Posted by Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran has called for a more positive and compassionate response to the care of people who are in the final stages of life.
News Briefing: Britain and Ireland
Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran has called for a more positive and compassionate response to the care of people who are in the final stages of life.
Irish Catholic Bishops
In a message for the Church’s annual Day for Life, Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran called for a more positive and compassionate response to the care of people who are in the final stages of life and solidarity with those who fear being abandoned in their final illness. The chair of the Bishops’ Council for Life also appealed to people to overcome their fear of talking about death and dying. “Dying is as natural and universal as living and breathing yet our society can make it difficult for people to talk about it.” In their message, the Irish bishops highlighted how the fragility of life and the reality of death were brought into sharp focus during the Covid-19 pandemic which has resulted in the deaths of over 8,000 people on the island of Ireland. “Each of these lives is precious and every life matters,” they said.
The University of Nottingham has reversed its decision to reject the nomination of Fr David Palmer as the University’s Catholic chaplain, and have issued new guidelines for chaplains that will see Fr Palmer appointed on a year’s trial basis. The controversy of Fr Palmer began when concerns were raised about tweets he had made that some considered inflammatory in tone.
The General Secretary of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, has announced that he will retire from his role at the end of August 2022. The 73-year old, who previously served as Archbishop of Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, was appointed to a seven-year term in 2015. He said: “When I was appointed to this post, I said that, my prayer to God is very simple, that I would be able to be a bridge builder; to create the culture of respect for differences, a culture of accepting people as human beings and loving them for who they are in Christ.”
The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland has warned the Government that it is responsible for maintaining a basic standard of living for citizens, as it rolls back emergency pandemic measures, and it is not the responsibility of charity. In an address on the Feast Day of the St Vincent de Paul to members of the Society from Armagh, Craigavon, Banbridge and surrounding area, Archbishop Eamon Martin expressed concern over the impact of the imminent cut in weekly universal credit payments as pandemic measures come to an end, combined with the impact on the less well-off of increases in fuel and other living costs.
The lead bishop for migrants and refugees led a “moving” ecumenical service on the Dover seafront last Saturday to mark the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Bishop Paul McAleenan, auxiliary in Westminster, highlighted the Christian duty to provide a humane and welcoming attitude to those who attempt to reach Britain having suffered poverty violence and persecution.
Pupils at All Saints Catholic College in west London have begun lessons in the school’s new £4.25 million Rome Building. Built to meet the needs of the needs of a school that has grown in popularity over the past three years, it includes a drama studio, two music classrooms, three music practice rooms and a rehearsal room with a full recording studio. The headteacher Andrew O’Neill also has his office in the Rome Building. At a launch event to mark its completion, ITV News at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham said: “On top of a rigorous learning environment, the best and obviously the most important element of our Catholic schools is the faith community they build for our children. Any academic success they achieve, finds its firmest foundations there. So anything which helps foster that, in bricks and mortar – with great spaces like the Rome building – to bring the kids together and allow them to flourish, have fun, and in turn bring joy to others, is invaluable.”
Bishop Kevin Doran has appealed to people to overcome their fear of talking about death and dying. “Dying is as natural and universal as living and breathing yet our society can make it difficult for people to talk about it,” he said.
The Bishop of Derry has expressed concern over the “tsunami of violence against women and children” and said legislation and policing alone are not the solution. In his homily at St Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry last weekend, Bishop Donal McKeown called on society to recognise and address the fact that it is “wallowing in violence as entertainment, and pornography”. He criticised political leaders for talking as if the main solution is to be found in more laws and policing. “More laws alone will not develop maturity when there is vast profit to be made in promoting irresponsibility,” he warned. Elsewhere in his homily, the Bishop of Derry warned, “There is no healing in pitting men against women.”“When an identity-politics society portrays the Other as threat or as a toy to play with, it is killing itself.” He stressed that relationships, commitment and love of the Other build a healthy society. Bishop McKeown said the Church had a lot of work to do to take that on board that making room for the talents and uncomfortable wisdom of all is not merely an option but an obligation. This applied to the relationship between the parish community and its clergy. “The priest has to love his people and treat them with dignity as brothers and sisters, whether they are his friends or not.” He said the emphasis on synodality is at the heart of building a family of faith, most especially in a fragmenting society.
The Diocese of Dromore has set aside £2.5m for redress scheme for victims of clerical abuse in the diocese, with individual pay-outs capped at £80,000. The scheme was announced last week by Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, who has been Administrator of Dromore since Bishop John McAreavey resigned in 2018. The diocese includes parts of Antrim, Down and Armagh. Announcing the scheme, the Diocese apologised unreservedly to victims and survivors for the hurt and damage caused by any priest or church representative. “The Diocese of Dromore finds such behaviour towards children and vulnerable people abhorrent, inexcusable and indefensible,” it said in a statement. Those eligible for the scheme include victims of Fr Malachy Finnegan, the former president of St Colman’s College in Newry, who is believed to have abused children over four decades before his death in 2002. He was a member of the staff of St Colman’s between 1967 and 1987. Up to 70 people have so far made complaints regarding sexual and physical abuse in Dromore, over half of which relate to Fr Finnegan.
Bishop Kevin Doran has appealed to people to overcome their fear of talking about death and dying. “Dying is as natural and universal as living and breathing yet our society can make it difficult for people to talk about it,” he said.
A London event has examined the “Economy of Francesco”. On 2 October, 20 young people from across the UK met at St Mary Moorfields Church in the City of London to share ideas for bringing about an economy that works for everybody. For part of the day they joined their peers in 40 Hubs around the world online, including Assisi. The Economy of Francesco describes itself as a “global movement for economic justice initiated by Pope Francis in 2019.” The initiative involves young economists, entrepreneurs and changemakers “in promoting change for a more human and sustainable economy that leaves no one behind, in the spirit of St. Francis.” Si Chun Lam, a co-organiser of the London Hub, told The Tablet, “our Hub was a global, diverse group; we had representation from 15 countries across four continents; and young people representing different sectors: bankers, civil servants, academics, climate specialists and students.” In the morning, Dr Roberto Pasqualino, Research Fellow at the Global Sustainability Institute, led a workshop on helping participants understand things from a systems perspective. “This is absolutely essential for young activists looking to change the present economic paradigm, whether it is bridging business profit and vocation; finance in the service of humanity, or changing lives and lifestyles,” said Si Chun. Issues looked at included ethical pensions and investments. The day concluded with a Mass celebrated by Fr Christopher Jamison OSB, Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is being accused of attempting to mount a “stealth raid” on Britain’s foreign aid spending. Development charities say the Treasury is hoping to use “accounting tricks” in this month’s Spending Review to squeeze the aid budget by billions of pounds. They fear new items will be designated as “overseas development assistance” in a way that would cut the amount spent directly on humanitarian aid. The government is already cutting aid spending by reducing the target of what must be allocated to overseas assistance from 0.7 per cent of national income to 0.5 per cent. There are strict international rules about what counts as aid and charities fear the Treasury is looking at options that would effectively break the spirit of these rules. They say the Treasury wants some foreign currency handouts from the International Monetary Fund, known as Special Drawing Rights, to count as aid. Even though the money comes from the IMF and not UK coffers, officials want 30 per cent to count towards the 0.5 per cent target. Cafod told The Tablet this week: “Special Drawing Rights were issued in a time of crisis to help the world respond to the devastating impacts of the pandemic, especially low and middle-income countries. It is a unique moment for the UK and other countries to stump up the finance to fulfil their commitments to vaccinate the whole world and provide climate finance for countries and communities that are worst affected. It would be morally bankrupt for the UK to divert its share of this money to replace overseas development assistance.”