Fr. Bob's Corner

Yikes, I don’t like this editorial! (2009 America Magazine). I mean, I don’t want to hear this opinion because it sounds too much like reality. A reality that most of us, I suspect, don’t want to hear. When the stock market tumbled in September 2008 I wasn’t at all surprised. In fact, every bone in my body seemed to expect it.

When I read this editorial about the economy in America Magazine this June 2009, my bones seemed to ache with a sense that it is very true. Are we really facing our problems, or have we just been undergoing cosmetic surgery?

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In a powerful little booklet (pastoral letter) entitled, The Need for Conversion, the ‘Social Affairs Commission of the ‘Canadian confidence of Catholic Bishop’s’ challenged Canadians this March 2008 to take a hard realistic look at the way that we, as Canadians, are treating our planet. “Are we not like the prodigal son”, they ponder, “who asked his father for his inheritance and then left home and proceeded to waste it (Luke 15:11-32)?” Commenting on our excessive need for more and more, the Bishops observe that we are mismanaging the Garden of Eden: “In our drive to earn more, to possess more, to consume always more, we have sacrificed a great deal to the economic almighty, which has become like the substance of modern life. We have mismanaged the Garden of Eden entrusted to us.”

Stating that we have the knowledge and know-how to protect the environment, they compare our present attitudes and behaviors to those of selfish ‘spoiled children’. “We have yieled to the innate selfishness that marks each of us like a scar.” “We have tarnished the image of God that is within us.”

The letter is a personal and communal call to conversion, and a timely and forceful reminder to our elected representatives. The Bishops conclude, The Need for Conversion, by offering us a choice between death and life: “Our faith in Christ, offers us a radical choice: To choose between life and death (Deuteronomy 31:15). This could not be a timelier invitation. Only genuine conversion will help us mend the ruptures and re-establish our life relationship with nature, our sisters and brothers, and the Creator of Life. For this St. Francis of Assisi presents a beatuiful model of renewed humanity and rediscovered harmony.

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If the people of Canada are like me, they really don’t know what is best for Afghanistan. There are so many conflicting pieces of information that it is like a giant jig-saw puzzle that seems impossible to figure out and put together. About two and a half weeks ago the Canadian bishops called for more transparency, but I don’t think our government heard them:

Referring to the Manley Report, Archbishop Weisgerber stated that the Canadian government needs to show greater transparency on the Afghanistan conflict. “More complete and reliable information from the government will help Canadian citizens better understand the objective, the questions and the conditions involved in the Afghanistan conflict, and also how to evaluate the engagement there of Canadian armed forces and humanitarian agencies,” the CCCB President stated. “This information is essential if all Canadians are to be involved in making decisions that can lead to real and lasting peace in that country.”

Let us hope that in the weeks and months ahead more clarity is given to this issue, as our troops are there for the next four years.

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On Nov. 21st front page headlines across Quebec reacted to an open letter of apology by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of the Catholic Church in Canada. The Cardinal wrote the letter after soul searching reflection which resulted from a presentation he made to the Bouchard-Taylor Commission and the support and criticism that followed. (The Bouchard-Taylor commission is a public enquiry criss-crossing Quebec to get the public’s ideas and concerns on “reasonable accommodations” by Quebec society for religious and ethnic minorities.)

Since the advent of what is called, ‘the cultural revolution’ in the 60′s, Quebec society has become secularized and the church has seen itself sidelined and much criticized. Although the vast majority of Quebec’s people are Catholic, there is an ‘anti-church’ and anti-clerical’ undercurrent that flavors Quebec society. From historians, politicians, and institutions, to the ordinary person on the street there is a litany of grievances and accusations that constantly undermine the faith, and foster fear and dis-trust of the church and its endeavors. Personally, I think it was time for the church to face the past head on, and to name and seek forgivenss for its past errors and sins. This is exactly what the Cardinal did, and let us pray that in the ensuing response and dialogue a new and better day for the church will be born. LINK: Full Text of the Cardinal’s Letter

Originally posted Oct 5th, and updated on October 19th, 2007

I just read an article in the New York Times about secret documents that allow and condone abhorrent interrogation practices which can only be described as torture.

First we hear from President Bush about Iraq’s weapons of Mass Destruction. Then we find out that we were really being manipulated and lied too by this government.

For years I have heard the President vehemently deny any manner of torture. But if the New York Times has got it right, this was one big lie too.

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Turkey has a new President, Abdullah Gul, and many fear that he will allow Islam to role back the hands of time and create another Islamic state in the Middle East. “The selection of Mr. Gul,” says the New York Times, “ended four months of political standoff that began when Turkey’s secular establishment and military, vehemently opposed to his candidacy, blocked it in May, forcing a national election last month.”

It would appear that most ordinary people have no voice in Turkey’s day to day governance, and from the vantage point of fairness his victory in the Turkinsh Parliament is a just one. However, with the rise of fundamental radical Islam, most of the world is rather anxious.What will this mean? Where will it lead?

At the offical level the American ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson, welcomed Mr. Gul’s election, but behind the scenes there has got to be much wariness stemming from the mess in Iraq, the beligerance of Iran, the war with Taliban in Afghanistan, the general turbulence throughout the mid-east, and the rise and threat of Islamic theocracy.

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