Pope appoints new Bishop oF Motherwell

Enda Kenny attends canonisations and invites Pope Francis to visit Ireland

Some reservations on at least one of the two New Saints

I am glad that so many seem to draw joy and pleasure from the fact that two former Popes  are due to be canonised by Pope Francis possibly in presence Pope emeritus Benedict

Sadly I cannot share their joy as I have grave reservations about JP11.   He  may have been great in his theology, especially in respect of the body.  He was certainly a shrewd political operator and that makes his other "omission" all the more lamentable.
His "failure" to attend to the recurring problems in the era of sexual abuse during  his reign appears to cast serious doubts on whether or not he was heroic in virtue.

It may also suggest that Sunday's canonisation is more politically inspired than religiously motivated.

PR does not really advance the Kingdom.
Truth does.

posted by  http://efpastoremeritus2.blogspot.co.uk ( I am still trying to get google to show this name as publisher/  poster rather  than as shown below)

Pope thanks Poland, Bergamo for gift of two great saints

VATICAN CITY, April 25 (CNA/EWTN News) .- In messages to both residents of Poland and Bergamo, Pope Francis conveyed his gratitude for Bl. John Paul II and John XXIII, saying that their holiness continues to inspire the Church today.  “I thank the Polish people and the Church in Poland for the gift of John Paul II,” the Pope said in a video clip addressed to the Church in Poland, adding that “all of us have been enriched by this gift.”  Aired Thursday evening, the pontiff's message was shown on Polish Televesion and Radio, and was sent alongside a letter.  In his opening words to the Polish people, Pope Francis relayed his joy in being able to canonize the two pontiffs this Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday.  “I am grateful to John Paul II, as all the members of the people of God, for his untiring service, his spiritual guidance, and for his extraordinary testimony of holiness.”  “What John Paul II asked all, which is not to be afraid and to open wide the doors to Christ,” he observed, “he did it first,” explaining that “He has opened society, culture, political and economic systems to Christ.”
 He reversed “with the strength of a giant – strength that came from God – a tendency that might have seemed irreversible,” the pontiff said. He noted that with his “testimony of faith, of love and apostolic courage, accompanied by a great human charisma,” John Paul II taught the world not to be afraid of being called Christians.  The Bishop of Rome then drew special attention to how before “traveling the streets of the world” the Polish Pope grew in his service to God in Poland, where his heart was formed; a heart that then expanded to a universal dimension.  “John Paul II,” he said, “has done everything for everyone.”  Again thanking Poland for the gift of Bl. John Paul II, Pope Francis emphasized that he continues to inspire the Church today and that “We are inspired by his words, his writings, his gestures, his style of service.”  “He inspires us by his suffering lived with a heroic hope. He inspires us with his total trust in Christ, Redeemer of man, and in the Mother of God.”  Concluding his message, the pontiff made known his anticipation of coming to Poland for the first time for World Youth Day in Krakow in 2016. He also thanked all of the journalists covering the canonization in print, radio and television, because through them many who are not in Rome “will be able to participate in this great event.”

In his message to the diocese of Bergamo, a region in Italy from where Bl. John XXIII hails, Pope Francis affirmed the people that he knows “how much you love Pope John, and how much he loved your land.”  “From the day of his election as pontiff, the name of Bergamo and Sotto il Monte became familiar to the whole world and even today, over 50 years later, they are associated with his smiling face and his paternal tenderness,” he observed.

  Extending his invitation for the citizens of Bergamo to thank the Lord “for the great gift that his holiness has been for the universal Church,” the Pope also encouraged them “to cherish the memory of the land in which it germinated.”  “A land of profound faith lived in daily life, of poor families but united in love of the Lord, of a community capable of sharing in simplicity.”  Speaking of the Blessed's calling of the Second Vatican Council in order to address a pastoral response to the presence of the Church in the modern world, the Roman Pontiff explained that “the renewal desired from the Second Vatican Council has opened the road.”  It is “a special joy that the canonization of Pope Roncalli takes place together with that of Bl. John Paul II,” the Pope continued, adding that “this renewal has brought forward in his long pontificate.”  Going on, the Bishop of Rome expressed that his certainty “that civil society will always be able to find inspiration in the life of the Pope of Bergamo and of the atmosphere he generated, seeking new ways and adapting to the times in order to build a life based on the perennial values of fraternity and solidarity.”  Bringing his message to a close, Pope Francis asked all of Bergamo to pray for him, and assured them of his own “remembrance and prayers,” particularly for “the suffering” and “for the sick.”  “I send to all of you, during the immense feast of Easter, the Apostolic Blessing.”

Vatican delegation held up reform in Irish Church , says Archbishop Dr Diarmuid Martin of Dublin

A delegation sent by Rome following the publication of the Murphy and Ryan reports effectively held up reform of the church in Ireland and “set expectations it was never going to realise”,  Archbishop Dr Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has said.

They were dispatched by the Vatican following the publication of the reports in 2009 to establish what went wrong in the Irish church.

The apostolic visitation, which comprised seven high-powered teams, “froze the Irish church at a particular moment” and “actually, in some ways, delayed reforms in the Irish church”, Archbishop Martin said.

In a veiled criticism of the Vatican, he said his comments were not a criticism of those who carried out the visitation, but “maybe a criticism of those who planned it”.

The Murphy report examined the handling of allegations of clerical child sex abuse in the Dublin archdiocese and was published in November 2009. The Ryan report on abuse in residential institutions for children was published in May of the same year.

Unrealistic expectations

Dr Martin said the visitation from Rome “set expectations it was never going to realise and I think there are lessons to be learned for future events of that kind”.

The Irish church “has to find the answers for the Irish church and where it has done so it has done so well”, he added.

In an extensive interview with The Irish Times to mark the 10 years since he became Archbishop of Dublin on April 26th, 2004, Dr Martin also referred to the debate about pluralism in education.

He said he was not happy about all teachers being forced to teach religion in schools.

“I’m not happy with somebody who really doesn’t believe being forced to be the religious education teacher in a school.”

Dr Martin said teachers “should be able to move to the type of school where they would be happier in accordance with their own conscience and convictions”.

Ways had to be found “which allow each of us to flourish in our own traditions. And also to flourish in public in our traditions.”

‘Plurality of patronage’

On plurality in schools boards of management, he said: “I believe we will only have pluralism when, in schools, there’s a plurality of patronage which allows people of different traditions to flourish within their tradition . . . those who want something different, they also have a civic right to have that provided for them.”

He felt “a more robust collaboration between the Department [of Education] and the church would make these things move a little more quickly.”

In the context of Pope Francis’s call for a poor church for the poor, he said of Archbishop’s House in Drumcondra: “My living quarters are smaller than his. He uses the Vatican to receive people there all the time.

“My staff is half that of my predecessor. I probably cook more meals for myself than he did.

“I look after myself [and] my own shopping”

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin “we should all take a lesson from Pope Francis who speaks of “being a sinner” - Chrism Mass homily

Homily Notes of Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin Archbishop of Dublin

Pro-Cathedral, Dublin, Thursday  17^th April 2014

We gather this morning to bless these oils which will be used during the coming year in the administration of the sacraments of the Church.  We come together at this unique gathering in which priests and people of all our 199 parishes join with me as your bishop in the celebration of the Eucharist at the beginning of the most solemn days of the Church’s year.

I welcome each and everyone here; the Auxiliary Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Religious and lay men and women from the parishes of our extensive diocese which includes parts of Counties Wicklow, Kildare, Wexford, Carlow, Laois, as well as Dublin City and county.  I greet those involved in specialised ministries in hospitals, prisons, universities and schools. I greet the seminarians of the Archdiocese of Dublin.  I greet representatives of the Parish for Travelling People and of the Deaf community.   I greet you and I wish to thank you most sincerely for your commitment to building up the Church in this Archdiocese.

Parishes are the places where the sacraments are celebrated.  A parish is not established just by a canonical document or by parish social events but by the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments.  Parishes are communities of the missionary disciples of Jesus Christ, nourished by the word of God and by the saving power of Jesus, the sole High priest.  In that priesthood we all share, whether as priests, or as deacons or as the baptized.  Each of us was anointed with the oil of catechumens and with the oil of chrism at our common Christian initiation in baptism.

In the sacraments we celebrate the redemption that has been won for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus, who humbled himself so that we could share in his riches.  Each of these oils which we bless this morning is a symbol of how the Lord himself continually acts within his Church.  These oils represent the holiness of the Church, a holiness which springs from the perennial presence in the Church of the saving work of Jesus.

In a special way at this Mass on Holy Thursday morning we celebrate the consecration which comes with the priestly ordination.  Priestly ordination is not the conferring of a professional qualification.  It is a consecration and a configuration with Christ the High Priest and a call for us to emulate the holiness of Christ himself.  It is an anointing and a consecration not for personal privilege, but for service.  We are anointed to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ and the freedom that the Good News brings with it.

That is why those of us who are priests are called in today’s Eucharist to renew the commitments we made at the time of our ordination, which in turn were the maturation of the hopes and aspirations and the ideals which first drew us towards priestly ministry.  We must never loose that sense of idealism and dedication.

Many things have changed in the Church and in society since each of us was ordained. For those of my age and older the social image and position of the priest has changed enormously.  Many of the functions which a priest used to exercise in the Church have now been rightly assumed by lay men and women.  Many of the general social functions which a priest used to exercise in society are assumed now outside a specific church framework.  Many of the traditional social supports for the priest have been weakened. 

I would like to pay a special tribute this morning to our older priests who have experienced rapid and deep social change on many occasions during their life, yet who still remain fresh and continually renewed and indeed personally happy in their commitment and their understanding of ministry.  Their personal dedication has never diminished.  It is shown in prayer, in reflection on the word of God and in the celebration of the sacraments and in a deep attention to the needs of those entrusted to their pastoral care.  They show those of us who are younger how holiness is not something about outward practices or a seeking for recognition, but something embedded in the heart and in a real love and gratitude for having being called to be a minister of the saving power of Jesus Christ.

I would like also to speak to priests whose ministry has been difficult, or who experience anxieties and even failure.  Do not fall into the trap of thinking that you are on your own or that somehow there are others who have not also shared your experiences.  All of us are sinners; all of us have our weaknesses; all of us have failed; none of us lives in a world where the black and white of good and evil, of success and failure are clearly and distantly separated.  All of us live in the greyness of our own interior lives and in the greyness of the challenges of the world in which we are called to witness as best as we can and to seek perfection.

The Lord has chosen each of us knowing our weaknesses and knowing that when we recognise our weakness then we allow his strength to work through us.  The priest is a minister, not a solo runner.   Sometimes we become frustrated because we place too much hope in our own capabilities and with the passage of time and of the years we become more and more aware of how much our life has become compromised by our preoccupation with ourselves and by our sinfulness.  We should all take a lesson from Pope Francis who has consistently spoken of “being a sinner” as being perhaps the most significant element of his personal identity as a man and as a Pope.

Recognising our sinfulness is not about morbid introspection or a constant feeling of guilt.   Recognising our sinfulness allows us to keep on the constant path of conversion and of developing an ever more close relationship with the Lord and an ever more generous response in ministry.  Those of you who have come this morning as representatives of your individual parishes to celebrate this diocesan occasion are daily witnesses to the goodness, the generosity and sincerity of your priests.  We have great priests in the Archdiocese of Dublin.   I know that many priests and people feel hurt by a cartoon in yesterday’s Irish Times.  I am a strong believer in freedom of speech and of the vital role of satire in social criticism, but I object to anything that would unjustly tarnish all good priests with the unpardonable actions of some.  We have great priests in the Archdiocese of Dublin.   

The sacrament of penance itself is greatly misunderstood both within and outside the Church.  Pope Francis has called for a renewal of the sacrament in the life of the Church.   In the past there was so much emphasis on the sacrament of penance as representing Christ the judge.  The sacrament was even spoken of as the tribunalof penance.  Catechesis at times tended towards trivialization of the reality of sin and a mechanical notion of forgiveness.  The sacrament of penance is a privileged encounter with the mercy of God and the place where the mercy of God lifts us up above our anxieties and reminds us that Christianity is a faith of new beginnings for those who honestly face the darker realities of their lives.   Our diocesan initiative providing wide opportunity for confession in Dublin city-centre Churches: The Light is Still on for You continues again on the day after tomorrow, Holy Saturday.

Jesus knows us as we are and he loves us as we are.  God never created anyone whom he did not love and that love is never obliterated by our infidelity and sinfulness.  Pope Francis describes the Church as a “battlefield hospital”, where immediate healing and restoration of wounded humanity should be the first mark of every encounter with the Church of Jesus Christ.  In our ministry as priests and as lay men and women – as missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ   – we must rediscover that sense of faith in Jesus Christ as a faith in the one who revealed to us that God loves us.  A heightened awareness of how every encounter with the Church of Jesus should be an encounter with a God who loves us, should also lead us to a necessary and ever more sensitive understanding of the horrendous sense of betrayal felt by those who were abused or wounded within the Church of Jesus Christ.

Holy Thursday and this Chrism Mass are special moments when we renew our commitment to ministry.  The Lord will give us the strength if we recognise our weakness and place out trust in him.  This is not simply to sit back and leave everything passively to the Lord.  Renewal can be painful and means moving out of the comfort zones that each of us create for ourselves or allow ourselves to slip into.  Cynicism or scepticism are never the responses of the genuinely committed.  Cynicism is not smart.  Cynicism is not noble.   Cynicism robs creative energy.  The challenges we face within this diocese requires new energy and new enthusiasm and new realism.

Over these past months I have been encountering the beginnings of a renewed energy in parishes.  I have been inspired by liturgies and encounters, with the enthusiastic collaboration of priests and laity which are indicating the path towards a different way.

Ten years ago, shortly after becoming Archbishop, I said that I could not forecast at that moment what kind of parish would exist today.  Today I can only repeat that the parish of ten years hence will be even more different, but probably more lively and participatory.   Over these years we have seen this diocese doing pioneering work in establishing new approaches in ministry.  I would like to thank in particular those who have been active members of the Diocesan Council of Priests over these years who have contributed to Dublin being a pioneer in areas such as the establishing of Parish Pastoral Council in every parish, the introduction of the permanent deaconate, the introduction of full time lay parish pastoral workers.  We are now launching a renewal of Deaneries as focal points for coordinating pastoral activities with the participation of priests, religious and lay men and women.   We have a strong network of pastoral care for immigrant communities and I greet the immigrant chaplains who are present with us this morning.  The office for priests is strengthening forms of consultation and listening to the needs of priest.  We have much to be proud of as we face ever growing challenges.

I spoke earlier about the hopes and aspirations and the ideals which first drew us towards priestly ministry.  The moment we loose those aspirations and ideals the less we become true ministers of the joy of the Gospel and become trapped in our own frustration.  We have to rediscover those hopes and aspirations and the ideals if we have lost them.  We have to learn to transmit those same hopes and aspirations and the ideals to others who might be thinking of dedicated their lives to priestly ministry.   We need priestly vocations. 

I ask you all to pray for our priests and I ask priests to pray for those to whom we are called to minister.  All of us will remember the gesture of Pope Francis on the evening of his election when, before imparting his Apostolic Blessing, he asked for the prayers of those present in Saint Peter’s Square.  We all share one Baptism.  As the prayer of Consecration of Chrism will remind us, all of us are all sharers in Christ’s office of Priest, Prophet and King, through being anointed with the same Spirit and conformed to Christ.

Let all of us then pause for a moment in silent prayer now, asking God to bless each other in our varied ministries and callings and that each of us, in our own way and with our own specific responsibilities, will go away this morning renewed in our commitment to be true missionary disciples of Jesus and to work - confidently and joyfully and united under Jesus the Lord - to build the future of this local Church which is the Archdiocese of Dublin.

JESUS' PAIN ON THE CROSS REFLECTS THE PAIN OF HUMANITY

16 April 2014 (VIS) – The suffering of Jesus on the Cross, that reflects the pain of humanity and represents the divine response to the mystery of the evil that is so difficult to understand, was the theme of Pope Francis' catechesis during the general audience held today, Holy Wednesday, in which the liturgy presents the story of Judas' betrayal and Christ, it emerges, has a price.

“This dramatic act marks the beginning of the Passion of Christ, a painful path that He chooses with absolute freedom. He says this clearly Himself: 'I lay down my life. … No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord'”. The path of humiliation begins here, with this betrayal, with Jesus as if he were on the market: he is worth thirty pieces of silver. And Jesus undertakes the path of humiliation … unto the end”.

The humiliation of Christ culminates with his death on the Cross, which is “the worst death, reserved to slaves and criminals. Jesus was considered a prophet, but died like a criminal. When we look at Jesus in His Passion, we see as if we were looking in a mirror the evil and pain of death. Often we feel horror at the evil and pain that surrounds us and we ask, 'Why does God allow this?'. It wounds us profoundly to see suffering and death, especially of the innocent. It pains our hearts when we see children suffering. It is the mystery of evil, and Jesus takes upon Himself all this evil, all this suffering. This week it will do good to all of us to take a crucifix and to kiss Christ's wounds. He takes all human suffering upon Himself, He vests Himself with this suffering”.

“We expect that God, in his omnipotence, will defeat injustice, evil, sin and suffering with a triumphant divine victory. Instead, God shows us a humble victory that in human terms seems to be a failure”, continued the Holy Father. “And we can say this: God wins in failure. Indeed, the Son of God on the Cross appears to be a defeated man: He suffers, He is betrayed, He is vilified, and finally dies. But Jesus allows evil to set upon Him, He takes it all upon Him in order to vanquish it. His Passion is not incidental; his death – that death – was 'foretold'. It is an unsettling mystery, but we know the secret of this mystery, of this extraordinary humility: God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son”.

“This week, let us consider Jesus' pain, and let us say to ourselves: it is for me; even if I were the only person in the world, He would have done this, for me. Let us kiss the crucifix and say: 'For me, thank you Jesus, for me ...”. When all appears to be lost, when no-one remains because the shepherd has been smitten and the flock has scattered, God will intervene with the power of the resurrection. Jesus' resurrection is not the happy ending of a fairy tale, it is not the happy ending of a film, but rather it is God's intervention at the point where human hope is shattered. … When all seems lost, at that moment of pain when many people feel the need to kiss the Cross, this is the moment closest to the resurrection. The night is at its darkest just before dawn breaks, just before the light emerges; in the darkest moment, God intervenes and resurrects”.

Jesus, who chose to take this path, “calls us to follow Him on His path of humiliation. When in certain moments in life we are not able to find any way out of our difficulties, when we sink into the deepest darkness, it is the moment of our humiliation in which we are entirely laid bare, in which we discover that we are fragile and sinners. It is precisely in that moment that we must not mask our failure, but rather open ourselves up, trusting in our hope in God, just as Jesus did”.

“This week”, the Holy Father concluded, “it will to us good to take a crucifix in our hands, to kiss it many times and to say, 'Thank you Jesus, thank you, Lord!'”.

Pope's Palm Sunday Homily

 In his Palm Sunday homily, Pope Francis urged the congregation to consider how their actions and attitudes reflected the various characters in the story of Jesus’ passion and death.

“We have heard the (Gospel reading of the) Passion of the Lord. Only, it does us good to ask a question: Who am I? Who am I before my Lord? Who am I before Jesus who enters festively into Jerusalem?” the Pope said on April 13.

“This week moves towards the mystery of the death of Jesus and of his resurrection,” noted the pontiff. “Where is my heart and which of these persons am I most like? It is this question that accompanies us throughout the week.”

The crowds filled a sunny St. Peter’s Square to attend the papal liturgy, clutching olive branches and woven palms as they listened to Pope Francis reflect on the different persons in the Gospel.

Departing entirely from his prepared remarks, the Holy Father considered each figure in the story, followed by questions about their relation to Jesus.

First, the Gospel recounts Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where he is welcomed by adoring crowds. “Do I have the capacity to express my joy, to praise him? Or do I move away? Who am I, before Jesus who suffers?” queried the pontiff.

Then, there are several groups of leaders, priests, pharisees, and teachers of law who decide to kill Jesus. “Am I like one of them?”

“Am I like Judas, who pretends to love and kisses the master to hand him over, to betray him? Am I a traitor?” he reflected.

“Or am I like the disciples who did not understand what it was to betray Jesus?” The Pope continued. They “did not understand anything...they fell asleep while the Lord suffered. Is my life asleep?”

The pontiff went on to several other figures, including Pontius Pilate, who saw that “the situation was difficult” and decided to “wash his hands of it,” refusing to “assume responsibility.”

The crowd who had once welcomed Jesus so joyfully turned on him, finding it “more amusing” to “humiliate Jesus,” while the soldiers “spit on him, insulted him.”

When Jesus takes up his cross, more compassionate figures emerge. “Am I like Simon of Cyrene who was returning from work, tired, but had the good will to to help the Lord carry the cross?” asked the Holy Father.

“Am I like to courageous women, and like the mother of Jesus, who were there, suffering in silence?”

“Am I like the two Marys who remained in front of the tomb, weeping, praying?”

After his homily, the Pope continued the Mass but concluded with a special welcome to those gathered in Rome to plan the next World Youth Day.

At the close of the liturgy, several Brazilian youth handed off the large wooden cross used at World Youth Day to young people from Poland. The 2013 event had been held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while the next gathering in 2016 will be in Krakow, Poland.

Pope Francis noted that Blessed John Paul II had entrusted the cross to youth 30 years ago. “He asked them to carry it in all the world as a sign of the love of Christ for humanity.”

The pontiff then announced that he hopes to meet with the youth of Asia during his trip to Korea on August 15 of this year.

“Let us ask the Lord that the Cross, together with the icon of Mary ‘Salus Populi Romani’ (Protectress of the Roman People), will be a sign of hope for all, revealing to the world the invincible love of Christ,” said the Holy Father.