Crowds defy the Church to await a predicted visit from Our Lady

UP to 15,000 people are preparing to defy the head of the Catholic Church in the west of Ireland today by gathering in Knock's shrine in expectation of an appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Dublin clairvoyant Joe Coleman has predicted that the apparition will take place at 3pm and that the crowds will far exceed the 5,000 influx who came on October 11 after his first Marian prophecy.

Today's event has been hyped by a YouTube video of the sun breaking through the clouds at Knock on October 11 with a voiceover by Mr Coleman claiming that this was the celestial presence of the Virgin Mary.

Ignoring a blunt statement issued last Monday by the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary, distancing the official Irish Church from Mr Coleman, hundreds of pilgrims have already arrived in Knock. Many of them are Travellers.

All hotels and guest houses in the small East Mayo village were fully booked out last night, and many pilgrims were seeking overnight accommodation in nearby towns, such as Kiltimagh and Jarroldstown.

Many families were sleeping overnight in camper vans parked in the main street.

Four teenagers had travelled from Coolock, Co Dublin -- Bridget Ward, Christina Maughan, and Samantha and Helen Joyce.

Bridget said she hoped to see Her but expected only to see a vision in the sky.

Mary Connors said that at least 600 people, mostly Travellers, were coming from Wexford, mainly from New Ross and Gorey.

"We have faith in Our Lady," she said. "We do the Novena every year."

However, she complained about conditions in Knock yesterday, saying that the shops were closed and that they could not get access to toilets.

Campers, she said, were not being allowed into the car park.

She was disdainful of Archbishop Neary, and said that her faith would not be affected if she did not get a glimpse of the Virgin.

Describing himself as a devoted Catholic, Willie Reilly, from Clondalkin, Co Dublin, said: "I heard about the apparition from listening to Joe Coleman and I was curious to come. But I am not looking for a miracle."

Kevin and Fiona McGuinness with their three children, Laurence, Lucy and baby Felicity, walked around both the old church and the Apparition Chapel several times while reciting decades of the Rosary.

"We try to do a pilgrimage once a year," said Fiona. "We said the decades of the Rosary in the car during the drive from Rush."

But Fiona said her faith would never be damaged if Our Lady did not appear today.

"She appeared here once in 1879 and nothing can take away from that apparition."

Michelle De Silver, from Singapore, said she was a Buddhist but had read about the reported apparition on the internet and was curious to see Knock.

"It is a very peaceful place," she said, but would not be here today.

Staying indoors and well out of sight were the local clergy.

Even a visit to the parish priest's house saw the door unanswered. They, obviously, like Archbishop Neary, were not awaiting a visit from Mary.
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Anglican provision is a response to those ‘knocking at the door,’ former Westminster archbishop says

The Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has issued an extended commentary on Pope Benedict XVI’s new provision for Anglicans who wish to become Catholic.

He reported that a similar proposal had been rejected under Pope John Paul II, but was revived after the “repeated requests” from Anglicans worldwide who have been “knocking at the door for a long time.”

He emphasized that Pope Benedict’s response to those Anglicans who wanted to become Catholic was not a reflection on the Anglican communion as a whole or of Catholics’ ongoing ecumenical relationship with them.

Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor’s comments came during the Richard Stewart Memorial Lecture, delivered at Worth Abbey on Oct. 29. The cardinal was joined at the lecture by the Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton and the Abbot of Worth, Christopher Jamison.

The cardinal, who was the Catholic Co-Chairman of the Anglican/Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), titled his lecture “ARCIC: Dead in the Water or Money in the Bank.”

He recounted his own work in ecumenism from an autobiographical point of view while discussing theological dialogue, the search for communion, and “spiritual ecumenism.”

He also discussed the recent Anglican provision, reporting that a special provision for Anglicans might have been “helpful” in 1993 and 1994 when other groups of Anglicans joined the Catholic Church.

However, this proposal was rejected as inappropriate because the bishops of England and Wales were dealing solely with clergy of the Church of England and a provision would have to be provided to all the churches of the Anglican Communion.

“If the Holy See had offered such Personal Ordinariates then, and in particular here in England, it might well have been seen as an un-ecumenical approach by the Holy See, as if wanting to put out the net as far as one could,” Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor opined.

He said that both Pope John Paul II and then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger would have been against such a proposal, as were the leading Catholic prelates of Britain.

“Matters have moved on since then and the repeated requests by many Anglicans, not only from England but from other Provinces of the Anglican Communion, have necessitated a new approach, which is why I think that the Personal Ordinariates offered by the Holy Father can be seen not in any way un-ecumenical but rather as a generous response to people who have been knocking at the door for a long time.”

His other lecture remarks discussed his early interaction with Anglicans, Congregationalists and Methodists. Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor told how he became “imbued” with what the Second Vatican Council said about the “important work” of ecumenism in its document on the topic, “Unitatis Redintegratio.”

“While it stated quite clearly that the unity of the Church subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, it insisted that the Church must also pray and work to maintain, reinforce and protect the unity that Christ wills for her,” he explained.

Prayer in common with other Christians was “crucially important” because a change of heart and holiness of life should be regarded as the “soul” of the ecumenical movement, he said.

Turning to the “fruitful yet so inconclusive” aspects of ARCIC, he said: “In more than 40 years of official ecumenical dialogue with the Anglican Communion, it may be asked, ‘Where are we?’”

Some of the classic disputes at the root of divisions between Anglicans and Catholics, the cardinal stated, had been “basically resolved” through a new consensus on fundamental doctrine. While there is a “renewed understanding,” he said work remains on the relationship of Scripture and Tradition and the teaching authority which interprets it.

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor also touched on the subject of the Anglican Communion’s decision to ordain women to the priesthood and the episcopate, a action that he said created a “Very difficult obstacle.”

However, in his view the ARCIC documents are still “money in the bank” because they are an achieved consensus and a study and reflection on a “renewed vision” of Christ’s Church.

The Second Vatican Council’s teaching that the Church of Jesus Christ “subsists in” the Roman Catholic Church takes seriously that there are individual Christians, ecclesial elements, and in the case of the Orthodox even “genuinely particular churches” outside the “visible confines” of the Catholic Church

This teaching means that full communion, as the goal of ecumenism, “has not to be understood as simply a return of separated brothers and sisters and churches to the bosom of Catholic mother church.”

“This full communion, unity, does not of course mean uniformity but unity within diversity and diversity within unity,” he added.

The new Anglican provision must be understood in the context of the papacy’s mission to preserve Church unity and freedom from “one-sided ties,” the cardinal asserted.
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U.S. bishops launch grassroots effort to fight for Catholic concerns on health care

After attempting to persuade lawmakers to listen to Catholic concerns about health care reform, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has initiated a grassroots campaign to mobilize the faithful across the country.

The effort includes bulletin inserts, pulpit announcements, web-based ads and an appeal for bishops to personally contact legislators who serve in their diocese.

Cardinal Francis George and the chairmen of the three major bishops' committees engaged in health care reform wrote all of the U.S. bishops on Oct. 28 and said, "The debate and decisions on health care reform are reaching decisive moments."

In order to ensure that abortion is not funded with federal dollars, consciences are protected and that health care is affordable for all, the USCCB leaders asked every bishop to personally take action and lend their support.

The official memo sent out to every U.S. bishop includes a bulletin insert, a flier, a prayer petition and suggested pulpit announcements.

In addition, every bishop was asked to personally mail, email and speak with those lawmakers who serve in their diocese.

The letter to the bishops also requests that they have every parish in their diocese insert or hand-stuff the USCCB Bulletin Insert on Health Care Reform "as soon as possible," since voting on the current health care measures is likely to take place in November.

Catholic bishops have been calling for health care reform for years, the letter notes. Saying that “Catholic moral tradition teaches that health care is a basic human right, essential to protecting human life and dignity,” the bishops cite the numerous Catholic emergency rooms, shelters, clinics, and charities that “pick up the pieces of a failing health care system.”

Though health care reform is desperately needed, the U.S. bishops’ conference has concluded that all committee approved bills are seriously deficient on the issues of abortion and conscience, and do not provide adequate access to health care for immigrants and the poor.

If these issues go unaddressed, the bishops have pledged to vigorously oppose the current reforms.

Despite presidential and congressional assurances that abortions will not be funded by taxpayer money in the proposed health care reform bills, none of the proposed bills have such restrictions.

The Capps amendment is worded in such a way that money to fund abortions is shuffled around so that it merely appears not to do so.

Currently, no bill offers conscience protection clauses or ensures that legal immigrants are afforded access to health care.

The USCCB bulletin insert asks that Catholics contact the Senate and request that they listen to Catholics' concerns.

“During floor debate on the health care reform bill, please support an amendment to incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights. If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed,” the insert says.

A similarly worded message for members of the House of Representatives suggests that each representative be encouraged to “support the Stupak Amendment that addresses essential pro-life concerns on abortion funding and conscience rights in the health care reform bill. Help ensure that the Rule for the bill allows a vote on this amendment.”

The Stupak amendment attempts to apply the wording of the Hyde Amendment, which has kept federal funding from going to abortions, as well as provided conscience protections to health care professionals.

The USCCB has also released a banner ad which can be posted to individual websites to encourage visitors to take action and support health care reform that respects life.

More information about the grassroots campaign can be found at: http://www.usccb.or/healthcare/official_documents.shtml#alerts
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Pastors to Proclaim Jesus Loves Gays at Pride Fest

XXXChurch.com pastor Craig Gross is attending the Atlanta Pride Festival this weekend to apologize for the way religious people have often treated gay individuals.

In hopes of diminishing the disconnect between the homosexual community and the church, Gross is setting up a booth in Piedmont Park with the simple message: "We Are Sorry."

The annual LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) event is the last stop in Gross' unconventional "Jesus Loves You" tour. For the past couple of months, he and Jason Harper have been promoting the simple message to gluttons, criminals, porn stars, the poor and even the religious.

The message is spelled out in their recently released book, Jesus Loves You ... This I Know. They believe Jesus' vision and values have been distorted, twisted and hijacked by political dogma, right-winged sectarians and extremist beliefs. And in the process, many have missed the simple yet profound message that Jesus loves them.

Harper recently lamented to worshippers at Capital Christian Center in Sacramento, Calif., that "oftentimes, people don't have a problem with Jesus. They just have a problem with the people who have spoken on his behalf."

He recalled a time when he and a group of friends attended the Sacramento Pride Festival a couples years ago to spread Jesus' love by handing out bottles of water that were labeled: "Loving people for who they are not where they are."

While distributing water, a truck pulled up to the gay pride event promoting messages of hate and handing out Gospel tracts. Harper told one of the festival attendees that he doesn't know where Jesus would be in the middle of all this, but what he does know is that Jesus wouldn't be sitting in that truck telling them that God hates them.

Harper stressed the biblical passage that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." "So such were we at one point. He died for us," he preached.

The Jesus Loves You six-city tour kicked off in August at Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. The church is notoriously known for its hate-filled protests across the nation. Gross and Harper visited the church with signs reading "Jesus loves the gays" and "Jesus even loves Westboro." They were not there to disrupt the church but to simply show love.

The Westboro stop coincided with their chapter "Jesus Loves the Religious." Earlier this month, they showed love to "the disconnected" by giving away a house to a widowed mother of four in Detroit, Mich., where many have been hit hard by the economic downturn.

The simple "Jesus Loves You" message now heads to Atlanta, where the co-authors are putting into action their "Jesus Loves the Outcast" chapter. In addition to the "We Are Sorry" booth, Gross and Harper will also pass out water to parade participants and attendees.
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Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists to Mark 10th Anniversary of Justification Declaration

Several commemorative events will be held in Augsburg, Germany, over the next two days to celebrate the signing of a landmark ecumenical agreement made ten years ago between representatives of the the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church.

It was on Oct. 31, 1999, that the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ), considered one of the most significant agreements since the Reformation, was signed by church officials from the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation, which today represents 66.7 million of the world's 70.2 million Lutherans.

Members of the World Methodist Council later adopted the document by unanimous vote as well, in 2006, and will be present for this weekend's commemorative events.

"For hundreds of years, the issue of justification by faith divided Catholics and Protestants," said Bishop Gregory Palmer, president of The United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops, in a released statement. "This agreement celebrates consensus on the basic truths of the doctrine of justification."

As the LDDJ states, "justification was the crux of all the disputes" between the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran tradition, which broke from the former church body and gave rise to the Protestant Reformation. Thus, the two faith groups believed that a common understanding of justification was "fundamental and indispensable" to overcoming the division.

Justification, according to the document, is the forgiveness of sins, liberation the dominating power of sin and death, and from the curse of the law, and it is acceptance into communion with God – all of which is from God alone, for Christ's sake, by grace, through faith in the gospel of God's Son.

In their common understanding, members of the Lutheran church body and the Roman Catholic Church together confess: "By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works."

Though the joint declaration does not cover everything that either church teaches about justification, it encompasses a consensus on basic truths of the Christian doctrine.

Still, differences remain over language, theological elaboration, and emphasis in the understanding of justification with regard to such matters as good works but the Lutheran and Catholic churches say those differences do not destroy the consensus regarding the basic truths.

The JDDJ was not signed without objections. Some in the Lutheran tradition were shocked to see their leaders make what they described as a compromising move.

Nevertheless, the joint declaration is often cited as a significant achievement in religious history.

The highlight of the upcoming commemorative celebrations will be a ceremony on Friday evening in the Golden Hall of the Augsburg “Rathaus.”

On Saturday, presentations related to the JDDJ will continue with speakers including the long-serving bishop of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Germany, Dr. Walter Klaiber of Tübingen, and the former president of the German Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Mainz.

The president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), Cardinal Walter Kasper, and the general secretary of LWF, the Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, will give the closing remarks.

The festivities will conclude with an ecumenical worship service in the Augsburg Cathedral and a reception.
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Tackling climate change is ‘moral imperative’, say faith leaders

Faith leaders have issued a first of its kind statement on climate change in which they recognise “unequivocally that there is a moral imperative to tackle the causes of global warming”.

The statement was issued following a historic meeting between faith leaders at the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth Palace, on Thursday.

It says that faith communities have a “crucial” role to play “in pressing for changes in behaviour at every level of society and in every economic sector”.

“We all have a responsibility to learn how to live and develop sustainably in a world of finite resources,” say the leaders, who represent the world’s major faiths.

“As leaders and representatives of faith communities and faith-based organisations in the UK we wish to highlight the very real threat to the world's poor, and to our fragile creation, from the threat of catastrophic climate change.”

They continue: “The developed world is primarily responsible for the already visible effects of global heating. Justice requires that we now take responsibility for slowing the rise in global temperature.

“We call upon UK negotiators at Copenhagen, and the other nations of the G20 in particular, to fight for a deal which speedily ends unsustainable reliance on fossil fuels and puts in place urgent measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so that global temperature rise may be kept within two degrees centigrade.”

The meeting was hosted by the Archbishop to discuss the response of faith communities to the environmental crisis and marked the 40-day countdown to the start of the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit.

The faith leaders pledged to work together to raise awareness of the effects of climate change on the world’s poor and to take the necessary action to reduce their carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices.

They called on the UK and other G20 governments to push for an ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen that would commit countries to efforts towards keeping global temperature rises below two degrees centigrade.

“We all have to do more to face the challenges of climate change,” said Dr Williams. “Faith communities have a crucial role to play.

“We must do our bit and encourage others to do theirs. Together we can and we will make a difference.”

The statement was welcomed by the Secretary of State Ed Miliband, who said tackling climate change was “a cause that unites people of all faiths”.

“Each generation holds the planet in trust for the next and to fulfil our obligations to these future generations, we must succeed in getting a fair and ambitious agreement,” he said.

“We need the voice of all the world’s religions in the coming weeks as we approach the Copenhagen summit.”

The Church of England will launch its seven-year ‘Church and Earth’ climate change action plan at a gathering of faith leaders next week. Church and Earth is one of nine-long term plans drawn up by the world’s major faiths to be discussed at the Windsor Conference, attended by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon.

Faith leaders will make commitments on climate change at the conference ahead of the Copenhagen summit in December. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Catholic blogosphere: Council looks at promoting charity, truth online

Communications technology keeps changing, but the need to deliver a message with truth and charity is never obsolete, said Italian Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli.

As president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Celli presided over a four-day meeting of cardinals, bishops and Catholic media professionals to discuss -- mainly in small groups -- new pastoral guidelines for church communications.

A recurring theme during the meeting Oct. 26-29 was what constitutes Catholic communications and what, if anything, can be done about those who use the word Catholic to describe themselves while using all sorts of nasty adjectives to describe anyone who doesn't agree with them.

Archbishop Celli said he didn't think a Catholic bloggers' "code of conduct" would accomplish much, especially when what is really needed is a reflection on what it means to communicate.

Upright, ethical communication is a natural result of a sincere desire to share the truth about God, about faith and about the dignity of the human person, he said.

The archbishop said that what Pope Benedict XVI has said about solidarity and development aid goes for communications as well: "Charity needs truth and truth needs charity."

"Anyone speaking publicly as a Catholic has to have those ethical values that are part of a serious, honest form of communication," Archbishop Celli said.

"In the past, the church's educational efforts included helping people decide what they should or should not watch. Now it must also help them decide what they should or should not produce" and put on the Internet, he said.

Carl A. Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus and a consultant to Archbishop Celli's council, said, "If Catholics cannot deal with each other with civility, how can we expect others to?"

"We make certain claims about what kind of community we are; we have set the standards high and we must try really, really hard to live up to that," Anderson said.

He said Pope Benedict is an example of a good Catholic communicator: "He seeks clarity and definition while demonstrating charity and respect for others."

Talking about the Catholic blogosphere, Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony said, "I have been appalled by some of the things I've seen; of course, I've been the object of some of them."

Being Christian, he said, means treating others like Jesus treated people: reaching out to all and exercising extreme caution when making judgments.

"One of the side effects of the new technology that frightens me a bit is that people can hide behind a fake facade and then start shooting cannons at other people," the cardinal said.

One of the pontifical council's consultants, Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, the head of Canada's Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, said the Internet and blogs have brought about a "radicalization of rhetoric," even among Catholics.

The Web site of Salt and Light Television, he said, sometimes receives hundreds of comments on a story.

"Many we don't publish because of the filth and some we've turned over to the police" because of the threats they contain, he said.

Asked to address the council about Catholic media in North America, Father Rosica said, "On the Internet there is no accountability, no code of ethics and no responsibility for one's words and actions."

So many Web sites and bloggers who call themselves Catholics focus so much on negative stories and messages that increasingly "Christians are known as the people who are against everything," he said.

Cardinal Mahony said the sharp and often uncharitable divisions among Catholics seen on the Internet was particularly pronounced during the 2008 U.S. presidential election campaign.

And, he said, the campaign was not exactly a high point for unity among the U.S. bishops either.

During the campaign, Cardinal Mahony said, "I sensed a dangerous shift away from unity in faith and faith practice to differing opinions on this party or the other party, which I think is a very, very dangerous path to go down."

Some people could get "the impression that some bishops are very much in favor of one political party over the other, which should not be," he said. He added that when it comes to applying the Gospel to social questions bishops should be models for the Catholic faithful on how to hold a civil discussion, online or offline.

"You don't have dialogue when people anonymously throw out their hatreds, their prejudices, their biases and always -- in every case -- end up attacking people," the cardinal said.
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Man intends to keep fighting despite church abuse settlement

Ted Lausche, who was among the first of the former residents of two Catholic orphanages in New Orleans to file a lawsuit alleging abuse, said settlement of his and several other claims is a "small step" in getting the church to acknowledge wrongdoing.

The New Orleans Times Picayune reported that the Archdiocese of New Orleans and its charitable arm, Catholic Charities, agreed to pay $5.2 million to settle 20 lawsuits from adults who claimed that as children they were beaten, berated and sexually molested at group homes that were supposed to shelter them from their dysfunctional families.

"I hope these mediations and negotiations will bring some peace and reconciliation to those victims and all those involved," Archbishop Gregory Aymond said in announcing the settlements.

Lausche said he probably wouldn't see a cent of the settlement because he won't sign an agreement to not hold the Catholic Church liable for abuse.

"I'm not going to agree to anything that restricts my right to do anything to these people," he said. "There hasn't been any justice. My battle continues."

Lausche said some people who abused him haven't been brought to court, and he plans to pursue legal action against them.

Lausche, who has lived in Lake Geneva since the mid-1990s, said the settlements are enough for some victims, but not for him.

He wanted a public apology for the abuse he and many other children who suffered at the hands of nuns, priests and lay workers. And he wanted there to be a way for children to get help outside the church.

"None of that was accomplished in this lawsuit," Lausche said. "But at least it's gotten their attention."

Aymond, who took office as archbishop in August, seems to acknowledge something bad happened at the orphanages.

"From what I've read and heard, both institutions did a tremendous amount of good," he told the Times Picayune.

"But there were some people who were obviously ill, and they took advantage of their ministry and hurt people.

"It's important that these wrongdoers come to light and that we admit that as far as we can tell, (the claims) are true."
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Planners OK 600-seat Catholic Church in Brisbane

One of Brisbane’s largest Catholic churches will be built in the southwest following Brisbane City Council approval for the multimillion dollar development.

The 600-seat church will be constructed next year on Yallambee Rd.

The Catholic church will also double the capacity at its Darra church to 380 seats by adding an extension.

Parish finance committee chairman Pat O’Dwyer said the church would call for building tenders next month, with construction expected to be completed by the end of 2010.

Mr O’Dwyer said Brisbane’s St Stephen’s Cathedral held 800 seats, but the new infrastructure was needed to accommodate the western corridor’s population growth.

“It’s quite a large church driven by population, he said. And it draws a lot (of people) from the Springfield direction. The Jindalee church will be a large church but not the largest in southern Queensland.”

Jindalee’s new church will be built alongside the Church of The Twelve Apostles hall. It will also accommodate a worship and parish office which will be relocated from Darra.

The parish and the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane will fund the project, which has already taken 10 years to develop.

“The parish finance committee in association with the parishioners have worked to ensure that the scope of the churches, the costs, and the associated financing are realistic and the parish can meet the future financial requirements,” Mr O’Dwyer said.

He declined to give a cost on the projects, but said it was well into the millions. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Good Catholics should not wear aprons (Contribution)

A few years ago I was told that at the ceremony of induction of the vicar of one of the local Anglican churches, the Bible which was handed to him had embossed on its front cover the emblem of the Freemasons, the square and compasses.

It subsequently came to light that nearly all the male members of his Parochial Church Council were "on the square", and his predecessor as vicar had been a Mason as well.

This is not a "low", or Evangelical, church, but very firmly in the Anglo Catholic tradition, where a number of clergy and lay people over the years have talked of becoming Catholics.

Why is all this a problem?

The reason is that the Catholic Church teaches that Freemasonry and Christianity are incompatible.

The Holy See in 1983 reiterated the traditional position that Catholics who are Freemasons are in a state of grave sin and may not receive the sacraments - the Declaration on Masonic Associations was signed by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and makes it clear that local bishops cannot dispense from its provisions.

There were two reasons for this document: first, the new Code of Canon Law, which came out at the same time, no longer mentioned Freemasonry by name in its list of organisations which Catholics are forbidden from joining; second, mistaken advice had been given in the late Seventies in Britain and America which suggested that Catholics could be Freemasons if local lodges were not anti-Catholic; the 1983 rescript corrected that advice.

Consequently, Anglicans or others who are Freemasons wishing to become Catholics will have to discard their aprons: this may keep the numbers of potential converts down.

It is often claimed by Freemasons and others that the reasons for the Catholic Church's hostility to Freemasonry are to do with politics - the political hostility between the Church and what is known as "Grand Orient" Freemasonry in the rest of Europe and Latin America; English Freemasonry is completely different, it is claimed; unlike the "Grand Orient" it has retained belief in the "Supreme Being".

But this is nonsense: the Church's original condemnations from the 18th century related to English Masonic lodges in Florence and elsewhere in Italy.

The reasons for our teaching, expounded in teaching from many popes since the 18th century, are theological.

In the first place, Freemasonry is a naturalistic religion. Its rituals and constitutions present the member as a man who is able to advance towards enlightenment through his own efforts - a good parable of this is the depictions of the trials of Tamino in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute.

The Mason can earn his salvation through rites of initiation and the activities of the lodge (including charitable giving); it is thus, in a way, the perfect religion for the "self-made", middle-class professional man.

It is totally at odds with the Christian vision, in which we need God's grace, through the death and resurrection of Our Lord, to grow in holiness.

Second, the prayers in its rituals specifically exclude reference to Our Lord. They are often prayers of Christian origin which have been vandalised.

In order to encompass adherents of other faiths the Saviour of the world is simply removed and set aside: he is not important. How can any Christian go along with this?

Third, the oaths required in the initiation rites require the new Mason to promise to keep secret the organisation's rituals, even though he does not at that point know what they are. These oaths are what Christian moral theologians call "vain" - they are not acceptable and cannot bind the person making them, even if they are done in the name of God. This is the problem with the oaths, not (as is sometimes claimed) the dire penalties which used to be referred to in the rituals.

These are the principal reasons why we teach that Freemasonry and Christianity are not compatible. In addition, we could cite the reactionary world view espoused in the rituals, supportive of the status quo and urging members to "keep to their station" in society.

This, coupled with the make-up of lodges and the mechanisms of social control identified in exposés written in the Eighties reveal the movement as being somewhat at odds with the social teaching of the Catholic Church and our witness for justice and peace in the world.

The "preferential option for the poor" would not find a place in the lodge. One could also point to the exclusion of women from lodge membership and the strain placed on many marriages by the commitments demanded of Freemasons: in spite of claiming to be a "system of morality" infidelity and adultery seem often to be viewed with some indulgence.

It is important that Catholics rest their challenge to Freemasonry on the clear theological arguments which I have advanced and that we are well-informed about the subject: sometimes criticisms of Freemasonry are inaccurate and frankly hysterical, and we should avoid conspiracy theories.

It is also true that it is somewhat weaker than it was, partly as a result of the books written 20 years ago and pressure for Freemasons to reveal their membership, particularly in the police and the legal profession. Because of the decline, Freemasonry is very conscious of its public image and superficially less secretive than in the past.

Although it is weaker than in the past, Freemasonry still seems to have some influence in the Church of England. A study written by Caroline Windsor, Freemasonry and the Ministry (Concilium publications 2005), has shown that it is still quite strong in cathedrals (a big Masonic service was held in St Paul's Cathedral in 2002, with the Dean preaching) - and also that many parishes where Freemasons are active are weak in terms of Christian witness.

If we are serious about ecumenical dialogue, the issue of Freemasonry has to be addressed; the same is true of interfaith relations, as Freemasons are sometimes involved in interfaith organisations - if they are there, we are talking about dialogue which is three-way, not two-way.

The overriding problem is that in spite of what Freemasons claim, their way of life is a religion, with all of religion's hallmarks.

You can no more be a Freemason and a Christian than you can be a Muslim and a Christian.

Catholics are committed to inter-faith dialogue and mutual respect, but this requires Freemasons to be honest about what they are.

For Catholics, thinking about the reasons for the gulf between us can deepen our understanding of the Christian faith.
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SIC: TCH

Church must root out `evil' child porn: Archbishop

In his first public comment on a child pornography scandal rocking his church, the archbishop of Toronto said the Catholic Church must act "clearly and effectively" to root out the problem and ensure justice is served.

Child pornography is "evil," Archbishop Thomas Collins told the 30th Cardinal's Dinner Thursday, and it's all the worse when perpetrated by clergy.

"Although ... this massive evil industry is hardly being sustained by the patronage of the clergy of any faith, if a priest or bishop engages in this iniquity, the outrage is all the more intense, and rightly so," Collins said.

Antigonish Bishop Raymond Lahey was charged with possession of child pornography this month, just days after he resigned. He is free on $9,000 bail and living in Ottawa.

Collins, who last week attended a national meeting of Catholic bishops, says church leaders must ensure the vulnerable are protected.

"I and all of us who exercise authority in the church have a solemn obligation to God and to the people we serve, especially to the most vulnerable, to act clearly and effectively if a problem is discovered."

"The people of Antigonish and Atlantic Canada are suffering the full brunt of this scandal, and we join with them in prayer and solidarity, but all of us are affected," he said.

Collins said he says a silent prayer whenever ordaining a new priest that the young man not go astray.

"As long as the human heart is susceptible to iniquity, we will face scandals among the apostles."
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SIC: TSCOM

New York Times refuses to publish Archbishop Dolan's op-ed on anti-Catholic bias

The New York Times declined to publish an op-ed presented by the Archbishop of New York, Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, in which he made the point that the “Gray Lady” has been reporting stories with a strong anti-Catholic bias.

In his new blog on the archdiocese’s website, Archbishop Dolan explains that his article was submitted in a slightly shorter form to the New York Times as an op-ed, but the Times declined to publish it.

In the blog version, Archbishop Dolan says that next to baseball, “sadly, America has another national pastime, this one not pleasant at all: anti-Catholicism.”

“If you want recent evidence of this unfairness against the Catholic Church,” writes the Archbishop, “look no further than a few of these following examples of occurrences over the last couple weeks.”

On October 14, in the pages of the New York Times, reporter Paul Vitello exposed the sad extent of child sexual abuse in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community.

“Yet,” Archbishop Dolan observes, “the Times did not demand what it has called for incessantly when addressing the same kind of abuse by a tiny minority of priests: release of names of abusers, rollback of statute of limitations, external investigations, release of all records, and total transparency.”

“Given the Catholic Church’s own recent horrible experience, I am hardly in any position to criticize our Orthodox Jewish neighbors, and have no wish to do so... but I can criticize this kind of ‘selective outrage,’” he insists.

The op-ed explains that “In 2004, Professor Carol Shakeshaft documented the wide-spread problem of sexual abuse of minors in our nation’s public schools; while in 2007, the Associated Press issued a series of investigative reports that showed numerous examples of sexual abuse by educators against public school students.”

“Both the Shakeshaft study and the AP reports were essentially ignored, as papers such as the New York Times only seem to have priests in their crosshairs,” the Archbishop writes.

The Archbishop then takes issue with a New York Times October 16 “front page, above-the-fold story on the sad episode of a Franciscan priest who had fathered a child.”

“Even taking into account that the relationship with the mother was consensual and between two adults, and that the Franciscans have attempted to deal justly with the errant priest’s responsibilities to his son, this action is still sinful, scandalous, and indefensible.”

“However,” he writes, “one still has to wonder why a quarter-century old story of a sin by a priest is now suddenly more pressing and newsworthy than the war in Afghanistan, health care, and starvation–genocide in Sudan.”

“No other cleric from religions other than Catholic ever seems to merit such attention,” he charges.

Then, on October 21, the Archbishop recounts, “the Times gave its major headline to the decision by the Vatican to welcome Anglicans who had requested union with Rome.”

“Fair enough. Unfair, though, was the article’s observation that the Holy See lured and bid for the Anglicans.

“Of course, the reality is simply that for years thousands of Anglicans have been asking Rome to be accepted into the Catholic Church with a special sensitivity for their own tradition,” he explains.

Nevertheless, the Archbishop of New York says the “most combustible example” was “an intemperate and scurrilous piece” on the opinion pages of the Times by Maureen Dowd, a 57-year-old alumna of Catholic University of America who has a history of anti-Catholic bias.

“In a diatribe that rightly never would have passed muster with the editors had it so criticized an Islamic, Jewish, or African-American religious issue, she digs deep into the nativist handbook to use every anti-Catholic caricature possible, from the Inquisition to the Holocaust, condoms, obsession with sex, pedophile priests, and oppression of women, all the while slashing Pope Benedict XVI for his shoes, his forced conscription -- along with every other German teenage boy -- into the German army, his outreach to former Catholics, and his recent welcome to Anglicans.”

Describing the current visitation of women religious by Vatican representatives as “the matter that triggered the spasm” of Dowd, Archbishop Dolan says that it “is well-worth discussing, and hardly exempt from legitimate questioning.” “But her prejudice, while maybe appropriate for the Know-Nothing newspaper of the 1850’s, the Menace, has no place in a major publication today.”

“I do not mean to suggest that anti-Catholicism is confined to the pages New York Times,” writes Archbishop Dolan, who also admits that “the Catholic Church is not above criticism.”

“We Catholics do a fair amount of it ourselves. We welcome and expect it. All we ask is that such critique be fair, rational, and accurate, what we would expect for anybody. The suspicion and bias against the Church is a national pastime that should be ‘rained out’ for good.”

The Archbishop of New York, also an alumnus of the Catholic University of America with a doctorate in Church History, writes that “my own background in American history should caution me not to hold my breath.”

“Then again, yesterday was the Feast of Saint Jude, the patron saint of impossible causes.”

The full version of Archbishop Dolan’s column is available at: http://www.archny.org/news-events/columns-and-blogs/blog---the-gospel-in-the-digital-age/index.cfm?i=14042
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SIC: CNA

Traditional Anglican group looks forward to 'homecoming'

The local pastor of traditional Anglicans says his tiny congregation already considers itself Roman Catholic and that new structures to allow full communion pave the way for an official "homecoming."

Father David Skelton said that for many of the 40 parishioners it was a matter of "if and when" they would join with Rome, and the Oct. 20 Vatican announcement to allow for Anglican "personal ordinariates" makes the decision easier for them.

"We have a very small parish. We are poor and we are largely elderly people," said Skelton.

"We don't have much for resources and, therefore, one of the problems we've had is finding a place of worship. We were fortunate to find a group of very traditional Lutherans who were willing to make their church available to us."

Edmonton's traditional Anglicans, about 40 of them, gather for Mass on Sunday afternoons at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 9654-74 Ave. They also have midweek services in people's homes.

Skelton noted there are also two traditional Anglican parishes in Calgary, one in Medicine Hat and a small parish in Claresholm.

The Traditional Anglican Communion, an Australia-based group, made a formal request to the pope in 2007 for all of its members to be allowed into the Catholic fold. The group has about 400,000 members worldwide, he said.

Opposed to the Anglican Church's liberal bent, the city's small contingent of traditional Anglicans is pleased with Pope Benedict's recent announcement of a new canonical structure.

Once Rome announces the details of the offer for full union, Skelton said it will be up to each individual in his group to decide whether to "swim the Tiber."

The ordination of women and practising homosexuals as well as the blessing of same-sex unions are among the issues that have driven traditional Anglicans away from the Anglican Communion of churches.

"We have always felt, about 30 years ago now, the ordination of women was really the last straw for many of us who are traditional Anglicans, who we have always thought of as being Catholic anyway," Skelton said.

"We thought this was a break from the sacraments, and it was a deviation that the Church is not empowered to make."

The traditionalist group also hopes and expects to maintain its use of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer when it reunites with Rome, he said.

The personal ordinariates - similar to dioceses - are intended to allow Anglicans to maintain their spiritual and liturgical heritage when they come into union with Rome.

SUBSCRIBE ENTIRELY

"The developments within Rome now are certainly providing a wonderful and very gracious, generous offer to us who have always felt that we were Catholic, to be able to subscribe entirely to the teachings of the Church," said Skelton.

"What's being offered now is a more intimate union because it's a more visible intercommunion with Rome - and that's exactly what we want."

New canonical provisions would allow married Anglican priests and seminarians to become Catholic priests - much the same way that Eastern rite priests who are in communion with Rome can be married. Married Anglicans could not become Catholic bishops.

Skelton said some Anglicans will likely want reassurance that their liturgy and doctrines are not going to be diminished.

"As far as our people are concerned, we really don't see any major difference occurring because our liturgies, doctrines and the teachings of our Church are compatible with that of Rome.

"In fact, we seem to be exactly like Roman Catholics, just flying under a different flag."

GENEROUS RESPONSE

While some have said the Roman opening to the traditional Anglicans is a "poaching exercise" by the pope, Skelton is confident that is not the case.

"We know that this is a very generous Christian response to people like us who have actually initiated the approach to Rome, saying, 'Please help.'

"This is what we believe and it's what you believe, so we accept without any reservation the Catholic Church," concluded Skelton.

"This is a Catholic/Christian response to brothers and sisters in Christ who are looking for a homecoming."
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SIC: WCR

Miami bans Maciel's Legions

Miami Archbishop John Favalora has announced an immediate official ban on members of the Legionaries of Christ from exercising any ministry in the archdiocese.

Msgr. Michael Souckar, the archdiocesan chancellor, communicated the ban today in a letter addressed to all priests of the archdiocese, ZENIT reports.

The letter said that Archbishop Favalora made the decision based on alleged abuses of earlier permissions given to the Legionaries that restricted their work to attending to the needs of members of the Regnum Christi movement, a lay apostolic association connected to the Legionaries.

"In the past," it explained, "their priests were given individual approval by the vicar general each time they wished to come to the Archdiocese of Miami, but their ministry was restricted to their own members. Because the Legionaries of Christ have not abided by these restrictions, Archbishop Favalora has barred them from any ministry in the Archdiocese of Miami."

The letter furthermore stated that the Regnum Christi movement is not permitted to work in schools or parishes in the archdiocese.
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SIC: CTHUS

Assassination an ‘act for peace’: Seoul cardinal

Seoul Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk has described the assassination 100 years ago of a Japanese colonial official by Catholic independence activist, Thomas An Jung-geun, as an act for peace in East Asia.

An was a devoted Catholic whose actions were based on the justice of Christ, Cardinal Cheong said, UCA News reports.

The cardinal was speaking during the Oct. 26 launch of an exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of An’s killing of Ito Hirobumi, Japan’s first prime minister and the first Japanese resident general of Korea.

The cardinal admitted that the Church had frowned upon An’s memory by strictly applying the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” for a long time.

Ito, who paved the way for Japan’s 1910 annexation of Korea, was shot dead on Oct. 26, 1909, in Harbin in northeastern China during talks with Russia.

Koreans regard An’s assassination of Ito as a symbol of Korea’s struggle for independence from Japanese colonial rule, which lasted officially from 1910 until Japan’s defeat in World War II in 1945.

However, the Catholic Church condemned his act for many years and changed its position only 16 years ago.

In 1993, the late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan of Seoul spoke about An as a soldier and his act as one of national defense.

“The Catholic Church does not regard killing committed to defend the nation from unjust aggression as a crime,” he said.

The current exhibition, which lasts until Jan. 14, 2010, portrays An as a pacifist and displays some of his writings including “Peace in the East,” an article he wrote while in prison.

The Association for the Commemoration of Patriotic Martyr An Jung-geun organized the display at the Seoul Art Center.

The same day, the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice (CPAJ) and the Gaudium et Spes Pastoral Institute held a joint Mass commemorating An at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul.

CPAJ adviser Monsignor Philip Kim Byeong-sang from Incheon diocese celebrated the Mass with some 20 priests. About 1,000 people participated.

During the Mass, Ignatius Cho Kwang, history professor of Korea University, claimed An’s actions were based on his Catholic faith.

After working as a teacher and founding a school, An became a journalist at an anti-Japan newspaper before joining the volunteer army for Korea’s independence, Cho noted. He said that when he was a rebel army general, An always carried a rosary and prayer book.

It is well known that the French bishop of Korea at that time, Bishop August Mutel, condemned the assassination and An was prevented from receiving the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.

The local Church’s position, which was in line with Japan’s at that time, was that An’s action was a crime.

An, however, maintained until his execution in 1910 that he committed the act for peace in East Asia.
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SIC: CTHAS

Philippines priest had US ‘criminal history’

Detroit Archdiocese officials say that they have informed the Catholic Church in the Philippines of the conviction for sexual abuse of a former US seminarian later ordained for the diocese of Tagbilaran.

Ned McGrath, Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Detroit, said in a statement that the Archdiocese only became recently aware of the ordination of Joseph Skelton Jr. as a priest in Tagbilaran, the Manila Standard reports.

He said they were not consulted prior to the ordination but “the Detroit archdiocese has since contacted the bishop of Taglibaran, to whom Skelton reports, regarding the priest’s criminal history in Michigan.”

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, in a statement published by several Detroit-area newspapers, said people should have been warned that Skelton had once studied at a Catholic seminary in Plymouth, and pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy in his seminary room. He had resigned from the seminary in 1988.

“And this month, a settlement was reached involving allegations that Skelton was involved in the abuse of a 14-year-old boy in Washington, D.C., in 1984, according to attorneys Jessica Arbour and Adam Horowitz,” the Detroit Times reported.

SNAP president Barbara Blaine told newspapers that a letter sent in 2003 warning of Skelton’s history was not enough and that Church officials should do much more. “Kids are safer and the Church is healthier when the truth is exposed.”

But the Detroit archdiocese said in a statement that Skelton had been dismissed from the St. John Provincial Seminary after being accused of sexual misconduct.

“Not unlike any other institution of higher learning, the archdiocesan seminary does not track or hold responsibility for every student who ever attended classes but left before ordination.”
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SIC: CTHAS

Thieves caught trying to steal bronze statue of patron saint

Two thieves carrying a bronze statue of Catholic saint Francis of Assisi were caught by Italian police because the statue was too heavy.

The 80 kilogramme, 1.70 metre statue was placed on a fountain in a public garden near the military base of Cecchignola on the outskirts of Rome.

Police caught the thieves, a 47 year-old man from Rome and a 49 year-old Romanian man, using special tools to remove the statue from the fountain and then tried to take it to their pick-up van.

Because of the weight of the statue, both thieves struggled to take it to their van when they were spotted by a patrol unit from Italy's paramilitary police. The thieves tried to escape but were later arrested.

Both of them were unemployed and were previous offenders.

Saint Francis of Assisi was a Catholic deacon and the founder of the Franciscans. He is considered the patron saint of animals, the environment and Italy.

He died on 3 October 1226 in the city of Assisi, located in central Italy. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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SIC: AKI

Kidnapped priest is alive, says Sinn Féin

It has emerged tonight that kidnapped Irish priest Fr Michael Sinnott is alive and has received medical treatment.

Senior Sinn Féin figure Gerry Kelly and former Downing St chief of staff Jonathan Powell have been involved in behind-the-scenes talks in an attempt to secure the 79-year-old priest’s release.

Last night Stormont junior minister Gerry Kelly told The Irish Times he had been contacted by a relative of another priest working in the Philippines about Fr Sinnott.

“I understand that Fr Sinnott is both safe and alive and I also understand that he has got his medicine for his heart condition,” said Mr Kelly.

He added that Father Sinnott’s location had been identified.

He said: “The good news is that they believe he is in Lanao del Norte. The kidnappers are asking for ‘board and lodgings’ – a euphemism for a ransom.”

Mr Kelly said that both separatists and government forces are searching for Fr Sinnott, who may be held by a criminal gang.

“They have pulled out all the stops to get his release. Vigils are being held by clergy across the Philippines for his release. Pressure is building up,” he added.

Fr Sinnott was abducted from his compound on October 11th by six gunmen who forced their way into the Columban House in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, 890km south of Manila.

Fears have risen that the missionary was in a critical condition due to dysentery, malnutrition and the absence of the medicine he needs following open-heart surgery four years ago.
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SIC: IT

Church's HIV/Aids stance criticised

Two leading Catholic theologians have criticised the church’s teaching and practice on addressing HIV/Aids.

They have also questioned the profits that drug companies make from treating Aids-related diseases.

Fr Enda McDonagh, former professor of moral theology at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, and Fr James Keenan SJ, a founder professor of theology at Boston College in the US, claimed that, every 37 days, as many people die from Aids-related illnesses as were killed in the 2004 Asian tsunami.
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SIC: IT

Abuse survivors in North seek Ryan-style inquiry

VICTIMS OF child abuse in Northern church and state institutions have called for a public inquiry similar to the Ryan report.

Solicitor Joe Rice has said he received representations from what he called “a significant number” of abuse survivors, understood to be in the hundreds, and has written to the heads of the Stormont Executive to press for an inquiry.

They believe they have been discriminated against, as investigations of child abuse initiated in the Republic did not extend to Northern Ireland.

Mr Rice, in his letter to First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, referred to those who suffered all forms of abuse and neglect in Northern Ireland since 1947.

“It is apparent that the level of abuse was widespread and endemic, and moreover that all the institutions involved had a duty of care to those children placed in their trust, and responsibility under the different statutory frameworks in the post-war period,” he wrote.

Mr Rice is arguing that Mr Robinson’s and Mr McGuinness’s office, along with the Departments of Health and Education, are “the principal successors in title to those institutions” that he alleges were responsible for the abuse over the past 50 years.

“These aforementioned bodies were also responsible for the regulation and administration of these homes and institutions,” he wrote.

“On behalf of our clients who are the victims of such abuse in Northern Ireland, we respectfully request the responsible Ministers within the Northern Ireland Executive to establish an inquiry under the relevant legislation to inquire into child abuse in this jurisdiction in the post-war period.”

His letter specifically refers to the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse in the Republic, and “respectfully suggests” this should be the model for an inquiry in Northern Ireland.

Mr Rice suggests Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward should co-operate with the Stormont Executive and authorise “appropriate funding” which would enable victims of abuse and neglect to seek redress through both civil and criminal law.

He cited the investigation into a sex scandal at the Kincora Boys’ Home in east Belfast in the 1980s as a template for the new inquiry which he wants to be held.
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SIC: IT

Court to rule on Church abuse report next week

THE High Court will give its final ruling next week on exactly how much may be published of the report of the investigation into the handling by Catholic Church and state authorities of child sex abuse allegations against Dublin clerics.

It followed the hearing yesterday by Mr Justice Paul Gilligan of an issue that had not been raised with him when he directed that most of the report could be published.

In his ruling, he had ordered that the report could be published except for one chapter, which refers to a particular individual, plus 21 additional references to the same person.

He made that direction on the basis that publication of the material might prejudice criminal proceedings.

However, last week, when it was expected that most of the report would be published, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern went before the judge because of concerns he had that other material in the report may also affect criminal proceedings.

After hearing matters in private, the judge said he would give his decision next week.
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SIC: II

Recession blamed for 43% increase in suicides

RECORDED suicides increased by 43% in the first three months of 2009, figures have revealed.

Data published by the Central Statistics Office show that 106 suicides were registered between January and March this year – an increase of 32 on the same period in 2008.

By comparison, the number of road fatalities in the first three months of 2009 was 59.

Mental health experts last night warned the impact of the economic recession was to blame for the soaring suicide rate.

The sharp increase in the number of suicides comes after the 424 registered suicides in 2008 represented a 16-year record low.

The HSE’s National Suicide Prevention Office said the latest figures did not reflect the overall annual downward trend of death by suicide in Ireland.

A HSE spokesperson said the CSO’s provisional suicide figures had to be treated with utmost caution. She pointed out that many of the suicides registered in early 2009 are likely to have occurred last year, as they are not formally recorded until after inquests.

The HSE said the number of suicides has been falling continuously since 2003.

However, Fine Gael spokesman on mental health Dan Neville expressed concern that the dramatic increase in the number of suicides was linked to rising unemployment and people experiencing financial difficulties.

Mr Neville, who is also president of the Irish Association of Suicidology, described the latest suicide figures as "alarming".

If replicated during the remainder of 2009, the figure would reach almost 600, said Mr Neville.

Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews called for a review of suicide prevention figures in light of the CSO figures.

Mr Andrews, who is convenor of the Oireachtas Group on Mental Health, said the rising suicide rate was worrying despite current initiatives designed to tackle the problem.
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SIC: IE

Prayer for the Increase of Priestly and Religious Vocations

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Eternal Father,
Son of the Virgin Mary,
we thank you for offering your life in sacrifice on
the Cross, and for renewing this sacrifice
in every Mass celebrated throughout the world.

In the Power of the Holy Spirit
we adore you and proclaim
your living presence in the Eucharist.
We desire to imitate the love you show us
in your death and resurrection,
by loving and serving one another.

We ask you to call many young people to religious
life, and to provide the holy and generous priests
that are so needed in you Church today.
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Amen.

Prayer For Priests

O Jesus, our great High Priest,

Hear my humble prayers on behalf of your priest, Father [N].

Give him a deep faith a bright and firm hope
and a burning love
which will ever increase
in the course of his priestly life.

In his loneliness, comfort him

In his sorrows, strengthen him

In his frustrations,

point out to him that it is through suffering
that the soul is purified,

and show him that he is needed by the Church,

he is needed by souls,

he is needed for the work of redemption.

O loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests,
take to your heart your son who is close to you

because of his priestly ordination,

and because of the power

which he has received

to carry on the work of Christ
in a world which needs him so much.

Be his comfort,
be his joy,
be his strength,

and especially help him

to live and to defend
the ideals of consecrated celibacy.

Amen.