March 21 | comments icon 0 COMMENTS     print icon print

11-BISHOP-JOHN-KEENAN-2

Managing expectations

This week’s editorial leader

The Episcopal election of Bishop John Keenan of Paisley (above) this week was indeed a great day—not only for the diocese, but also for Scotland. Bishop Keenan’s appointment restores the number of sitting bishops in Scotland to seven. The only diocese without a sitting bishop now is Motherwell, and Galloway also awaits an appointment as Bishop John Cunningham tended his resignation last year as required by canon law when he turned 75.

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland can tackle 2014 with renewed strength, for their clergy and their parishioners need them. However, last week, as Pope Francis’ Papacy reached the one year mark, the Holy Father reminded us all of the dangers of putting humans—even anointed and ordained men and women—on pedestals. If the Holy Father feels the need to state that he is not ‘superman,’ then we must be careful to look for simply good leadership, not superhuman strength, from the leaders within our Church here in Scotland.

Our Church has much to offer, and its help and guidance are needed even more in light of the secularisation of our society. Ultimately, however, lay Catholics must also play their part in living the Faith and supporting their parishes, clergy and Church if we want to keep the Faith alive for the generations to come.

Some people are born cynics. It is often difficult in our jaded world to have faith: Faith in the justice system, faith in your fellow man and Faith in the Catholic definition of the word.

No doubt there will be some who will never be satisfied by an independent inquiry into the Scottish Church’s handing of abuse reports. They have made up their minds from the onset that any such venture is simply a PR stunt, an exercise in futility, shutting the stable door once the horse has bolted…

They, however, are not the ones who are going to benefit from the McLellan Commission.

If the Very Reverend Dr Andrew McLellan and his 11 commissioners find anything the Church can learn from—in addition to the stringent safeguarding procedures that have been in place now for some time since the historic cases reported—then the commission will have succeeded.

Catholic teaching on sexual relationships promotes modestly, chastity, monogamy within marriage and indeed celibacy within religious life. Nowhere in Catholic doctrine does it say, however, that sex is too shameful to talk about openly and frankly with our young people. Perhaps this is most important area in which we need transparency.

 

PIC: PAUL McSHERRY

Leave a Reply

latest opinions

Are you having a laugh? I do hope so

October 7th, 2016 | comments icon 0 COMMENTS

Sr Roseann Reddy - Sharing something funny is one of...


The spiralling cost of funerals is a scandal

September 30th, 2016 | comments icon 0 COMMENTS

This week’s editorial leader...


A call for diversity in education, and humanist schools if desired

September 30th, 2016 | comments icon 0 COMMENTS

Recent coverage of the Humanist Society’s judicial review of the...


Each refugee is more than just a number

September 23rd, 2016 | comments icon 0 COMMENTS

This week’s editorial leader...



Social media

Latest edition

P1-OCT-07-2016

exclusively in the paper

 

  • More details of how you can join the SCO campaign to make your parish dementia friendly.
  • Gerald Warner on the horrors of child euthanasia
  • A new book explores Britain’s tiniest Churches
  • Celebrate the famous Irish playwright Brian Friel one year on from his death
  • Hundreds gather in Edinburgh to pray for Canonisation of Blessed Margaret Sinclair

Previous editions

Previous editions of the Scottish Catholic Observer newspaper are only available to subscribed Members. To download previous editions of the paper, please subscribe.

note: registered members only.

Read the SCO