Prime Minister Berlusconi manages to overcome his embarrassment

Just when you thought bishops couldn't sink any lower in our estimation along comes the good bishop of Kerry in this story.

Bishop of Kerry says he was embarrassed to kiss Pope's ring

The Bishop of Kerry has claimed that he was surprised as he stooped to kiss Pope Benedict’s ring during the visit of the Irish bishops to the Vatican. 

Speaking to the Kerryman newspaper Dr Bill Murphy said he was surprised with the protocol but h...

Continue reading ...

So the Irish bishops are off in Rome for two days of meetings/dressing down with the Holy Father.  I have to say the whole thing has me appalled and outraged.  So many of our bishops seem to have learned nothing - even after all these years, countless meetings etc they still don't know how to wear their pectoral crosses.  Almost all of them are wearing them like Anglican bishops.  What hope is there for the Church?



And then the attempts of some of them to kiss the Holy Father's ring, or in the...
Continue reading ...

I was standing in sombre silence yesterday watching the Remembrance Day service from Westminster Abbey.  I was thinking about Ekklesia's call for a more inclusive way of remembering.  Perhaps there wouldn't be enough room to bring in everyone but how nice it would be if we could get someone to represent the Germans, Italians, French, Poles and Russians - someone perhaps who could speak all those languages, someone who could represent the Irish involvement in British wars.

And suddenly I see hi...
Continue reading ...

Enjoying the blog of the Archbishop of New York who has strong Drogheda connections.  He did a great interview on EWTN with Raymond Arrayo last week.  Wish we had at least one like him here.

Anyone in this blast he didn't miss and hit the door with his four recent examples of anti-Catholic bias in the media.
Continue reading ...

Continue reading ...

I think the game is up for Archbishop Martin's attempts to turn the religious orders into a bad church for toxic abuse.  It only works if people don't realise it is happening.  But this morning on Joe Duffy's TV programme on RTE1 the cat came out of the bag.  Joe began with a bland "the bishops have come out of this controversy well", his tongue firmly in his cheek.  Fr Tony Flannery paused but a moment before laying in to their attempts at scape-goating religious orders.  I thought he would ...
Continue reading ...

"Senior Irish football managers are said to be concerned about the drift of many young Irish men towards football clubs in other countries.  It comes after three under-21s and a full professional opted to join Inter Milan.  One senior manager told the Daily Mirror that the four players are the latest in a steady trickle of Irish players going abroad.  He cautioned that the style of play found in clubs like these is very much geared towards a continental experience and they may not even speak ...
Continue reading ...

I seem to be apologising for my absence a lot recently.  Last week a good friend died.  It was sudden, but not unexpected.  And I just didn't feel like blogging.  Then it was just too busy.  He was buried on Saturday morning and for the first time in God know's how long we had a paid baby-sitter in.  Mary was so excited about it but ever practical - "will she give us something to eat?"  The poor girl hardly got through the day before Mary pounced with questions, conversation, stories - tales ...
Continue reading ...

The Archbishop of Dublin is not particularly noted as a teacher.  But some people are learning from him.  Last week I noted his efforts at establishing CORI as what I called a "bad church" to deal with the toxic debt of child abuse.  In tomorrow's The Irish Catholic, CORI will be doing the same with the eighteen religious orders involved in the Ryan Report.  In turn David Quinn has noted that of the eighteen orders mentioned in the report, some are far "guiltier" than others.  I suspect as th...
Continue reading ...

Did you know this?  You know the zucchetto, the skull cap worn by prelates?  Well the word comes from "zucca", the Italian for pumpkin.  I wonder who first made the connection between bishops and pumpkins.

This nugget is from the Catholic Dictionary published by Our Sundary Visitor, a book I recommend for all.  And cheap too - €6.40 new in book shops.

Continue reading ...

Mary Kenny in tomorrow's Irish Catholic has an excellent proposal which I heartily endorse.

She thinks the Archbishop of Dublin should sell his house and give the money to the abuse victims and then go and live in the centre of Dublin.
Continue reading ...

Someone left this comment on the blog:

"I am not really to sure you are or if you even know your self.  But I wonder are you living in the real world and I mean it from the point of view that in the biggest report to have hit the Irish Church you can only find space to try and defend a bishop It scares the hell out me that it was people like your self who in the past both in side the church and outside of the church inside and outside of other bodies buried their heads in the sand and claim no...
Continue reading ...

I find myself forced to break my self imposed silence on the Commission on Child Abuse because I have to comment on the disgraceful behaviour of the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin.  His Grace has always, frankly, been a bit holier than thou when dealing with this issue with his attempts, not just to do the right thing, but to show that other bishops and religious orders are doing the wrong thing.

But his attack on the new Archbishop of Westminster on the day of his installation has me f...
Continue reading ...

The first public extraordinary form Latin Mass in the Killala Diocese since the enactment of Summorum Pontificum will take place in the Church of the Assumption, Ardagh, Crossmolina, Co Mayo on Saturday 16 May at 3pm.  The celebrant will be Father John Loftus, CC, Belmullet, Co Mayo and chaplain to the Connaught Provincial Chapter of the LMSI.  This Mass will take place on a quarterly basis initially, but will be subject to review pending demand.

This, of course, is part of Bishop Fleming's po...
Continue reading ...

One of the good guys - Bishop Walter Mixa: "A society without God is hell on earth."

You know the way bishops sometimes can be accused of being on the verge of taking a stand.  Well here's two who have taken stands - and they're not good stands either.

Firstly from Germany:  The Chairman of the German Bishops' Conference and archbishop of Freiburg, Robert Zollitsch, believes that Christ’s crucifixion is just a psychological support for those who suffer.

On Holy Saturday, the archbishop denied...

Continue reading ...

So tomorrow (Friday) there will be an announcement at 11 o'clock that Vincent Nichols is to be the next Archbishop of Westminster.  You heard it first here - unless you read it somewhere else - but definitely before the official announcement.  Increasingly it is becoming impossible to keep any Papal Secrets.

I guess it's not bad news, given the names that had been floated - Cardiff and Leeds.  Archbishop Nichols is definitely improving with age, becoming more conservative and courageous - a go...

Continue reading ...

If you're looking for some light entertainment and a way to meet new people, here's a fun new game I've discovered.

You see someone wearing a Liverpool FC top (or scarf, hat, coat whatever);  you stop them and say "excuse me, do you know you're wearing a Liverpool top?".  They usually reply "what?" in some shape or form - depending on where you are - it may include an explitive.  You then reply "I thought perhaps it was a mistake". 

Usually best to move off quickly at this point, although many...
Continue reading ...

A bit busy today.  I discovered there was no facility on this site for comments so I've had to link to a different site and copy html and I am very pleased with myself that it seems to be working.  If you want to leave a comment you have to click on the title of the post and then leave a comment.  You must leave a name and email but they can be fake so don't worry if you want anonymity.

Every evening is spent painting and I suspect this will continue for a long time.  Painting over new plaster...
Continue reading ...

I wonder has the Irish Times been reading my blog post of yesterday, as they've just picked up the fact that the arrangements announced for Cloyne are somewhat extraordinary and extra-canonical.

Always good to stay ahead of the press.
Continue reading ...

Back to Cloyne for a moment.

This is all very strange.  I had a quick flick through the Code and I cannot find any legislation governing the current situation in Cloyne.  As the various news reports and press releases have made clear, Bishop Magee has not actually resigned.  I presumed originally he'd resigned as allowed for by Canon 401.2:

A diocesan Bishop who, because of illness or some other grave reason, has become unsuited for the fulfilment of his office, is earnestly requested to offe...

Continue reading ...

DISCLAIMER – meant to put this in the first post - anything I write is my own opinion and is not intended to represent the views of any organisation of which I am a member or have any connection.

 

Oh yes, the name – Seen and Unseen.  Well obviously from the Creed, but in particular it was mentioned in some context in the Vicar of Dibley and I thought that would be a good name for a blog.  (Although a few others had the same idea as well I see).

 

Keen observers will notice the timing...

Continue reading ...