The Church cannot be expected to adopt politically correct positions but must always have the freedom to take positions that are culturally unpopular, the Archbishop of Dublin said in an address delivered in Mater Dei Institute of Education.In his address entitled 'The Relationship between Church and State', Archbishop Diarmuid Martin questioned whether Ireland has a cohort of Christians capable of bringing a “fresh savour of the Gospel to the complex social, economic and political structures of the world,” and he asked where such Christians would find inspiration and formation.
In his lecture, the Dublin prelate suggested that solutions to the problems of modern civilisation are “not just technical ones, but solutions which truly humanise the way we act.”
He added that if the “gift of bread is not accompanied by heart, by generosity and by recognising the other in his or her integrity and dignity then the bread we offer is not much more than stones.”
The Primate of Ireland said the contribution of the Christian to the creation of a better society is to be found not simply in the extraordinary range of caring services provided by believers, or in simply being a social commentator.
“It is, rather, about upholding and insisting on the recognition of the dignity of each human person,” he said.
His comments were echoed in a homily he delivered at the Rite of Election for new catechumens and the reception of candidates last Sunday at Dublin’s Pro Cathedral, in which he said society needs to ask itself why it still hasn’t been able to eliminate global hunger despite its sophistication, modernity and scientific progress.
Lent, Archbishop Martin said, is “an invitation to all of us not to fall into the trap or temptation of simply going along with the fashions of the time. Being a Christian means at times going against the currents of the time and Lent reminds us that there are other fundamental values which must inspire our lives if we are to follow Jesus.”
Thirty-eight catechumens, who are now called elect, from 27 Dublin parishes were received by the Archbishop as well as seven candidates from five parishes, according to Fr Damian McNeice, RCIA co-ordinator for the Dublin Diocese.
“The rite of Christian initiation of adults is a model of what every form of catechesis should be like. It is based on learning to understand the word of God,” the Archbishop told the congregation of new members and their sponsors as well as representatives of parish councils and the RCIA teams of the Archdiocese of Dublin. He added, “This is a true celebration of the faith community of the church in Dublin – the faith we are proud to celebrate, profess and transmit.”
Fr McNeice told ciNews that the rite of election of catechumens and the recognition of candidates is “a great sign of hope to us that Christ is still calling people and the Church is transforming itself to being a place where it is welcoming to people – and praying the scriptures with them on an ongoing path of continual conversion.”
He said that for some of the parishes represented at the ceremony on Sunday this is something new and for others, the ritual is well established.
This, he added, is an area that is expected to grow.
Noting that there were as many ten nationalities represented at Sunday’s ceremony, Fr McNeice also noted that there were also people of Irish origin whose parents had decided not to have them baptised and who now wanted to join the Church.
After the ceremony, Archbishop Martin told ciNews that though there was a decline in the numbers attending Mass in the diocese, the rite of election of catechumens and the recognition of candidates showed the commitment of parish communities to renewal.
“You can see the commitment that is springing out of the life of the parishes,” he said.
He added, “Many of these are people who have encountered the Catholic faith here in Ireland. Some never had the opportunity, because of the political situation (in their country of birth), to be baptised. Each of these is an individual faith story - and all of them together says something about the faith in Dublin.”
He urged parishes to take the concept of evangelisation up and develop it through whatever resources they have.
One catechumen, a parishioner of Rathmines, who originally comes from Shanghai in China, told ciNews she has been preparing for two years for this day.
The mother of two daughters said that, though her own parents were Buddhist, she had had no faith.
However, she had started taking an interest in Catholicism because of her daughter, who is attending a Catholic school.
“I want to be Catholic for my daughter. She started in St Louis school and began to talk with me about Jesus’ story for our family. I am really happy to join the Church – it is the happiest thing for us as a family,” she said.
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