Arguing some issues with God

Every year on 29 June we honour St Peter and St Paul, two ‘Founding Fathers’ of the Church. Tradition tells us that on this day, the two met and embraced before marching off toward their deaths. As we honour them now, we ask for a little of their faith and their courage

In these two apostles, we see how the faith can spread through the life of generous, faithful hearts. We get a glimpse of each of them in turn, in prison for the faith, prepared for martyrdom for the Gospel of

Saint Irenaeus, bishop and martyr.

Irenaeus (c. 130-202) from Asia Minor was bishop of Lugdunum (now Lyons, France). He was an apologist whose major work, “Against Heresies” was influential in the development of western theology. In his boyhood he had …

Brian Eyre, a married Catholic priest, in Recife, Brazil suggests it needs to be clearly stated and explained that marriage and priesthood are not irreconcilable and that obligatory celibacy is a discipline that can be removed without changing the nature of priesthood.

1) Deuteronomy 7:6-11

(God is faithful to his chosen people, who are dear to his heart.)

You are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth …

Conclusion

158. The extensive material submitted to the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops is presented in this Instrumentum Laboris to promote the dialogue and development which is expected to take place during the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. Clearly, the richness of what is contained in the responses and observations goes beyond what has been reported in these pages, which are intended to provide an initial reference point in synod discussion. To come to some idea of how to respond to the new demands in the People of God, the following three main areas are under discussion in the Church: how the Gospel of the Family can be preached in the present-day; how the Church’s pastoral care programme for the family might better respond to the new challenges today; how to assist parents in developing a mentality of openness to life and in upbringing their children.

Over 50 years ago, a cardinal asked the Vatican Council: ‘Where’s the other half of humanity?’ In her own inimitable way, Mary McAleese last week posed the same question, writes TP O’ Mahony in The Irish Examiner.

Long-term Effects

A report on an international network of reform movements.