The Archbishop of Southwark, John Wilson, has suspended school Masses in his diocese during the pandemic. In a message to headteachers Archbishop Wilson said it was prudent to defer the celebration of school Masses, including those held in a local church. “I would like to encourage every school to explore other expressions of prayer and shared celebrations of our faith rooted in our Catholic faith and tradition,” he said.
Fragments of a Christian cup or chalice that sheds fresh light on the early Church in England have been discovered at a dig at Vindolanda, a fort on Hadrian’s Wall. The fragments were found in the rubble of a sixth-century Christian church, and are marked with graffiti, including ships, crosses, fish, a whale, a happy bishop, and letters in Latin and Greek.
The Bishop of Limerick, Brendan Leahy, called for support and patience as schools in Ireland reopen this week. In his message at the start of the new school year, Bishop Leahy said it was “inevitable” that there would be “moments of irritation”. He added: “The daily vaccine of patience, understanding and a gentle approach will go a long way to ensure the reopening of schools will be as positive an experience as possible for all.”
The co-founder of the Irish Association of Catholic Priests, Fr Brendan Hoban, has warned that an anti- immigration lobby is trying to wed its platform to extreme Catholicism in Ireland to build a populist movement. He expressed concern over a recent protest at Knock Shrine over the decision to suspend liturgies during the pandemic. The protesters afterwards travelled to the parish of Ballyhaunis in Co Mayo where they protested outside the church and harangued the parish priest over his outreach to the town’s Muslim community, describing him as a heretic. According to Fr Hoban, the “religio-political cocktail” that emerged from the “bizarre speeches” delivered in the two locations suggested that an anti- immigration platform is a key part of the protesters’ philosophy coupled with “the most extreme ultra-right Catholic grouping”.
Bringing together the arts, faith and justice, this year’s Greenbelt Festival took place for the first time online last week. The theme was Wild at Home, and participants in the weekend of streamed talks and liturgies pitched tents in their living rooms and gardens.
The Jesuit Refugee Service has launched a series of monthly online talks and discussion focusing on refugees in detention. The Zoom sessions, Accompaniment in Action, begin on Wednesday.
Bishop Paul McAleenan, the lead bishop for migration and asylum, plans to visit Dover in mid-September to highlight concern for migrants, “at risk of losing their lives in the English Channel”. He told The Tablet that, “as we approach World Day for Migrants and Refugees on 27 September it is even more important for us to remember that migrants are not statistics, refugees are not numbers, they are people whom we are obliged to help, especially when they have fled war, poverty and persecution.”
Caranua, the body set up to administer the €110m fund pledged by religious orders in Ireland to help provide housing, health, education and other assistance to those who suffered abuse in residential homes, is to shut at the end of September. In a statement this week, Caranua CEO Rachel Downes said: “With limited funds remaining, survivors understand that support services provided by Caranua will no longer be available.” Outstanding payments will be made by the end of September to survivors.
Declan Lang, the Bishop of Clifton, has expressed solidarity with Archbishop Robert Ndlovu of Harare and other bishops in Zimbabwe. He praised their recent pastoral letter addressing the problems in the country, which has drawn criticism from the government. Bishop Lang said the letter, “with its call for truth, justice and reconciliation, is both a powerful witness to the suffering that Zimbabwe is enduring and a way forward for the country to emerge
from this”.