Exclusive peek at Benedict's holiday itinerary…

Dear Friends,

I'm running very late today as we have a bit of animated entertainment which I started at around 3.00 am this morning and here it is nearly six o'clock at night and Catholica still isn't quite finished. Our two main offerings are now on line though. You'll find the details below…

EXCLUSIVE: Preview of Pope Benedict's Holiday itinerary in Australia Farmer Jack's back more jubilant than ever. Pope Benedict has accepted his invitation to have a holiday on his sheep station in outback New South Wales before World Youth Day starts. Jack gives readers of Catholica an exclusive peek at the itinerary he has lined up for His Holiness. The itinerary is only in draft form at this stage and others might like to add further suggestions via our forum. <Farmer Jack's latest conversation with Pope Benny>

Our future is shaped by our commitments… This final extract from Dr Padovano's essay looks to the future. Again it is primarily addressed to an audience of former priests but the ideas Dr Padovano raises might usefully be taken on by all of us. Just assume for a moment that Vatican II had been implemented as the Church Fathers who were there guiding it had intended and its legacy hadn't been taken over by the small gaggle of clerics who have tried to thwart it at every turn, what alternative challenges would we have had to deal with? If by some miracle tomorrow the institution did pick up again the thread of Vatican II how would we cope? These are not entirely idle speculations. They might be the very real scenarios we face. <Read Dr Padovano's commentary>

A matter requiring urgent investigation… It is with a heavy heart we break this disturbing news story centred on the Bethel Covenant Community in Perth. The allegations raised are serious and it is to be hoped that the relevant State and Canonical investigating authorities establish the truth or otherwise of the allegations as quickly as possible. <more>

What is our legacy? When historians come to record the definitive history of the last half century of Catholicism what will their summation be? Dr Padovano today makes a confession on behalf of those many priests who perhaps got worried about what they were supporting and what the historians might write. Those of us who have been custodians of the legacy since Vatican II — and that basically includes all adults whether ordained or lay — might reflect on what sort of confession we might make… <more>

"Who are you looking for?" This series of forum discussions on Wednesdays is attempting to shadow a series of commentaries by Dr Patrick Collins we published last year looking at the Spirituality of Thomas Merton (For the specific commentary see HERE). The Editor kicks off the discussion today by looking at one of Merton's observations about our lack of trust in God which arises, in part, because of a flawed self-perception we carry in us of what God's relationship to us is. In his mini-commentary the Editor of Catholica, Brian Coyne, also brings in some observations Fr Ron Rolheiser made in a commentary featured on CathNews yesterday which, in turn, also links to some of Dr Andrew Kania's observations in his commentary on Catholica yesterday. These three or four commentators we're drawing attention to today provide a rich landscape for our meditation on our own relationship with God. (Links to the Rolheiser and Kania commentaries at the end of the mini-commentary in our forum.) <The Forum Discussion Thread> | <Dr Collins' original commentary>

What's in a name? Today's commentary ought to raise a lot of interest. In it Dr Andrew Kania explores the issue of how our name can affect our personality and outlook on life. He raises many intriguing ideas that merit our quiet reflection. <more>

Reflections on the nature of priesthood #14… Today's commentary is perhaps the most public confession you are likely to find anywhere of a Catholic priest discovering the nature of fatherhood. Many will be moved by the frankness and honesty with which Tom McMahon goes back and relates his personal journey from priest to father. Has the form of priesthood that grew up as a later cultural adaptation in Christianity outlived its usefulness and we need to re-discover an understanding of priesthood which is much closer to that modelled by Jesus Christ, the first Apostles and the presbyters in the early Christian church? <more>

BOOK REVIEW: The remarkable life of Charles Gordon O'Neill… I do highly recommend Stephen Utick's book on Charles Gordon O'Neill. How would you cope should vicissitude and embarrassment strike your life on the sort of scale experienced by O'Neill? How would you measure the "success" of your life then? This book is useful for its history but also serves as a valuable reflection on the value of each of our lives within a truly Jesus Christ-inspired context. …Reviewed by Brian Coyne. <more>

Best wishes for a great day wherever you happen to be ... in life or in our world!

Brian Coyne
Editor and Publisher