Fr John Dear this week on a peace mission to Afghanistan
I'm going to Afghanistan as a way to say a public no to this senseless, illegal, immoral, impractical, evil U.S. war, 
the longest in our nation's history. About 2,000 U.S. soldiers have needlessly died in Afghanistan since 2001,
but how many tens of thousands of Afghan civilians have died? And who cares?

Religious in India push to revive missionary fervor (NCR)

Nov 29

Asian bishops meeting Dec 10-16 in Vietnam  Thomas Fox (NCR)
(Media told to stay away).  It seems a new generation of leaders, more timid and less trusting of the world around them,
has taken hold of the organization.- see JW's comment 

A Church in need of reform ... reform forced from outside. (FR)

Priests should be better preachers

Overhaul of abuse response Sr Annette Cunliffe, President CRA

Crisis & criticism in the Church Robert E. McNally (America)
A stirring challenge to the bishops of 2012 to imitate the humility and courage of bishops in previous times of trial. 
I hope every bishop in the world, especially the Bishop of Rome,  will read this article. jw

Swiss abbot's call for reform (ACP)
Abbot Werlen deplores the lack of courage, vision and creativity in the Church. He says  discussion of too many issues is forbidden

The Church in a time of crisis Garry Everett (CathBlog)
Reader: Excellent reminder of the steps partially traversed 

Dysfunctional Church stares into the abuse abyss
Fr Michael Kelly SJ (E. Street)
There won't be healing until there is systemic change that fixes the culture in which mismanagement thrives 
and transparency is lacking.

Some light-hearted thoughts on a very heavy subject 
Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI
Death: the most daunting topic

Real Justice Restorative responses
 to crime and wrongdoing

Tribute to Bernard Haring (NCR)
Häring in the homily looked at me and said that the church was the prodigal son who had taken all my treasure and my work for moral theology and fed it to the pigs

Mystery of Jesus' Forgiveness even for sex offenders  J. Girzone

Vilification of abusers won't  contribute to solution (ACP)

Robert Mickens:
The Vatican Implosion (Video)
It’s the crumbling of what’s as close to an absolute monarchy as anything that ever existed in the world, certainly the western world 

Congo at the crossroads
A disturbing article ...let's keep Congo in our prayers

After 2012 election, Biblical Christians will be marginalized 
Recommended by David Timbs

Movie trailer: Somewhere between
True story of four Chinese girls adopted by US parents

Nov 23

An orchestra and choir singing the 9th  Symphony in the street 
YouTube     Superb!  

 

Abuse Royal Commission: On breaking seal of Confession Bishop Geoffrey Robinson (ES) At the hinge of history Sr Annette Cunliffe RSC Talking to children re Commission Victims vs Cardinal Pell

Nov 22

Mini-reflection - John W:
Last thing at night, after I upload this site's menu for the next day,  I like to briefly look at something to take my mind off all the bad news stuff. During the Australian football season, I check some football news. Lately, in the off-season, I've been checking Joshua Mountain...Joseph Girzone's daily blogs. They are so beautiful.
 May I recommend this practice as a way for the computer to let Jesus have the last say each night

Speaking of screens: Housebroken (George Monbiot)
11 to15 year-olds in UK now spend half their waking day in front of a screen - VIP article for parents

Please see comments at Nov 21 article by Chris McDonnell. 
A HK reader has posted some very interesting remarks about the new translation, disagreeing with what one John W posted on menu of Nov 19. If any other readers would like to join the discussion, please post!
See also response by Chris

Roy Bourgeois: They finally got him
"Thou shalt not support the ordination of women"

UN: take climate change seriously

Nov 21

Abuse Royal Commission: Bishop Bill Wright: healing time

Facebook Sacramental scrutiny

Compulsory celibacy: Look East

Priest dismissed for supporting ordination of women (NCR)
See many comments
(If they're going to dismiss everyone who supports ordination of women, 
"everyone" totals many millions ...including yours truly....jw)

Obama should follow lead of Gillard and set up Federal abuse commission
(Obama's chance to pay back bishops for campaign hostility?)

Nov 19

Church should accept humiliation Michael Mullins (Eureka Street) 
+ comments by David Timbs & JW

Purgatory as seeing fully for 1st time Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI
(Ron's words fit the description of life after death experience people jw) 

Overhaul Church's legal status (ABC) Aust RC Church in unique situation

 

World Bank: need to take  climate change seriously (ABC) Elephant in room: climate change It's hard to sell clean energy

USA: 26,000,000 unemployed, but 3,000,000 vacancies (60 Mins)
Lessons here for every country on  a topic Church must care about.
c.f. this excellent article suggesting Church can encourage SMEs

Israel's incoherent Gaza attack

Recommended by reader:
Cardinal sin a failure to act (HS)

Journey through US history  with David McCulloch (60 Mins)
Moving and informative documentary

"Populate or perish": Japan shrinks
Japan is now a “net mortality society.” Death rates are higher than birthrates, with wide-ranging effects on society

Nov 17

Diane Nash's call for non-violence Fr John Dear SJ (NCR)
DN's 6 basic steps are most relevant  for anyone concerned about  renewal of the Church - John W

Nov 16

School principal shot dead after Mass in OMI Philippine parish

Tablet article about South Africa's Archbishop Denis Hurley OMI
c.f. a much better article:
Best cardinal Africa never had (NCR)

Advice to bishops on Royal Commission
Bp Geoff Robinson (Eureka St)
In all that has been said and written about the issue over the past week,  this is the outstanding contribution
(Comment of BB, Nov 16)

China's new man pledges growth

The men who ruin the Pope

The correct way to speak about disabled people

Nov 15

US bishop speaks out against new translation There is complicated and awkward phrasing, and a strange vocabulary sometime, and  this does not make these prayers sacral, but on the contrary, aggravating. The new Missal  is more of a burden than a blessing

A mature Christian should never  be afraid to speak out Joseph Girzone
It is an important role of the laity to work together and speak up when something is causing serious damage to the community.  And priests have the same responsibility to speak up when they notice things that are not right in the wider church community. This is critical out of loyalty to Jesus, to force change when things are happening that is contrary to what Jesus expects of his Church.  This is an extremely important part of evangelization which unfortunately is hardly ever mentioned  in the training of young Christians.  As a result a strong, mature and outspoken laity is sadly lacking in the Church

Nov 14 

Good News story: St Dorothy Day

Update: Obama and US bishops
Reader: Bishops need to read Newman's Sensus Fidelium

 Souled Out by Dr Jane Anderson
Book review by Paul Collins
True story of an Australian parish

Most Catholics choose cafeteria

Don't deny chalice to laity (ACP)
 How can priests  pronounce the solemn words  “Take this all of you and drink from it”
and then deny the Chalice to the laity?

Abuse Royal Commission Australian bishops' statement No lowly scapegoats

Bishops crash course in social media

Nov 12

US survey of Mass translation Comments from priests:
 "Acting like I appreciate the new texts when I find them to be terrible"
...."Mastering the art of speaking like Yoda" 

Building China's Enlightenment  (Two important articles! - jw) America misreading China

Message from Joseph Girzone:
- comments re New Evangelization
- reason for starting his website
- visitors from Australia

Are Catholic children now protected by Obama's papal victory? III in this article recommended by a reader

Australian Prime Minister announces National abuse inquiry

The lure of robes (Catholica) ..must read...

Cardinal Turkson in Japan: nuclear question & immigrants rights
"It is urgent to protect the rights of immigrants, because there is evidence that also because of the failure to do so “international labour is by-passing Japan for other rich countries”.

Vat computer man sentenced ((would Jesus wear red shoes??))

Jesus and the poor (4) Joseph Girzone
The poor are the hidden treasures of our society. They are honorable, appreciative, and very creative business people if given a chance.  They really respond positively when they are treated honorably and with respect.  This should be part of our evangelization process, showing how God has placed the future progress of our civilization in the poor, who are the hidden treasure of every community where they abound.

Obama's evolving Christianity (CNN)

Update re women deacons (NCR)

World's three deadliest words: It's a girl  (3 min movie trailer)

Vatican owes Asian bishops apology for bumping conference   (NCR)
- see comment by John W

US military and climate change 

Chinas' choreographed Congress
"Party must maintain grip on power"
Last paragraph = "bottom line"!

Time for bishops to start listening Conalo (ACP)
It's hard to understand why  the bishops as a body nor any individual bishops 
are not willing to meet an association with 1,000 priests

Opening God's Word from a female perspective Judith Lynch (CathBlog)
It is a privilege singed with sadness to be asked to open up the Word of the Lord from a female perspective and experience. As I prepare my words I pray that in a generation or two the women who come after me will be welcome to open up the Word of the Lord at the Sunday Eucharist.

Tablet Letters Extra 
2 letters re rescinding of invitation to British theologian Tina Beatie
(c.f. NCR update on this issue)

Nov 8

VIP article - lesson for Church -
 a model for Evangelization!
Obama's grass-roots campaign
The 2012 Obama For America (OFA) re-election campaign was the culmination of the president's belief in the power of local neighbourhood action that he acquired as a community organiser in poor areas of Chicago back in the 1980s. (Whole chapter on this in Dreams From My Father ....very moving). The emphasis was on the "direct". The Obama camp believes with the fervour of the missionary that friendship, contact and the personal touch is the key to winning elections

Beyond the Obama euphoria Jim McDermott (Eureka Street)
Americans'  frustration  with the same tone-deaf partisan politics with which Australia currently struggles

It's the demography, stupid  Annabel Crabb (ABC)
"Minorities" are no longer minorities in the US. In this year's census, white births are recorded as slumping to 49.6% of all births, with "minority" ethnic births now 50.4%  

A New America "Must read" Editorial (NCR)

Work in Progress James Hanvey (Tablet)
Once seen as a challenge to the secular world,  Gaudium et Spes  also challenges the Church itself

John Allen's final Synod report (NCR)

Jesus and the poor (3) Joseph Girzone
The real resentment for the new Affordable Care Law is that it provides health insurance for 40,000,000 poor people, which is contemptibly labeled Socialism...  And those same self-righteous Christians dare to call themselves the patriotic models of a Christian nation.  I think that would make Jesus throw up.

Nov 6

A Romney win would reward Republicans for bad behavior
Given the hours of coverage and the billions of dollars devoted to the election, it's stunning how few of the nation's most glaring problems are being discussed  (c.f Church?)

Jesus' preference for the poor (2) Joseph Girzone
Caring for the poor by Christians was
a unique phenomenon in the pagan world and as time went on, this concern for the poor was extended to others outside of Jesus’ family who needed assistance or medical attention, esp orphans & widows  
.

Egypt's Coptics have new Pope Chose by ballot (as in Acts!)

Jesus' preference for the poor (1) Joseph Girzone
And when Jesus began his public ministry, he immediately snubbed the snobs, the priests, the Pharisees, the scribes and the lawyers.  And I know these words are harsh, but that is precisely what he did, and those people were the very ones his Father had chosen to lead his people.  Jesus could have walked among them and cuddled up to  them and cultivated their friendships, but from the very start he ignored them, and chose to walk through the smelly ranks of the unwashed in the bazaars and the streets and hung around the fishermen of the shores of the Galilee in Capernaum, where the hardworking poor hung out.

The "Credo" against false gods Pope Benedict XVI
Reader: A message for everyone?

A most disturbing report (Catholica) Reader: Will there soon be a Gestapo office in every diocese?

Petition to end compulsory celibacy John W is signatory no. 111

America's "Catholic Moment"?
The Catholic approach emphasizes governing over campaigning, compromise over winner-take-all politics, and the common good over hyper-individualism

Powerful new documentary Fr John Dear SJ (NCR)
What 67 nuclear blasts did to the people of the Marshall Islands 

Women Deacons: Why Not Now?
A Project to Restore Women Deacons in the Catholic Church

BBC Documentary: Fr Brian D'Arcy, the turbulent priest
Powerful - "must watch"  (Catholica)

US university cancels offer to UK theologian who's on board of Tablet
Reader: Tolerance?

Macau casino owner is richest Jew in world & Romney backer

Church needs state aid to deal with abuse  Fr Frank Brennan SJ
See the many comments

The Communion of Saints Joseph Girzone
Though we can't see them, they can see us, and our loved ones are totally aware of what is happening in
our lives. You can be sure mothers pester God continually to help their children on earth

Sandy puts climate change  back on agenda "Sandy is a disturbing sign of  things to come. We must heed this warning and act quickly to solve the climate crisis. Dirty energy makes dirty weather"

Vatican forgets Asian meeting  when setting date for Rome meeting (NCR)
FABC bishops and cardinals were shocked and dismayed at the timing by the Vatican. This is a blatant example of the carelessness of Vatican officials toward Asian religious leaders

Australia-Asia Michael Kelly SJ Without an informed view, fear wins

Successor for Rowan Williams This article re empty churches has relevance for Catholic Church 
"The Victorian model of church, based on an unlimited supply of young men prepared to work for nothing, is just not going to work"

Catholic agencies respond to the storm "many have feared for a long time" (NCR)

Jesus, please help everyone affected by hurricane Sandy. Give eternal life to those who have died, and consolation to their families. Bless all who are involved in the rescue and clean-up effort, protect them from hidden power lines and other dangers. Please help all who have lost their homes. If this terrible tragedy has anything to do with climate change, please help us take climate change more seriously

David Timbs has posted an  insightful comment at end of Chris McDonnell's article on Hans Hung