Crying for Catholicism
It is unfortunate that, in the Silly Season, some important issues affecting society are generally ignored and when we get to September they are almost forgotten. Of course, serious issues require debate and analysis and the modern media is more inclined to look for the sound bite, the appealing headline rather than delve into a deeper analysis of the issues. During the summer months, the Catholic Primate, Archbishop Sean Brady opened up a debate on the secularisation of Irish society. In a leng
His addresses were thought provoking, stating that the fundamental challenge for modern Ireland was "to retain the balance between the best of the old and the best of the new. This includes taking steps to build community and support for marriage and the family,"
Given the increasing inability of the media to promote genuine debate I was quite impressed by his clinical observation that we need to move to a new maturity in public and media debate. In both Irish jurisdictions we are witnessing a rapid transition between old and new and there is always a tendency in such scenarios to throw out all that is old without thinking about the consequences. In a period of flux we need genuine conservatism that preserves what is good and builds upon such foundations. What we are unfortunately seeing is what the Archbishop called "the erosion of external authority" and he recognised that attitudes to politicians, garda, financial institutions, the church and other traditional sources of social and moral authority in Ireland, had changed dramatically.
His analysis that "the land of saints and scholars has become better known as the land of stocks and shares, of financial success and security" should be a starting point for real debate on the implications of our fascination with property and wealth. A society that is fixated solely with the dramatic shifts in the international financial markets, the uncertainty of house prices, the potential for credit to dry up within days, even for the banks, is far ideal.
Rather than see the Archbishop’s comments as the opening salvos in a debate on religion and society, most media commentators simply chose to ignore the subject and instead became entangled in theological comments by the Pope. I wasn’t aware that there was such interest in theology and judging by most of the commentaries, their authors have much to learn about the subject.
As an expert on theology, Pope Benedict stated that it is difficult "to see how the title of 'Church' could possibly be attributed to Protestant communities, given that they do not accept the theological notion of the Church in the Catholic sense and that they lack elements considered essential to the Catholic Church. The detractors of the Catholic Church, most of whom would have difficulty in recognising a theological statement, were quick out of the blocks claiming that the Pope was insulted millions of Protestants worldwide.
Just for a moment let us put the Pope’s doctrinal statement in the context of doctrine of the main Protestant churches. The Westminster Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church speaks of the Pope as ‘that Antichrist, the man of sin, and son of perdition that exalteth himself, in the Church against Christ and all that is called God.’ The Thirty Nine Articles of the Anglican Churches refer to the Mass as ‘blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits.’ Similarly, the foundation documents of the Methodist Church make reference to the Pope of Rome as ‘the man of sin…the son of perdition as he has caused the death of innumerable multitudes both of his opposers and followers, destroyed innumerable souls and will himself perish everlastingly.’ These doctrinal terms could be regarded as ‘anti-Catholic’ to put it mildly but I hardly think that millions of Catholics feel insulted by their inclusion in the doctrines of their fellow Christians. They are a tangible reminder of the differences between the various churches but do not stand in the way of real co-operation between the churches.
The real issue is that we have to get away from the hysteria that infects so many in the media who cannot hold a genuine debate without allowing their deep-seated prejudices to cloud their judgment. On a local level, I have been speaking to many who felt that the manner in which Bishop Hegarty was treated by the media in recent interviews and commentaries on diocesan changes was scandalous. As to the church's future in Ireland, Archbishop Brady said "it may be a smaller church in future but it may also be a more authentic one". The media should also ponder whether it is being authentic in the manner it deals with important issues.
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Weather for Derry
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 14 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
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