Hoban on Cullinan

Fr Brendan Hoban's letter in The Irish Times today.

Sir, – In reference to Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan and the HPC vaccine, David Harte comments that “a person in a position of respect questioning the opinion of qualified medical personnel without any relevant qualifications is not good”, and Dr Niall Breen suggests that the bishop’s comments “were at best ill-advised and at worst extremely ignorant” (September 28).

Both are surely correct. What needs to be said too is that such interventions are a source of excruciating embarrassment to Catholics who, after all that has happened, have to witness Catholic bishops still imagining that their position confers knowledge and expertise on issues clearly beyond their competence. – Yours, etc,

Remembering Kim Philby

A new exhibition celebrating the life and work of the late MI6 officer and Soviet agent Kim Philby has opened in Moscow.

As a member of the Cambridge Five group of spies, Philby supplied secrets to the Kremlin throughout the 1940s and 50s before he moved to the Soviet Union in 1963.

Among those at the opening of the exhibition was the head of the Russian FSB. He  spoke of Philby as a man who was a convinced Marxist and a passionate believer in communism.

Kim Philby died in Moscow three years before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Ryanair in crisis

An article in today's Guardian paints a most worrying picture of Ryanair.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/28/ryanair-crisis-michael-oleary-flight-cancellations-city-scrutiny?CMP=share_btn_link

Clerical cant

Fr Tim Hazelwood, a priest of the diocese of Cloyne, appeared on the Joe Duffy Show yesterday.

He gave an account of the trials and tribulations he encountered when an anonymous person made false accusations against him.

Tim Hazelwood is a fine and honourable man, indeed an outstanding person.

During his long, personal and at times emotional account of his ordeal he mentiond those who helped and supported him. On a number of occasions he referred to the great help he receved from the ACP - The Association of Catholic Priests.

During the interview he never once spoke of his bishop.

With few miniscule exceptions the Irish Catholic Church is void of any sort of leadership. Bishops and provincials seem to be men whose strongest charateristc is to say yes to authority.

Too many of them seldom if ever engage in any significant way with their priests. There is little or no dialogue or communication outside a sham formulaic nonsense.

Too many of them give the impression of being small careerists, who can't engage in any sort of encounter outside the clerical cant.

Ryanair best joke in town

The first item on BBC's 10 O'Clock News this evening was the Ryanair debacle.

The head of the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK admitted that he was 'very angry' with the behaviour of Ryanair.

For many years Michael O'Leary has been at the top of the queue in casting scorn on so many Irish practices.

His Ryanair must now be the hottest Irish joke in town.

The bishop's comment

The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore Phonsie Cullinan is quoted in today's media as saying:

"But debate is good once it is responsible".

The bishop needs to be told that within the Catholic Church there are institutions that don't have any debate, they don't allow it, they don't want it and they will be unkind to those who try to debate. They certainly don't want opposing voices.

Chapter and verse can be supplied to the bishop.

The changing of the guard

German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble is to become the new speaker of the German parliament.

He has been a member of the Bundestag since 1972 and finance minister since 2009.

The Labour Party conference finished in Brighton yesterday with an inspirational speech by party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

According to latest polls in the UK the Labour Party now has a four-point lead.

The food we waste

Today's Gospel reading (Lk 9: 1 - 6) might help to remind us that one million tonnes of food is watsed every year in Ireland at a cost of €700 million euro.

Every year 100 million tonnes of  food is binned across the EU.

Forty per cent of all food produced in the United States of America is never eaten.

Clerics

From next June women in Saudi Arabia will be permitted to drive cars.

For many years Saudi governments and the country's kings have been in favour of women driving.

It has been the clerics in the country who have been opposed to women driving.

Many clerics in all countries and in all religions are a strange breed. And how is it that their favourite topics are the same old chestnuts.

The steam train

On this date, September 27, 1825 a steam locomotive ran between Stockton and Darlington. It was the first use of steam in the world on a public railway.

A Labour dream

Imagine if what's happening in the British Labour Party happened in some of the institutions of the Irish Catholic Church.

No harm to dream.

Ireland's alcohol problem

Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column, Tuesday/Wednesday, September 26/27.

Michael Commane

On the Sunday of the All-Ireland Football Final I was on a quiet train. It's a lovely experience to travel surrounded by empty seats. But of course not profitable for Iarnród Éireann.

The emptiness and loveliness suddenly changed.

Two stations on from where I boarded, the train filled with hens and stags.

Before the train left the station someone was handing out bottles of cider.

My heart sank. Sitting and standing near me were two groups, one hen and one stag. They had been at separate events. Both groups quickly engaged with each other and admitted that they had been drinking heavily the previous night. They were all lovely people, maybe just one or two dodgy jokes or comments but nothing too lewd. Okay, hens and stags knew of the f-word but again, it was only mentioned on a few occasions.

The empties mounted up and the hens kindly accepted the offer of cider from the stags.

They all got off the train before I did. Some were heading straight to the pub to watch the All-Ireland. One man guaranteed me that he would not be sober by nightfall. It's doubtful he was sober at lunchtime.

Then when it came to my station and I got off the train I spotted a big notice in a prominent place informing passengers that it was forbidden to drink alcohol on certain trains. I later saw that Iarnród Éireann have a notice on their timetables about the prohibition of alcohol consumption on some of their services.

A few days before my rail journey a national daily newspaper ran an editorial about the increase in wine sales in Ireland since 2013. It pointed out how 'well' the industry is doing. Last year nine million cases of wine were sold in the country. A standard case of wine has 12 bottles, so we drank our way through 108 million bottles of wine. Wine consumption works out at 28 per cent of the alcohol sold in the State.

In 2015 the Health Research Board did a survey of drinking patterns in the Republic of Ireland. The figures are startling: our per capita alcohol consumption was equal to 41 litres of vodka, 116 bottles of wine or 445 pints of beer per person over 15-years of age.

One in five adults doesn't drink any alcohol in the State, which means the figures underestimate the real drinking habits of those who drink.

These are incredible figures and mindboggling to think that there has been such an increase in the consumption of alcohol.

Have you ever noticed the number of times radio presenters make jokes and facile comments about drinking alcohol, how often they suggest that drinking alcohol is an intrinsic part of every celebration? They think it’s hilarious for people to have hangovers and behave in silly and stupid ways. ‘Shur it’s a bit of craic’ is a comment often made by highly paid radio presenters.

In 2013 alcohol-related hospital discharges accounted for 160,211 bed days in public hospitals. It cost the tax payer a whopping €1.5 billion.

It is estimated that alcohol-related absenteeism in 2013 worked out at €41.2 million.

It's anything but a 'bit of craic'. There is at present a radio ad advising people of the dangers of driving a vehicle the morning after a night out drinking. The lives that are lost, the families that are destroyed, the damage that alcohol abuse does to our bodies and yet we keep on drinking more and more. Why?

Wise words from Shakespeare: ‘I would not put a thief in my mouth to steal my brains’. (Othello).

The 87 per cent of German voters who didn't vote AfD

A lovely piece written by an Irish man living in Germany.

As the results of the German election become clear, the shock is deep among nearly all of my friends. 13% for the AfD, an extreme-right-wing, populist party. 

The 87% who didn’t vote for them feel this as a deep and shameful insult; it seems that 70 years has been long enough for a significant proportion of Germans to forget the lessons of the terrible history of my adopted country.

But I take hope from that shocked reaction of the great majority of Germans. The policies of the AfD are so incoherent, the personal intimate hatreds among their leaders so deep, that there are good chances that they will tear themselves apart in the next four years. 

The fact that the Social Democrats – up to now the junior partners in Merkel’s coalition – have stated that they will go into opposition is also a positive development; it means that there will be a strong opposition and that the AfD will not be leading it.

Right-wing populists offer hateful, simple answers to complex problems. It is now up to the democratic parties in Germany to show them up for the charlatans that they are. In all likelihood, Merkel will lead a new coalition of Christian Democrats, Liberals, and Greens (though those negotiations will be difficult). 

A particularly worrying development is that the fascistoid AfD seems to have achieved more than 20% in former East Germany.

But amid all the shock and disappointment, Germans should realise that 13% is still a small minority. The challenge for the future is to make sure that it doesn’t get larger.

NOTE to the above comment.

Those 'personal intimate hatreds' to which you refer, seem to be a common trend across many ultra right-wing groupings.

Petry not to sit with AfD

Frauke Petry a leading member of the AfD annoynced in Berlin last evening that she will not be sitting with AfD parliamentarians in the Bundestag.

It comes as a great shock to the party.

Petry was directly elected to the parliament, in other words, she was elected under her own name and not on the party list.

The AfD is now the strongest party in Saxony.

In the days of the former GDR Saxony was jokingly known as the 'Valley of the Clueless' as it was the only part of the GDR that could not receive West German television.

Depressing times

Alexander Gauland is one of the leading members of the AfD, which yesterday won over 13 per cent of the vote in the German election.

Earlier this month Gauland said that Germany should be proud of its soldiers in both world wars and people should no longer reproach Germans for World War Two.

Shortly after the election result Gauland said that they would hunt Merkel or whoever is next German Chancellor.

He also said that Germany should be given back to the Germans.

In the last 12 months leading AfD memebrs have made worrying statements about Germany's past.

Depressing times.

Result at 18.12 German time

The three major parties have lost votes. Major gains for the AfD. Big increase in the FDP vote. And good too for the Greens.

But the AfD vote worrying and perplexing.

One of their leaders has just said time for Germans to take back Germany.

The SPD will most likely not form part of the new government.

It will probably be a CDU/CSU, FDP, Green coalition.

German pre-exit poll

German time is 17.53 so no exit polls yet on today's German State election.

This blog forecasts the SPD will do better than the polls have been saying.

AfD will probably poll 10, 11, 12 per cent.

First exit polls in less than 30 minutes.

High wind on Djouce

Yesterday morning Dublin and north Wicklow was threatened with rain. Sometime close to 11.00 the first rain of the day began to fall but its bark was far bigger than its bite and it blew off  out over the sea.

Good news as it meant there was no significant rain while climbing Djouce. But cloud cover was very low.

Djouce can be a windy spot but yesterday it was, at least for me, close to impossible to stand upright at the summit, which is 725 metres.

And then suddenly, on the descent, cloud lifted and some fabulous views, including a clear view of the Vartry Reservoir.

But it was the ferocious wind with a speed of 62 km/h that was the scary highlight of the walk.

   Cloud lifted, wind calmed, down off the mountain.

In praise of Trump and words on cancer treatment

Over the last few days President Donald Trump has made a number of dangerous and provocative statements. In these days he has also used foul language.

In the September issue of the free-sheet Alive Tom English writes:

"Speaking of the elite groups, just about every day now we get to hear a negative story about Donald Trump from our media masters. These leftists, Democrat-loving oppressors just love to poke fun at the US president.

And then later:

"It's no wonder then that the US president has a pop at the liberal media."

On page nine of the same issue there is a headline that runs: Cancer therapy may do more harm.

It's vocabulary is nasty, inaccurate and hateful. This can have nothing to do with the Gospel of love and mercy?

Every issue makes snide remarks about the European Union.

An insult to the memories of such people as Adenauer, deGasperi, Monet, Schuman, Spinelli.

To praise Trump and cast scorn on the work of Konrad Adenauer gives some sense of the tone of  the free-sheet.

Every page of the September issue has a nasty story to tell.

Page eight runs a headline: 'Irish Times' 'news' warps readers' thinking.

Surely it is far more healthy to be 'warped' by the thinking of The Irish Times than the nastiness of the free-sheet Alive?

And this free-sheet is subsidised by the Irish taxpayer.

Far right Catholics experts at bullying and intimidation

An interesting editorial in the current issue of The Tablet.

Cafod, the overseas aid agency that stands for all that is truest and best in Catholicism in England and Wales, has allowed itself to succumb to a combination of trolling, no-platforming, and the Catholic alt-right – that is, the mad-as-a-hatter version of American Catholicism. It has issued and then withdrawn an invitation to a distinguished American theologian to give a lecture in London – then reissued it after second thoughts – because of the fuss his most recent book might cause.

“No-platforming” means refusing to invite to speak – or having invited, then cancelling – people whose opinions draw strong disapproval. It has legitimately been used to keep academic campuses clear of outright racists or fascists, on the grounds that the invitation itself conveys some support or approval for the speaker’s views. Trolling is the practice of using Twitter, Facebook and other social media to bombard a target with insulting or threatening messages. And the alt-right (or alternative right) is a grisly section of the internet occupied by extremists who reject mainstream conservative ideas, and is usually ultra-nationalistic, rabidly anti-liberal, racist, homophobic and misogynistic.

The latest book by Fr James Martin SJ, Building a Bridge, argues for a dialogue between the official Roman Catholic Church and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics who feel alienated from it. It is a moderate proposal, for each side to enter into a relationship of respect, compassion and sensitivity. What has angered his critics, it seems, is that Fr Martin’s approach is incompatible with the continued stigmatisation of homosexuality and other sexual orientations. But instead of attempting to disprove his argument, on the basis that the best response to bad theology is better theology, these critics demand that Catholic institutions no-platform him. Explaining that the decision had been made after “increasing negative attacks” on social media, the national seminary run by the Catholic University of America in Washington recently withdrew its invitation to Fr Martin to speak – on the subject of Jesus, no less.

Fr Martin reported on Facebook that an invitation to come to London to give a talk to help Cafod launch its campaign in support of migrants and refugees had also been cancelled. Cafod explained that when Building a Bridge was published “and we saw the strength of feeling it generated in some quarters”, they had a duty to consider how to proceed in the best interests of Cafod’s work. “We have recent experience of social media attacks. Responding to these takes a significant amount of staff resource,” they explained. Cafod said it had talked to Fr Martin about another date, but he told The Tablet it was clear to him that he had been disinvited, and that the book – and social media reaction to it – was the reason.

The influence of far-right-wing Catholicism on the Catholic Church, particularly in the US, is out of all proportion to its significance. It succeeds by bullying and intimidation. It is time the Church and all its institutions, official and unofficial, made a firm determination to deal with this poison in the best and only way – to pay it no attention whatsoever. To do otherwise is to allow oneself to be poisoned.

Michael O'Leary blather

Ryanair's Michael O'Leary said these four sentences yesterday:

We do work hard and we expect everyone around here to work hard.

And then later he said this:

They [pilots] are very skilled professionals. But are they worked-hard? No.

At least confusing. All part of the blather.

Bo on Auung San Suu Kyi

Her role is very fragile. 

Democracy is still fragile.

She faces a strong nationalist extremist religious fringe spreading across the country.

Myanmar Cardinal Charles Bo on the global stigmatising of Aung San Suu Kyi. 

David Quinn's world

In the current issue of The Irish Catholic David Quinn challenges the 'liberal narrative'.

It's a 'them versus us' analysis of the changes that have occurred in Irish society in recent years.

The piece is couched in pejorative language. Certainly not an uplifting or inspiring article.

And why is it all the examples are in one way or another linked to sexuality?

Mr Quinn has nothing to say on the advancees that have taken place in our schools. They are not the savage places they were 30, 40, 50 years ago. Nor does he say a word about the rights that workers have today. Of course nothing is perfect but the Ireland of 2017 is a better place to live than the Ireland of 1957.

A vein of nastiness lurks right through the page.

Surely Christianity has a better story to say than this.

Josephine Feehily inspires

The chairperson of the Policing Authority, Josephine Feehily was interviewed on Prime Time last evening.

Anytime she writes or says anything in public she comes across as a most impressive woman.

How many Irish bishops or provincials are close to her calibre in how they manage their dioceses or religious congregations?

It seems leadership in the Irish Catholic church is doomed to destruction in its own clerical noose.

Observing Ms Feehily in her jobs in the public service one has to be impressed by her. She is a person who inspires.

So many church 'leaders' are a source of embarrassment. Not all, but too many.

Effective and humanising to be kind and gentle

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

Michael Commane

In response to a column I wrote three weeks ago a reader commented on the violence that was perpetrated in religious-run schools in Ireland. He reminded readers of the brutality that went on in schools and how religious brothers and priests tortured us.

I'm one of those victims. Let me assure the writer I was at the receiving end of some of that savagery. I agree with the letter writer 100 per cent. And not only did they physically and sexually abuse their victims, they also inflicted terrible psychological damage. Look at the sneering and bullying that went on.

How and why did it all go so wrong? But it was not just the mental and physical violence, it was also how we were taught. Most of us did our homework out of fear. We knew that if we did not produce the goods the next day we would be attacked.

Of course there were the good and kind teachers but in general the regime was brutalising. My father who was the kindest and gentlest of people, who was born in 1909, often spoke to me of some of the cruelty he saw and experienced at boarding school.

That violence went on a long time. Of course our generation has not rid the world of violence but at least our schools in this part of the world are managed a lot better than they were in the not-too-distant past.

One of the great moments in Irish education was when corporal punishment was banned and then later made illegal. It was banned in 1982 and it took another 14 years before it was made illegal. I taught before and after the change. Hitting children was and is a barbarity.

How much more pleasant, effective, indeed, humanising it is to be gentle and kind.

And I saw a dose of that last week.

I had arrived at Tralee bus station with my bicycle, planning to take the bus as far as Camp in West Kerry. Also waiting for the bus was a group of young people coming from school. They reminded me of my school days.

The bus was parked at the bay with its luggage side door open. I loaded my bike without asking anyone. So when an inspector appeared I told him. Instead of being officious and full of nonsense, he was polite and kind and indeed told me there was plenty of space.

I was the first on the bus and sat in the front seat. A good place to be as I needed to watch out for where I planned to get off.

For over 30 minutes I observed the driver being respectful , courteous and kind to every passenger who got on and off the bus. He never once failed to say hello and goodbye to a passenger and indeed, watch out for those who were not the most agile.

I explained to him where I wanted to get off. He listened carefully to me and stopped the bus at the exact place that I had requested.

I never met or saw the man before. No doubt he has all the failings of any human being,  just as the teachers who brutalised us also had good points.

But please give me the bus driver any day ahead of those nasty teachers.

I'll remember him for a long time just as I remember those teachers for all the wrong and very different reasons.

An impressive Bus ÉIireann driver. And I have met many of them. 

'My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness'. - Dalai Lama.

Detectorists are everywhere

An article in yesterday's digital version of the Guardian.

It's a wise piece of writing and has a lot to say about where we are. Clever.

Those detectorists could be students, factory workers, locomotive drivers, priests, teachers, social workers, Dominicans.

They could cast their vote for most political parties and the majority of political parties have them as their members.

They could be US citizens, Russians, Poles, British, German, Irish. Almost Everyman. But not quite. At least not yet.

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2017/sep/17/battlefield-bounty-hunters-in-polish-ww2-battlefields?CMP=share_btn_link

Michael O'Leary's Ryanair

Last Thursday Bus Éireann ran a service at 11.40 from Killarney to Kenmare. There were five passengers on the 55-seater bus, one of whom was a paying passenger, who paid a reduced fare as he was a student.

On the 16.05 service from Kenmare to Killarney a number of people travelled on the bus as far as Kilgarvan. But from Kilgarvan to Killarney there was only one person on the bus, which was again a 55-seater vehicle.

There may well be more efficient ways in ferrying passengers to the more remote parts of Ireland. But it is a public service, something about which the State should be proud. There's more to living than economics and lucre.

Compare that policy/philosophy with what has happened in Ryanair this week.

Imagine what Ryanair would say if Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann or Dublin Bus emailed passengers informing them that some trains and buses would be cancelled because the companies forgot to arrange holidays for their drivers.

It is laughable beyond the extreme. It is also arrogant, indeed nasty and exceptionally mean. Surely the rawest face possible of capitalism at its meanest and dirtiest.

Another Irish joke, the style of joke that up to now Michael O'Leary has got great fun from.

Yesterday Ryanair had no-one available for comment.

Forgiveness can easily have us walking on eggshells

This 'Thinking Anew' column The Irish Times today.

Michael Commane  

It's commonly believed that the big alienating issue surrounding Christianity, especially for the Catholic Church, are matters dealing with sexuality. And there's something in that observation. But issues surrounding forgiveness might also create the occasional hiccup.

 

Tomorrow's Gospel (Matthew 18: 21 -35) is the familiar story of Peter asking Jesus how many times must he forgive his brother if he wrongs him. He asks Jesus should he forgive him seven times. Jesus answers: "Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times"

 

In the first reading tomorrow from the book of Ecclesiasticus we are told to "Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you".

Easy to talk about forgiveness, easy to sit and write about it. Living it is another matter.

 

Recently a homeless man died on the streets of Dublin. It made national headlines. It was later discovered that he had a criminal record, including crimes of indecent assault. In this newspaper last Saturday Simon Carswell observed that "the focus was no longer on how he died but on how he lived".

 

Some weeks earlier there was a controversy over the celebration of an anniversary Mass for a man who had murdered his children and wife. The opponents to the Mass argued that the man did not deserve such a focus.

 

Nowadays on the conclusion of a serious court case we sometimes see and hear the relatives and friends of victims express their strongly held views on the sentence handed down to the guilty party. 

Of course,  people have to pay for their crimes. That's a given. But in the vocabulary of Christianity,  forgiveness is always part of the wider story.

And that's the central theme in tomorrow's Gospel reading. We have been asked to 'forgive from the heart'.

Easier said than done.

I’m a priest and in my theology studies there was always great emphasis placed on the redemptive aspect of the suffering, death and resurrection of  Jesus. God became man to save us. 

The sacraments are about giving life and the sacrament of reconciliation is where God forgives us our wrong-doing. And, at least according to any Christian theology worth its name, there is no sin, no wrong-doing beyond the pale. We have always been told that there is no sin too great for God to forgive. Indeed, it's a core value of the sacramental life of the Catholic Church.

 

For example, the demands of justice which do not allow paedophile priests back into active ministry should not be confused with a lack of forgiveness.

It goes without saying that crime is heinous, but of course there are grades of evil/wrongdoing/badness. All sexual crimes, especially against children and vulnerable adults are particularly heinous. But as a Christian it is not possible to say they are unforgivable. If it is, then the entire edifice of Christianity needs restructuring. 

Medical evidence shows that paedophilia is recidivist. Paedophiles cannot be cured. That makes it abundantly clear that priests who commit such crimes must and can never be allowed work in priestly ministry. And that's exactly what the church did not do in the past. 

 

But has the church not got an obligation to perpetrators of all crimes to offer them forgiveness when and if it is asked for?

Forgiveness can be messy, it might cause great discomfort for large organisations and their lawyers.

We understand but we do not condone the behaviour of  people who are hurting behaving in a revengeful way outside courtrooms when sentences are handed down. Shouldn’t we be concerned when a church which speaks so loudly about forgiveness treats its priestly perpetrators of heinous crimes as outcasts?

 

It's easy to write and talk about forgiveness. But if we are really to say anything meaningful about it and try to say something of worth about it and tomorrow's Gospel, we will inevitably be walking on eggshells and entering a most dangerous territory.

"Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times'.(Mt 18: 22)

And, of course, forgiving never means condoning.

 

RTE's Prime Time

"Hope you can join David and I on Prime Time......."

Miriam O'Callaghan signing off on a Prime Time special last evening.

Ouch.

Keeping clergy in business

Interesting piece from Richard Rohr.

A prophet is one who keeps God free for people and who keeps people free for God. Both of these are much needed and vital tasks.

God has been imprisoned and made inaccessible, and far too many people have been shamed and taught guilt to keep us clergy in business.

Our job became “sin management.” Sadly the laity bought into this negative story line.

That is what happens when priests are not informed by prophets.

Masha Ayokhyna

Masha Alyokhina, a member of the Russia anti-Putin group Pussy Riots was interviewed on BBC's Newsnight last evening.

She spent two years in prison in Siberia, which she said had all the horror and cruelty of a Russia prison of 100 years ago.

An impressive woman. 

She put Putin and Trump on the one team and sees the Russian President as the face behind an oppresive Russia 'conglomerate'