De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

  The Pillar has an interview with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone in which he gives a beautiful exposition of Church teaching regarding many of the difficult issues we face in society today.  Would that we had such clarity from the Vatican!! Salvatore Cordileone is the Archbishop of San Francisco, without doubt the hub of homosexuality in the USA. He is someone I have had the privilege of meeting .  He has to walk a difficult line, especially given the demographic he works within. One could see how, even if he were a silent administrator, he would be hated just because he represents the Catholic Church. When I met him, he explained that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. In this interview he defends Church teaching providing some much needed clarity. I want to say "bravely defends" but, lets face it, this is just what all bishops should be doing. He says: "the Church’s teachings on sexuality are profoundly protective, not punitive. Just look at th...

This morning I wanted to share this beautiful and powerful video released by the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC). Thanks to Ian Paul for sharing it and introducing me to it. It beautifully and powerfully presents the case, in accessible terms, for the ethic that sex belongs in marriage between one man and one woman, the Apostolic teaching of the Church, enshrined in Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium: the position laid out by Jesus Himself in Sacred Scripture.   The presentation locates the discussion of sexuality in the wider question of what has been happening in society at the moment, and our call to share the good news about Jesus. Importantly, in the opening comments by Jason Roache, it highlights the fact that the Church’s teaching is not something we just improvise, but something we both inherit and pass on, just as Paul comments in 1 Cor 15.3 that he is passing on what has been passed to him. Of course the idea that we are constantly "discerning" the...

Following this recent story about Jason Evert having a number of talks cancelled in Ireland due to the counter-cultural nature of his message, and Ireland's head-long descent into hellish darkness, Jason himself has appeared on the Patrick Coffin show and spoken about the events. Initially I was quite critical of the fact that Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan had refused to speak to Irish media about the situation. It seemed to me that this was missing an opportunity to speak up for Catholic teaching in an area which is all too often ignored and where young people especially, desperately need information and guidance: a counter narrative to help them form a balanced perspective given all the brain washing that goes on about sexuality and the Church from the secular media. In my follow-up post , I considered what I had learned after speaking to some members of his diocese who seemed impressed with the bishop's commitment to the faith and his work to develop the diocese. Bisho...

Jason and Crystalina Evert, picture: Facebook Ireland, my ancestral homeland, has turned away from the light over the last decade or so and there's virtually no one to stand against the flow of darkness. As I have opined over a number of years now , the faith of the once proud land of saints and scholars, the tiny island that evangelised half the world, has been eroded until it is little more than superstition. This epidemic of agnosticism and apathy has been brought about by a lack of teaching, episcopal hypocrisy and an appalling record of abuse. The bishops in Ireland continue to be utterly useless, lording it up in massive domiciles surrounded by luxury and privilege while doing absolutely nothing to combat the tide of secularism drowning the country. For example the bishop who argued that St John Henry Newman wouldn't have converted if he lived today , or the bishop who's Facebook page trots out karmic Disney memes in place of anything even vaguely Cathol...

St Pope John Paul II’s  Theology of the Body  is receiving ever greater attention, as more and more people are seeing and experiencing its ability to enrich lives. St. Mary's University, Twickenham are holding a conference which aims to offer educators and other formators an opportunity to learn how this rich and beautiful teaching can be effectively transmitted in the classroom, the parish, at home and in our culture. Delegates will receive information, ideas and tools on how to appropriately convey and integrate the Theology of the Body within Catholic education and in one’s field of responsibility – helping formators become better equipped and empowered to communicate this teaching clearly and confidently. Keynote Speaker:  Bishop John Keenan of Paisley   Who is this conference for? Educators and Teachers Catechists and Youth Ministers Parents Priests and Religious It may also be of interest to: Those interested in the New Evangelisation ...

Good heavens! I could hardly believe my ears when I watched this edition of Russell Brand's The Trews in which he rants about the popularity of the newly released film of the notorious book Fifty Shades of Grey. One has to wonder if the long-haired-lothario has been secretly reading Pope St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body lectures? Certainly, many of the ideas he articulates here are straight from Church teaching and he mentions a priest who said that porn affects us not because it shows too much, but because it shows too little. In other words, it removes sex from its proper context, i.e. a mutual respectful, loving relationship. Porn effects the way adults relate to each other and the reality of our sexuality which is ultimately—factuality—scientifically—about pro-creation. Porn removes the essential context of our humanity and reduces it to image or idea. In reality, intimacy is about building a consensual, respectful relationship where we share each other in an i...

Hozier's hit Take me to Church has been an incredibly powerful break-through track for the young artist. Its poignant lyrics and a passionate, tuneful delivery make this song one of those rare modern hits that call out to me. I found this video of Sergei Polunin, the bad-boy of ballet, performing powerfully and movingly to Take me to Church Beautiful isn't it? He just seems to hang in the air at times. But there's something that disturbs me about this performance just as their is something that disturbs me about the song itself, albeit in a moving, honest fashion. This is from an interview Hozier did with NY Magazine about the meaning of the song: "'Take Me to Church' is essentially about sex, but it's a tongue-in-cheek attack at organizations that would … well, it's about sex and it's about humanity, and obviously sex and humanity are incredibly tied. Sexuality, and sexual orientation — regardless of orientation — is just natural....

If you've read my blog for some time, you will know I am a bit of a fan of Jonathan Sacks who used to be our Chief Rabbi. He is a bit of a genius really, and is not at all afraid to stand up for faith, for God, or for society. On Monday 17th October 2014, Rabbi Sacks attended an International Colloquium on “The Complementarity of Man and Woman” convened by The Vatican under the auspices of Pope Francis (more details at http://humanum.it/en/ ). His input was widely reported as it was (as one might expect) very, very powerful and very good. The Complementarity of Man and Woman: An International Colloquium is a gathering of leaders and scholars from many religions across the globe, to examine and propose anew the beauty of the relationship between the man and the woman, in order to support and reinvigorate marriage and family life for the flourishing of human society. Witnesses draw from
 the wisdom of their religious tradition and cultural experience as they attest to t...