Editor dies at 93
Fr Ronan Drury (pictured), the editor of the pastoral monthly journal, The Furrow, has died at the age of 93. Fr Drury was appointed to the post in 1977 and continued in that role until this autumn. He died last week at Dublin’s Mater Hospital and Requiem Mass took place at St Mary’s Chapel, Maynooth, on Monday. Among the highlights of Fr Drury’s editorship was a meditation on “The Poet as Christian” by Seamus Heaney, which appeared in the October 1978 issue.
Transgender concerns
The Bishops of England and Wales have expressed concerns about the laws around transgender pupils and it is an ongoing subject for their “reflection”, Westminster Auxiliary Bishop, John Sherrington, said.
Speaking to journalists after the Bishops’ Conference plenary meeting last week in Leeds, Bishop Sherrington said that Catholic schools had to be very aware of what the law is and he emphasised the need for pastoral accompaniment of children and young people in “this complex world” and the necessity of protecting their dignity. “So therefore we want to develop anti-bullying strategies including to avoid homophobic bullying or any transphobic bullying,” he said.
He added: “I do have a concern that Catholic teaching understands the complementarity of male and female, and we have to reflect further on the meaning of that.”
The Catholic Association for Racial Justice (Carj) has lost its status as an official agency of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales because of a shift in priorities towards migrants. At a recent Carj annual general meeting, a motion was passed stating: “Regretfully, we accept the bishops’ decision that Carj will no longer be an agency of the Bishops’ Conference. However, we commit ourselves to engage with diocesan bishops and to develop a positive partnership for the future.” Yogi Sutton, chair of Carj, added that Carj’s wider mission involves working with a variety of vulnerable groups.
‘Paramilitary attacks must end’
Ireland’s church leaders have called for an end to all paramilitary attacks in Northern Ireland, warning the attacks continue to have a major impact on the wellbeing of children and young people and threaten to “trap them in never-ending cycles of violence”.
The appeal, to mark the United Nations Universal Children’s Day, was issued by Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh and his Church of Ireland counterpart, Archbishop Richard Clarke, along with leaders of other Churches in Ireland.
According to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) there were 94 so-called “punishment attacks” in the last year, usually by Loyalist or Republican groups on members of their own community.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) will begin its public hearings on Monday, as it investigates allegations of the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in the Catholic Church. The first case study looks at the English Benedictine Congregation, including some of its schools, in a three-week hearing.
A statement from IICSA said: “The hearings will examine the relationship between Orders such as the Benedictines and the Catholic Church in England and Wales and consider how that relationship impacts on child protection. It will also evaluate whether any failings identified within the English Benedictine Congregation are representative of wider failings within the Catholic Church as well as examining previous reports into child protection, such as the Nolan review, and the Catholic Church’s response to that report.”
The Songs of Praise star Aled Jones will not appear on the BBC while it investigates allegations of inappropriate behaviour more than a decade ago. The singer and presenter has said he is “deeply sorry” for any upset caused but strongly denied any “inappropriate contact”. Mr Jones’ spokesman said: “While he accepts that his behaviour over a decade ago was occasionally juvenile … he never intended to harass or distress.” He added that while the matter did not relate to any broadcast work, Mr Jones had voluntarily agreed not to appear on the BBC while it was investigated.
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