.
To what is to me a baffling lack of comment, the Archbishop has issued a pastoral letter about the importance of prayer and Confession, with a bonus of how to obtain a Plenary Indulgence when visiting St Thérèse's relics. He also says something else, talking about Cardinal Newman:
"As you know, he came only gradually to the fullness of Catholic faith. It was a difficult journey for him. Yet, in his own words, he came to recognise our faith as “a working religion”, not concerned with ideas or vague generalities, but taking us up into the true worship of Christ himself. At the heart of Newman’s sense of the realism of our faith was the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, “as real”, he said “as we are real”.
We can learn from him to reawaken in ourselves this faith in Christ’s real, abiding presence in the Holy Eucharist, reserved in the Tabernacle. When this happens, we behave accordingly in His presence, giving Him our attention and the love of our hearts whenever we are in church. In this way we not only build up our own life of prayer but also encourage each other, in church, to give this precious time to Him. After all, He is the only one who can bring lasting peace into our lives."
We seem to have got a Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, who understands Catholicsm and who preaches it. But all there is to read about him on the Internet is how he gets things wrong.
"Tell it not in Geth, publish it not in the streets of Ascalon: lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph".
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13 comments:
"all there is to read about him on the Internet is how he gets things wrong"
That's because welcoming a government agency that arranges secret abortions for girls as young as fourteen without parental knowledge or consent in to Catholic schools is kind of a big deal.
It's not the sort of thing that goes away or is easily forgotten especially by those of us who have young children who will soon be attending the aforementioned schools.
If we give him our prayers and support, I'm sure he'll right the wrongs. Are we sure he knew what they were up to when he gave them his support?
JamesP: I've had children in Catholic schools since 1994 so know them quite well, as well as I know the diocesan education "experts", and the Catholic parents who discover scruples when they have to choose comprehensive catholic secondary education instead of nice safe middle class secular state grammar schools.
Catholic education in the UK is not in a mess just because diocesan education authorities are allowing heterodox text books and syllabuses into Catholic schools. The mess comes from confusion about the role of family, school, parish and diocese in Catholic formation.
Why are children not prepared for First Communion in Catholic primary schools? Sort that one out, and everything else will follow quickly. But be prepared for what you will get for trying from the "experts" and be prepared for the articulate middle class Catholic parents who will do nothing until you fail and then use your failure to justify their lack of participation.
My point is that this isn't black and white. There are a set of very dark greys, and a white ideal very few are anywhere near.
I'm not saying that things are simple and straight forward in the world of Catholic education.
However, the fact remains that there is nothing ambigous at all about an organisation that arranges abortions for under age girls without parental knowledge or consent. Such an organisation should not be welcome in Catholic schools.
Are you referring to 'Connexions', James?
James: I couldn't agree with you more, and there are Catholic schools in which they are made unwelcome, Catholic schools in which the Head conspires with the local rep of the organisation to make it look as though there is presence when in fact there isn't, and there is the scandalous situation of some schools. But what do the Catholic parents in the catchment area who send their children to Catholic schools do about it? How many of them are the parent governors, or the foundation governors, or the foundation parent governors, in there and fighting?
You (one, not you (at least yet!))can't just blame the Bishop: that's to abdicate your responsibility.
Sorry Pontesisto - I didn't mean to be ambigous. Yes, I am referring to Connexions.
Ttony - I think we can blame the Bishop because the Bishop is in a position to act decisively on this and has failed to do so. If the responsibility for these things lies entirely with the parents then why have Catholic schools at all? Parents will have to fight for Catholic principles either way...
(If this feels a bit shouty - sorry: my e-mail address is in my profile if you'd rather something longer and more thought out which could be published subsequently. I'm not a massive fan of combox dialogue: it reminds me of the Universe's forum!)
If the hierarchy of the faithful, those set in authority over the faithful like parish clergy and leaders such as teachers, then those in the diocesan curial offices all tell the Bishop that things are going well, and one loner tells the Bishop that things aren't going well, it's a bit harsh to expect that he will immediately drop everything to check whether the loner is or isn't accurate. He might have a share in the responsibility, but it isn't all his fault.
I'm not arguing that everything is wonderful, but that the problems are widespread, at all levels, endemic, widespread, and to blame the Bishop is too simple, as both the problem and, much more importantly, the solution, is much more complex.
"If the hierarchy of the faithful, those set in authority over the faithful like parish clergy and leaders such as teachers, then those in the diocesan curial offices all tell the Bishop that things are going well, and one loner tells the Bishop that things aren't going well, it's a bit harsh to expect that he will immediately drop everything to check whether the loner is or isn't accurate"
I suppose that's fair enough... Though I am still left with the feeling that perhaps when the loners have made sufficient noise that "all there is to read about him on the Internet is how he gets things wrong" and when the loners include the director of SPUC then maybe it's time for him to give the matter a little bit of attention.
Anyway, as you say... combox dialogue isn't always the most productive and it seems to me that we are perilously close to going around in circles so perhaps we should leave it there for now.
Slightly diverting things, and talking about reading things on the Internet, anyone know what has happened to The Sensible Bond?
JARay
JARay, I'd wondered that.
Chaps
I think he's been on holiday and come back to the start of term - nothing sinister!
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