Can the Newman Institute Help Ireland's Faith Crisis?
Aug. 3—In the country that evangelized so much of the world for Christ, the Catholic Church is under attack. Irish Catholics say they are deeply troubled by a spirit of antagonism to their faith that bombards them in their institutions and media.
But one sign of hope may be found in the new Newman Institute for religious and catechetical studies whose opening was reported recently in the Irish Times.
Bishop Thomas Finnegan considers the Institute a first step toward a larger project to preserve a Catholic identity at “a small college with its own culture and ethos, gradually establishing links with St. Patrick's College Maynooth, the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, and [other] colleges,” he told the paper.
The report quoted the bishop saying that the Institute would stress theology because, “The relationship between truth and freedom is at the heart of today's moral crisis. The very concept of universally valid principles is called into question.… It is in this environment that a Catholic university must operate at the interface between the Church and the world of thought.”
Is New Millennium to Blame for Tidal Wave?
, August 1—In a report showing an apparent misunderstanding of the Catholic celebration of the Jubilee Year 2000, the London Observer fears that Papua-New Guinea residents will blame the coming millennium for the tidal wave that recently devastated the area.
Said the report, “the tsunami that killed at least 2,000 people is likely to be interpreted as a sign of the end of the world and second coming of Christ.” It quoted an English anthropologist saying, “People will see this as the wrath of God — a punishment or act of cleansing before the millennium.”
Christine Kocher-Schmidt, of Kent University in England, went on to suggest the area's Catholicism makes matters worse.
“The discourse on the millennium is particularly strong in this area as people struggle to get to grips with bits of information trickling in from the outside world. It is a very isolated place where information is only transmitted orally and tends to become very colored by the Catholic mission.”
However, tracing these ideas to Catholicism is a mistake. The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has specifically rejected “millennialism.” Furthermore, Christ has not said that his return will coincide with the Gregorian calendar's switch-over from nines to zeros.
Catholics celebrate the Jubilee Year 2000 as a commemoration of the birth of Christ, not as a new turning point in salvation history.
Turning Family Discussions Into Ecumenical Dialogue
, August 6—It is an increasingly common phenomenon, but it is largely unexplored pastoral territory. How can Churches address the particular needs of Catholics and Protestants who marry each other?
Scotland's Catholic Church is set to publish an aid to Christians involved in mixed marriages. The document, Marriage, Discipline and Pastoral Practice, will be released this autumn, said the newspaper. Produced by Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS), it will give couples information about each other's faith.
Fr. John Fitzsimmons, of the Unity, Faith and Order Commission, is the report's author.
He told the newspaper: “This is about marriages between people who are Catholic and people who are fully paid-up members of their own Church. Very often, Catholics get married to someone of no faith, but this report is aimed at Catholics who are marrying someone who takes their own Church seriously.
“It will put side by side the different understandings of each Church. For example, it will tell a Catholic and a Congregationalist how to understand each other's position.”
He added that it is meant to be practical rather than a mere intellectual discussion of differences.