Jo Cox MP, RIP



I found myself in tears on more than one occasion yesterday as I contemplated the enormity of what has happened to the MP for the constituency of Batley and Spen, Jo Cox.

I was shocked and stunned when I heard the news, and my heart immediately went out to her husband and children. I know how that feels, how life changes forever in that moment. How you numbly try to cope with the mundane realities, how it never goes back to normal.

Jo was someone who cared enough to get involved with society. A young mum and wife as well as an MP, and a former aid worker. The loss just feels senseless and tangible, the murderer little more than an animal in a society desensitised by social media to the extent where it has become positively de riguer to insult someone with a difference of opinion.  

Today, Jo's husband and children are struggling to cope with the aftermath of losing someone they loved so deeply. There lives are forever changed. I hope that all of our lives will be a little changed and that the way we speak to each other will be a little gentler as a result of this. That would be a good legacy for this bright young woman.

Lord have mercy on this woman's soul and wrap her family in love.

From Jo Cox's shrine.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Problem is the Bishops - Dr Janet Smith.

Image
  Dr Janet Smith is a true gift to the Church. She is an American classicist and philosopher, and former professor of moral theology at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. She is now retired and works helping victims of the sex abuse crisis where she does amazing work. It's my great pleasure to count her among my friends and I can assure you she loves Jesus and His Church with an incredible depth and honesty. She is wonderful company especially in that she is as sharp as a tack but also extremely warm and funny. This is a talk she gave recently at the Coalition for Cancelled Priests Conference at the end of June in Chicago. It's a must listen talk if you want to know the painful reality of the corruption in the Catholic hierarchy, corruption of all kinds, sexual, financial and spiritual/ theological. Having defended the Church during the paedophile crisis she was devastated when, after the Dallas Charter, the McCarrick scandal broke. She addresses the critici
Read more

Real Life Catholics on BBC TV defend Church Teaching on Contraception.

Image
This morning on BBC TV Sunday Morning Live there was a good debate inspired by Melinda Gates (who identifies as Catholic) comments about the pope potentially changing doctrine on contraception. The Catholic contributors were Fr Paddy McCafferty, Clare Short and Obianuju Ekeocha. I think they did really well. Uju's direction is very interesting and easily wrong foots those who want to impose western ideas of morality on Africans in an imperialistic way. Interesting that the presenter agrees with her on this. Fr Paddy gave a great account of his experience as a priest. He was compassionate, realistic and honest, while upholding the value and importance of the doctrine. Clare said she had experience of both ways and the Catholic way is better by far. I thought that was awesome! I especially liked her focus on equality and bringing the responsibility of both husband & wife into the discussion. Watch out for the bit where the other lady says "Pope Francis has ind
Read more

New Head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

Image
I can hardly bring myself to write about yesterday's announcement that Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández to be the new head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith replacing Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, S.J. (now 79) who was previously the secretary to Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller. Fernández is certainly one of the Pope's men, his whole career has been crafted and guided by Jorge Bergoglio. He headed the Faculty of Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (CUA) and then on December 15, 2009, the then Cardinal Bergoglio appointed Fernandez as rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. However, much to the frustration of Cardinal Bergoglio, Fernandez was not able to take the oath of office until May 20, 2011, after he had answered objections to his appointment raised by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which assessed concerns about the orthodoxy of certain elements of his scholarship
Read more