Guardian columnist writes on his prostate cancer

Guardian columnist George Monbiot writes about his prostate cancer and his upcoming surgery.

A brave man.

The piece includes a funny quote from Groucho Marx. Well, maybe it's not funny at all.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/13/prostate-cancer-happy-diagnosis-operation?CMP=share_btn_link

Vincent Twomey

Colette Browne writes in the Irish Independent today about the comments made by Mary McAleese over the last few days.

She refers to what Fr Vincent Twomey said on the Marian Finucane show on Sunday.

Everything about Vincent Twomey sounds pompous and arrogant.

Is there anyone anywhere who is willing to tell Vincent Twomey to stay away from radio television and newspapers.

Does the man not see how insanely ridiculous he sounds?

Has the media some sort of malevolent reason for inviting the man to talk and write?

'A kind look is essential'

This week's Independent News & Media Irish Regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

Tuesday, March 6 was the anniversary of the death of Dominican priest Michael Heuston. He died in Rome in 1984.

Fr Michael was the brother of Sean Heuston of 1916 fame.

Michael was a genius, a fine mathematician and a writer. He carried out an extensive study of the famous mosaic in the Dominican church at San Clemente in Rome and subsequently wrote on the topic.

He was an eccentric person, who had difficulty living in community. He may well have been a man ahead of his time. In the latter part of his life he came to live at the Dominican Priory at San Clemente, where his prior, Fr Luke Dempsey, was extremely kind to him. The goodness and benevolence of Luke towards Michael transformed him into the happiest of people. I know. I saw it with my own eyes. The charity of one man changed Michael Heuston's life for the good.

Every day in my job as a hospital chaplain I experience extraordinary acts of kindness. The people who perform such acts probably are not aware of what they are doing but to see it in action is a life-changing experience.

It must be over a year ago since I spotted three men regularly visit a patient. They knew him through football. They were the only visitors the man had but between the three of them the patient had a visit almost every day of the week. I got to know them. It didn't take long to realise they were good people. 

A year has passed and only last week I learned they are still visiting that man, who has now moved to a hospice. They have left an indelible mark on me.

It's striking how the kindness/goodness of just one or two people can lift the atmosphere of an entire group of people. When a small number of patients and staff are genuinely kind and caring it simply spreads its wings around the place. It lifts the tone.

There is a Latin saying which goes 'bonum est diffusivum sui, which means that goodness of its nature spreads itself about. A smile, a supportive word, a compliment, go along way in making the world a better place.

Papal writings are never easy documents to read. They're certainly not bedtime reading. I recommend you read Pope Francis' 'The Joy of Love', known in Latin as 'Amoris Laetitia'.

It's a gem and written in a language and tone that makes it so readable. Even if you buy it just to read chapter four it's money well spent.

Listen to this from Pope Francis: 'To be open to a genuine encounter with others, 'a kind look' is essential. This is incompatible with a negative attitude that readily points out other people's shortcomings while overlooking one's own. A kind look helps us to see beyond our own limitations, to be patient and to cooperate with others, despite our differences.'

Elsewhere Francis writes: 'Love abhors making others suffer.'

Some weeks ago I got to know a patient. At first I thought he was distant and did not want to engage. We got to know each other. I learned so much from listening to him. Smiling and joking with him.

So often, just on a whim, a superficial glance, we can make judgements on people. For everyone's sake and for our own too it makes far more sense to begin with a smile and a friendly word. That way we might well see far more good than bad.

'Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.' Mark Twain

The church and its secrets

Former President of Ireland Mary McAleese gave an extensive interview on RTE Radio's Sean O'Rourke Show today.

She spoke about how her own brother had been sadistically abused by the late Fr Malachy Finnegan in the 1970s.

She was not expecting to be asked about the subject.

At one stage she said: "All the secrets are supposed to be out."

Her comments on the Legionaries of Christ were informative and interesting.

The previous day Sean Faloon, a victim of Fr Finnegan, spoke on RTE News.

His story was horrific.

Secrecy and the church.

Indeed, the secrets, but the underlying issue was not discussed.

The move to Moscow

One hundred years ago today the Russian capital moved from Saint Petersburg to Moscow.

For the previous 215 years Saint Petersburg had been the Russian capital.

Karl Lehmann dies

German Cardinal Karl Lehmann died today. He was 81 years of age.

His death was the first item on German news bulletins today.

German media spoke warmly of him this evening.

President Steinmeier and Chancellor Merkel paid tributes to the former bishop of Mainz and president of the German Bishops' Conference.

The church and its 'codology'

Had Cardinal Kevin Farrell allowed former President of Ireland Mary McAleese to talk within Vatican walls it is most likely that the conference would never have received the publicity it has received. But good that he did and her message has received such attention.

What is it about the Catholic Church and preaching the Good News?

Kevin Farrell was ordained a priest of the Legionaries of Christ and later left the congregation.

The Legionaries of Christ were founded and managed by Marcial Maciel Degollado.

He sexually abused boys and young men. After his death, it came to light that he fathered six children, two of whom he is alleged to have abused.

He was feted by Pope John Paul II. He had the 'skill' of attracting large numbers of men to the congregation and was an important donor to the Vatican.

Anyone with eyes in their head would have seen that as far back as the 1970s the Legionaries of Christ was an unhealthy organisation.

Its novices and students all dressed in similar clerical clothing. They looked and acted in a silly fashion. Even down to the briefcases they carried - they all had similar ones. It was laughable. Pious pomposity. It was ridiculous in the 1970s, as it is today. A game played.

That they still exist, with their vast financial portfolio, seems strange.

The church and all its 'codology'. Arrogance too.

Vladimir Putin quotes

Quotes from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

There is no such thing as a former KGB man.

Whoever does not miss the Soviet Union has no heart.

I am the wealthiest man not just in Russia but the whole world. I collect emotions.

Traitors always end in a bad way.

If the fight is inevitable, be the first to strike.

Sometimes it is necessary to be lonely to prove you are right.

We have been weak and the weak are beaten.

Nobody listens to us, listen now.

Hoban's stellar performance

Fr Brendan Hoban, a priest of the Diocese of Killala, gave a stellar performance on RTE's News at One yesterday.

He was responding to comments by former President of Ireland Mary McAleese made in Rome about misogyny in the Catholic Church.

He was articulate, intelligent, honest and came across as a man of deep faith.

Why is Fr Hoban not a bishop in the Irish church?

Why was there no spokesperson from the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church available to speak on the programme yesterday?

There is so much to be embarrassed about with the Catholic Church.

The paucity of leadership is mind-boggling.

International Woman's Day

Former President Mary McAleese has spoken about the Catholic Church being the last empire of misogyny.

She also referred to how so much of the theology on women in the church is dressed up in codology.

The woman is right on both counts, though there are other empires of misogyny out there.

And there is so much codology in the church. Then again, there is codology everywhere.

Flight MH 370 vanishes

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 370 disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on this date in 2014. 239 people were aboard the Boeing 777 aircraft.

Extensive searches for the plane have taken place. To date nothing has been found.

Advice on phantom flooding from Iarnród Éireann

Is there something wrong with this notice, which appears at Heuston Station today?

Is Irish Rail going to tell passengers about flooding or bus transfers in the future?

But when a passenger arrives in Limerick Junction they will discover that the train is running between the Junction and Limerick city.

An Irish Rail Staff employee was asked why the sign at Heuston had not been removed. His reply: "too early for them".

Exorcism

This appears in yesterday's Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/06/exorcists-catholic-evangelical-church-child-abuse-new-inquisition?CMP=share_btn_link

The certainty of death

This week's Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

Have you ever imagined about your own funeral? Who’d be there? What would be said?

A Dominican quipped at his mother’s funeral how she would love to have been present at it to see who was there and what they said about her.

They say we do funerals well in Ireland. Fadó fadó a wake could take place over a number of days. But I think it’s true to say that big funerals, wherever in the world they take place can be spectacular events.

I remember the funeral of John F Kennedy. I was 14 at the time and I can still recall the Irish Army cadets at the graveside in Arlington. Churchill’s funeral was an amazing spectacle. In recent times I was awestruck with the pomp and ceremony that surrounded the funeral of former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt where Angela Merkel gave a eulogy.

The funeral of Princess Diana caught the attention of the world.

Funerals can be great events. And when we are personally involved in them, by that I mean the funerals of our family and close friends, we always find support by the attendance of friends, family and colleagues.

The Irish wake played an important role in our society. We even managed to transfer the word and use it as a way of saying goodbye to those who headed to America and Australia before the advent of the plane. We spoke of the ‘American wake’. 

But there is still a protocol or ritual attached to the Irish funeral.

No doubt it happens around the country but across Kerry there is the custom of walking in procession from the church to the place of burial and usually local gardaí are on hand to help direct the traffic.

All the trappings that surround the Irish funeral can prove a great help and support to the bereaved.

We might often cast a cold and cynical eye on how some politicians have a remarkable talent at turning up to funerals. But whatever the reason for their attendance, be it genuine or some sort of PR stunt it still gives emphasis to the importance of the funeral in the Irish psyche.

There is something horribly final about death. Christians grapple with the idea of resurrection but even with that, death is still a devastating blow.

The manner in which families and friends come together at times of bereavement helps people in their loss and loneliness. It’s also interesting to see how children take part in the funeral ritual, yet another pointer as to how we make death an intrinsic part of our lives.

Maybe modern society tries to sanitise death but when death is close and personal there can never be any sanitising or attempting to lessen the pain and suffering.

It is worth noting how we are replacing the word death with euphemisms. These days we tend to talk about a person ‘passing away’, it seems we are less inclined to talk about death and dying.  

Death is the only absolute certainty, there are no exceptions, no excuses. It is a remarkable leveller, rich, poor, the good, the bad, we all die. 

Shakespeare in Henry VI has wise words when he tells us ‘To weep is to make less the depth of grief’.

The old practice in Ireland of keening, which was a lament said or sung over the corpse emphasised the sorrow experienced by those left behind.

Death surely makes us realise the frailty of our lives and the importance of being kind and supportive to others. Isn’t it ironic how death often brings out the best in us.

 

No answer at Dublin Bus

The snow crisis seems to have been managed well and congrats to all involved but this happened yesterday.

The screenshot below appeared on the Dublin Bus website yesterday.

The company's real time indicator was not working yesterday.

If or when a passenger phoned the number given on the company's Latest News page she/he was told by an automatic answering service that the Dublin Bus information office was closed.

Not good enough.

SPD says yes to coalition

The grassroots of the SPD have decided to enter a coalition government with the Angela Merkel's CDU and sister party in Bavaria, the CSU.

Two thirds vote for a coalition and one third against.

The SPD have managed to take finance and foreign ministries.

There will be six SPD ministers, three women, three men.

What's in a name

Eamon Gallen is the MD of Irish Water.

A shining light to the world

The 'Thnking Anew' column in The Irish Times today

Michael Commane

The “demise”  of the Catholic Church in Ireland is on the tongues of many people.

Within the church there are at times signs of panic. It might well be fair to say that people simply do not know what to do.

There is the school of thought that believes the clerical child sex abuse revelations alienated large numbers of people from the church. There are those who will say that there is a secular world ‘out there’ that is hell-bent on destroying the Catholic Church in Ireland, indeed, all Christian churches.

Because of the large falloff in church attendances, it is easy for an atmosphere of entrenchment to set in. Every issue becomes a call to battle and it is always ‘them versus us’. That in turn leads to a breakdown in trust and friendship between people. That camaraderie is also breaking down in the church and within priesthood. 

Ever before the arrival of Donald Trump and his ability or 'talent' for being a catalyst for division between left and right, such strains were appearing within the Catholic Church up to 30 years earlier.

But people have been too polite, too careful to speak anyway loudly about it.

To mention God’s word,  one needs to take a deep breath. We have to be extremely careful explaining how the guiding hand of God influences the churches. To study history and to follow the 2,000-year life of Christianity one is forced to see the good, the bad and the ugly.

The 96-year-old life of the Irish State and the predominant role the Catholic Church has played in that period, again show up the good, the bad and the ugly.

Anywhere there are human beings, there is the possibility that evil and wrong-doing will happen.

Probably because the churches spoke or indeed speak in such dogmatic terms, then when it happens that  their own members are discovered doing wrong it is inevitable that they will be ridiculed.

When churches have vast financial resources and wield enormous material power it is also inevitable that people will say there is something wrong here.

To add to the current state of play of church life, the world in general at present seems to be in a state of flux. Then again, maybe it always was, but right now we are in a position to know what is happening in every corner of the globe as it happens.

In tomorrow's second reading St Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians tells his readers: “While the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1: 22 - 24)

Belief in God, belief that Jesus Christ is both human and divine is a lifelong learning journey in faith. 

People cannot be forced to believe in God or Jesus Christ, nor should they.

Also, it is easy to find excuses and obstacles to dismiss God out of our lives.

In tomorrow’s Gospel we see what Jesus has to say to the money changers in the Temple. “Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.” (John 2: 16) Once we mention God’s word, once we say that Jesus Christ is God it is inevitable that there will be doubt and disagreement.

But if we believe in the Word of God as individuals and as members of the Christian community our words, our way of life  will be a shining light to the world, and also to those who do not believe.

If we genuinely believe that we are all made in the image and likeness of God, then surely our kindness, our goodness will radiate its worth right in front of people’s eyes.

Our faith in God and in Jesus Christ as our Lord and saviour transcends everything,  just as kindness and goodness do. And as St Paul tells us, Christ is the power and wisdom of God.

We find our faith and see faith in the little things, right in front of our eyes.

Could it be that we have made our faith into a political football, surrounded by power and control? 

Was it something like that that Jesus saw in the Temple that day when he drove out the money changers and scattered them?

Perhaps the Holy Spirit is nudging us away from the world of the money changers and directing us towards the Word of God?

Shame on you Toyota

Toyota is currently running an ad on Irish radio which asks why would people rather go to the dentist than have their car repaired.

It is an outlandish ad and someone needs to tell Toyota to drop it and come up with a better idea.

Ireland has nothing to be proud about when it comes to dental health. The cutbacks that were intorduced at the time of the recession have never been fully restored.

Shame on you Toyota.

'Silly' Sarah

Editorial in the current issue of The Tablet.

In the middle of the fourth century Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem gave this instruction to those who were about to join the Catholic Church: “When you come forward for Holy Communion, do not draw near with your hands wide open or with fingers spread apart; instead, with your left hand make a throne for the right hand, which will receive the King. Receive the body of Christ in the hollow of your hand and give the response: Amen.”

According to Cardinal Robert Sarah, head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship, this way of receiving Communion constitutes “the most insidious diabolical attack” on the Blessed Sacrament, organised by Satan himself. Probably the kindest thing to say about this is that it is just plain silly.

Cardinal Sarah is evidently a very square peg in a round hole. He is an able, pious and learned man, but he holds opinions at variance with normal Catholic practice throughout the world. He advocates the saying of Mass facing East, for instance, with the priest’s back turned towards the congregation. 

Few agree. Now in the preface to a book on the subject of Communion in the hand, he does not just advocate Communion by mouth simply as a personal preference, nor even as being a more respectful way of taking Communion, which might be arguable, but because Communion by hand is part of a deliberate attack on faith in the Blessed Sacrament. 

“Truly the war between Michael and his Angels on one side, and Lucifer on the other, continues in the heart of the faithful: Satan’s target is the Sacrifice of the Mass and the Real Presence of Jesus in the consecrated host,” he writes.

To be fair, Cardinal Sarah often pushes theological rhetoric to its apocalyptic limits in order to underline his point. For instance in his book 'The Power of Silence' he declares: “Without silence, God disappears in the noise. And this noise becomes all the more obsessive because God is absent. 

Unless the world rediscovers silence, it is lost. The earth then rushes into nothingness.” He presumably does not mean to be taken literally. But one sees his point.

Regarding the reception of Communion at Mass, he is missing an important symbolic dimension – a point that Pope John Paul II himself would have favoured – namely that “body language matters”. To hold out one’s hand to receive the Host is symbolic of one’s cooperation with divine grace, a gesture signifying acceptance of the offer of salvation. 

To kneel with one’s mouth open, putting out one’s tongue, is as passive and submissive as it is possible to be. It takes unworthiness to new heights, suggesting that human sinfulness removes all merit from one’s own actions and that the divine presence among us is remote and unearthly. 

It smacks of Donatism – that only the pure may participate in the Sacraments – and it rejects the fundamental truth, rediscovered by Vatican II, that participation in Christ’s priesthood is not confined to the clergy but includes all the faithful.

A pompous church

What is it about the Catholic Church and pomposity.

Below is an excerpt from notification of a talk to be given this evening in the Dominican Priory on Dublin's Dorset Street.

When is it a talk and when a symposium?

Really, it is all nonsense, people giving themselve a level of importance that is simply laughable. And every day the people see this and are speaking with their feet.

No doubt the bad weather may mean the cancellation of the talk. Could one say that the Holy Spirit works in strange ways?

Symposium – Priesthood and the Extraordinary Minister of Sacred Ordination
Fr Gerard Deighan, MA SSL, Adm of St Kevin’s, Harrington Street.

UK's Brexit chaos

Guardian columnist Zoe Williams explains why Brexit means chaos for the UK.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/27/brexit-chaos-britain-homelessness-prisons-welfare?CMP=share_btn_link

Pope Francis criticises those who take advantage of pain

Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column. February 27.

Michael Commane
On Ash Wednesday Pope Francis went to Santa Sabina in Rome, which is the worldwide headquarters of the Dominican Order.

Popes have been going to Santa Sabina on Ash Wednesday since the fourth century.

The pope first calls to San Anselmo, which is the HQ of the Benedictines, and then he, with Benedictines and Dominicans, walks in procession to the nearby Santa Sabina.

Pope Francis celebrated Mass and distributed blessed ashes at Santa Sabina. As a Dominican I always keep an eye out to see what the pope says at Santa Sabina.

The sermon he preached on this Ash Wednesday is a gem and has some fabulous ideas in it. It is masterly constructed. He suggests that during the season of Lent we pause, see and return.

Early in his sermon he says:

‘We are subject to numerous temptations. Each of us knows the difficulties we have to face. And it is sad to note that, when faced with the ever-varying circumstances of our daily lives, there are voices raised that take advantage of pain and uncertainty; the only thing they aim to do is sow distrust. 

'If the fruit of faith is charity – as Mother Teresa often used to say – then the fruit of distrust is apathy and resignation. Distrust, apathy and resignation: these are demons that deaden and paralyse the soul of a believing people.’

I’m wondering what public figures he has in mind who take advantage of pain and uncertainty? But they are out there roaring and screaming at us.

Pope Francis suggests we pause for a moment and ‘refrain from haughty looks, from fleeting and pejorative comments that arise from forgetting tenderness, compassion and reverence for the encounter with others, particularly those who are vulnerable.’

Of course we all try the tricks of being haughty with our looks and nasty with our comments. For the Christian, Lent affords us the perfect space and time, at least to try to be more compassionate and tender with people, but especially with those who are vulnerable and marginalised.

Reading Pope Francis’ words I couldn’t help but think of the nasty and horrible words that the far-right is spewing out every day.

On the same day that Pope Francis spoke about being compassionate and tender, a leading member of the far-right German political party, the AfD, said nasty things about Muslims. He referred to them, as being ‘riff-raff’ who are ‘camel drivers’.

Every day President Trump and his UK disciple Nigel Farage say the nastiest and most unpleasant things about those they consider to be their opponents. They spew out the vilest of comments. 

Last week President Trump had a go at Oprah Winfrey, screaming that her facts were incorrect. Donald, doesn’t seem to know that facts of their nature are true and correct. His poor use of English complements his berating of those with whom he disagrees. 

Maybe I should go easy on both of them and their like and listen to what Pope Francis is saying. Still, it seems to becoming the norm to scream out the nastiest things about those whose opinions and views differ from ours. The pope is simply asking us all to calm down and try to understand the other person, especially those who are marginalised and vulnerable.

But he also puts great hope in the good that people do, ‘to see the gestures that prevent the extinguishing of charity, that keep the flame of faith and hope alive.’

Towards the end of the sermon he asks us ‘to return without fear, to experience the healing and reconciling tenderness of God.’

It’s well worth a read.

 

Advice from Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett was interviewed today on CNBC.

He commented that if someone is unhappy with a million dollars, they will remain unhappy with two million dollars.

At one stage in the interview, when talking about the stock market, he quipped: " Three sure ways of losing your money - liquor, ladies and leverage."

Merkel names her team

German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced yesterday the names of the six CDU politicians who will join her in the next grand coalition should the rank-and-file SPD members agree to join in government.

Their decision will be made known at the weekend.

Among the six names there are some new faces and Merkel will be the only CDU cabinet minister who will be over 60.

There will be no CDU cabinet minister from east Germany.

President is a draft dodger

It's interesting to see how President Trump so often honours the American flag and praises the country's military.

And all these words of praise and respect from a draft dodger, who managed to avoid going to Vietnam.

It's doubtful he was a conscientious objector to the war or a Communist supporter of North Vietnam.

Strange times indeed.

Christopher O'Brien OP, RIP

Dominican priest Humbert Christopher O'Brien died in Moore Hill Lodge in Drogheda on Wednesday, February 21.

His funeral Mass was celebrated today in St Magdalen's Priory church in Drogheda. Christopher was a member of the Dominican community in Drogheda before moving to the nursing home.

He was born in Limerick in 1928 and made his first profession in the Dominican Order in1946.

Christopher spent his first 35 years in the Order as a co-operator brother. He was ordained a priest in 1981.

He belonged to that generation of Dominicans who were given a different name at Baptism and he was known in the Order as Brother Humbert.

Later in life he returned to his baptismal name, which meant he was known both as Christopher and Humbert.

He was a quiet gentle person, who had a strong Marian devotion.

In the early years of the Priory Institute between 2003 and 2007, he was one of the coordinators of support for students on the distance learning theology programme.

He lived in Vatican City for a number of years in the 1960s and '70s where he was personal assistant to Dominican Cardinal Mario Luigi Ciappi, who was Master of the Sacred Palace.

He was superior in the Dominican community in Lisbon in the 1990s.On his return to Ireland from Lisbon he was a curate in St Martin's in Old Bawn, Tallaght.

Christopher gave over 73 years of loyal service to the Irish Dominican Province.

He deserves our prayers and graditude.

May he rest in peace.

The teacher threw his schoolwork out the window

The piece by Richard Keegan-Bull in The Tablet this week is a lovely read, indeed, it's a fantastic read.

When I was about a year old, in 1972, the therapist who had been seeing my older brother realised that I too had a learning disability. 

My mum and dad took us to a genetic counsellor who said he didn’t think we would ever be able to achieve very much. But my mum’s a strong character, and she and my dad just encouraged us in every way.

I went to a normal school for a couple of years, but the headmaster said I couldn’t be taught. He threw my schoolwork out the window. So from the age of eight I went into special needs education. I went to a special needs college in Shropshire, and I stayed there 17 years.

My mum first heard about L’Arche on Woman’s Hour. She heard how it had been started by Jean Vanier, an ex-naval officer who had invited two men with mental disabilities to leave the institutions where they were living and to come and share his life. 

Now there are communities all over the world – people with learning disabilities sharing their lives with “normal” people.

We visited L’Arche in Kent and in London. I liked it in London and I came to live here. Because my learning difficulty is not as bad as some, I am able to live in my own flat, but as part of the community. 

If I want to explain what L’Arche is like, I’d say there is always room at the table. I can go to one of the community houses for dinner, or to the workshops to have a chat. L’Arche isn’t a nine-to-five job for the assistants, and they aren’t superior. We often gather together for birthdays to tell stories and listen to each other. We like to celebrate.

Everybody deserves to be loved. Everybody has a gift. My gift is that I’m quite good at standing on a stage and making speeches. I can tell the story of L’Arche and spread the word about it. 

Being an ambassador for L’Arche has taken me to Calcutta, Canada, Italy and Belgium. Others might not be able to talk like me, but perhaps they’re good at dancing, singing, painting. The beauty of Jean Vanier is that he saw that everybody has a gift, and everybody should be able to shine their light.

At L’Arche, you become part of an international community. When the sun’s setting on our communities in Europe, it’s rising on the communities in Australia and New Zealand. 

Ten years ago, I went with Caroline from Germany and Jacek from Poland to visit Auschwitz. I found it very moving, just walking around and looking at some of the things there. What shocked me the most was that everyone had labels pinned to their prison uniforms, and I asked Jacek what label I would have had.

I don’t think I would have been here today, nor none of my friends. I think that if I were there they might have decided to do some tests on me in their so-called “hospital room”. 

And I was just so pleased that there was me from England, Jacek from Poland and Caroline from Germany all standing there together, and I just ask that we try to learn from our mistakes and that this never happens again.

Last summer, the Queen saw the film about L’Arche, Summer in the Forest, and she asked whether she could meet Jean Vanier to talk to him. 

She had known him 70 years ago when he was in the Navy and he had looked after her and Princess Margaret on a trip to South Africa. So Jean came over to Buckingham Palace, dressed in the blue coat he always wears, and when the Queen saw him she had tears in her eyes. 

Jean said he could see something really special in the Queen. I bet she saw something special in him too.

Guns and leathers

Overheard - two men in their 60s educated by the Christian Brothers:

'See Trump is going to give guns to teachers.' Reply -'Gosh, it was bad enough with our teachers using their leathers.'

The White Rose

On this date, February 22, 1943 Sophie and Hans Scholl with their friend Christph Probst were executed by German authorities.

They were members of the White Rose, who began a resistance to the German government after the defeat of German forces at Stalingrad.

In recent weeks historians have unhearthed information on one of the members to suggest at an earlier stage he was a strong supporter of the Nazis.

A shoddy Luas

The story of the current Dublin traffic chaos must say something about Dublin city planners.

Ever before the first Cross City trams rolled planners and politicians should have had the road space prepared for Luas.

But there is another serious issue with the trams: the interior design is not fit for purpose.

There are far too many seats prohibitng more open space.

Extra ceiling straps are needed immediately. Wider door space might also help.