic Church may well find in the DUP and other unionists, allies and brothers and sisters in arms to face the moral struggles which lie ahead: a reconciliation and mutual action based on a common Christian faith.  Now that would be real reconciliation.

Jumping On The Bandwagon?

A quick post on an item which has grabbed the headlines over the last few days - another accusation made against the Church.  This time she is being accused of castrating ten boys in the Netherlands in the 1950's.  The usual suspects are irate again.

However, all is not what it seems: the original New York Times article was not, what you might say, generous with the truth, it seems the situation is a little more complicated, and the Church's role not as presented.  Here's what Tim Stanley of The Telegraph unearthed.  Another case of jumping on the bandwagon to bash the Church?

Unacceptable

Two things, as a dear friend of mine would say.  The first is the news that Cardinal Dolan has signed the "Unacceptable" letter which rejects Barack's Obama HHS Mandate.  You can view the letter and its latest signatories here.  Note that those who signed it are not "fundamentalist Catholics", but rather people from all walks of life and numerous religions, Christian and non-Christian.

The HHS Mandate is not about contraception - it is about undermining religious freedom.    And this issue is just as important to Ireland and the rest of the world as it is to the US because if the "land of the free" undermines religious freedom, other countries may well follow suit.  I could see our own lot, who are cutting and pasting a healthcare plan at the moment, doing the same thing.

Secondly, a post from Fr Z.  We all know that the secularists, atheists, Democrats and liberal Catholics have been attacking Republican Rick Santorum as he attempts to get the nomination to go forward in the US Presidential election later this year.   He is a man of faith and an orthodox Catholic and that just sends some people into outer space with rage.  Anyway, lest you think that all attacks on the man and his Catholic faith are modern and sophisticated, think again.  Here is a piece written by Larry Doyle on the Huffington Post. Read it and pray for the man.