comment and debate on faith issues in scotland february 2017€¦ · ditto brexit. the english who...

February 2017Issue No 266

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Comment and debate on faith issues in Scotland

Editorial

2 OPEN HOUSE February 2017

Scottish Independence 45%, Donald Trump 48% (he would have lost had it been a referendum), Brexit 52%. The numbers are similar. Do they come out of the same box? They are all being attributed to ‘populism’. Vox Populi, Vox Dei (The voice of the people is the voice of God)?The populous refused to do what was expected of them

– which was vote for Britain, vote for Europe, vote for globalisation. That is: vote for progress. Dae whit yer telt! The best explanation is the one for Trump: the liberals took him literally but not seriously; the conservatives took him seriously but not literally. Ditto Brexit. The English who voted to leave the EU had no idea how this might be done. Ditto Independence. The Scots who voted to leave the UK weren’t worried about the small print.The issue is not nationalist – American, English or

Scottish. It is economic. Despite the Democrats, Blair and Scottish Labour, these societies have become more, not less, unequal. In Scotland, in England, in the United States those who didn’t count were given a vote. They made their vote count. They are not really conservative – with a large or small c. Nor are they the great unwashed.‘Progressives’ have little time for theology. Shirley

Williams famously compared theology to embroidery. The popular movements which are currently emerging are in the name of ‘the little person’. They attract in significant

numbers those who still go to church. In America, where religion is taken seriously, a majority of Catholic men and a large number of Catholic women voted for Trump. In the UK religion is no longer thought to be worth counting. So it is not known how it affected Brexit. In Scotland it is clear that areas which had Irish/Catholic associations voted for independence.There are obvious difficulties in looking for a theology

among ‘the people’. For a start it is unfashionable. So it is not easily detected. Secondly there is a suspicion – promoted by the better off – that it is the politics of grievance. Haven’t we seen enough of this in Bolshevism, Nazism and other grassroots movements which have gained power? A popular ideology doesn’t fit into the image of a secular Scotland.A nw theology for Scotland might start by listening to the

discontented. We are not all Jock Tamson’s bairns. Scotland is not more civilised than England. It is less equal than much of Europe. Scotland is small enough. It should be able to manage its discontent better. Humanism on its own is not having the desired effect. Religion – which at its root is about the Other – should take its chance.Pope Francis has shown that compassion can cut through

political and ecclesiastical verbiage. Scotland has produced tartan noir. Does it have prophets, pastors and theologians who are worth listening to?

Lent, which begins on 1st March, offers a time to reflect on the underlying values which shape our lives as we face the shifting sands of political change brought about by the UK decision to leave the European Union and the election of Donald Trump in the USA. How are we to respond? President Trump’s ban on migrants from Muslim-majority nations was met with outrage around the world as it separated families and cut across international humanitarian consensus on refugees. As SCIAF’s Lent campaign reminds us of our interconnectedness, we are faced with a massive disconnect in the new world order; as we are being invited to reconcile with one another during the holy season, walls are going up across borders.Political choices are often complex. SCIAF’s Director,

Alistair Dutton, argues that President Assad must be part of a peaceful solution in Syria – a view that acknowledges Assad’s role in the harrowing toll of death and devastation in his country and challenges British foreign policy. The women who took to the streets to

protest against the threat to women’s rights posed by the Trump presidency included women opposed to abortion as well as women who support it.The liturgical year has its own rhythm, reflected in the

seasons. In the Northern hemisphere Lent coincides with the turning of winter into spring, with its promise of new life. Reflecting on our exploitation of the earth and its people, Rosemary Ruether recalls that Divine Grace keeps faith with us when we have broken faith with her. ‘The harmony is still there, persisting, supporting, forgiving, preserving us in spite of ourselves. Divine Grace keeps faith with us when we have broken faith with her… she kept the planets turning, the seasons recurring…’ 1

Lent is a privileged time to rediscover the love and mercy of God in our lives. It is also a time, with SCIAF’s help, to reflect on our common humanity and joint stewardship of the earth.

1 Rosemary Radford Ruether, Sexism and God-Talk, SCM Press 1983 p266.

The voice of the people

Shifting sands

SCIAF’s Lent appeal

February 2017 OPEN HOUSE 3

Every year, SCIAF’s Lent appeal reminds us of the gospel call to build a more just world by sharing what we have with people in developing countries who are struggling to survive. SCIAF’s communications manager outlines this year’s campaign message which reminds us of the impact of climate change on the world’s poorest countries.

VAL MORGAN

Finding hope

Contents

‘Hope’ is a key theme of SCIAF’s WEE BOX, BIG CHANGE Lent appeal this year. Thanks to those who support SCIAF, extremely poor families in many developing countries have hope – that they’ll be able to grow enough to eat, earn a little money, send their children to school, and live in dignity.Droughts, flash floods and climate

change are making it harder for families in many countries to grow food and support themselves. Traditional rains have become unpredictable and often don’t come so people don’t know whether their crops will survive, let alone flourish. Many modern farming methods, such as the use of chemical fertilisers, are hurting the environment by stripping the soil of vital nutrients needed to grow good harvests.Families in countries such as

Zambia are struggling to grow the food they need to support themselves. Many are reliant on casual work or emergency aid for several months of the year. The WEE BOX BIG CHANGE Lent appeal tells the story of how SCIAF is helping poor Zambian families to overcome the environmental challenges they face and improve their soil so they can have better harvests, earn an income, support themselves and have real hope for the future.Despite improvements in recent

years, Zambia remains one of the poorest countries in the world with 74% of people living below the poverty line on 85p a day or less. With a population of 15 million, just under five million people still have no access to clean, safe water. And nearly three-quarters (72%) of people are completely dependent on farming for food.David Munyindeyi, a poor

Zambian farmer in Mongu, is pictured with his family on this year’s WEE BOX. SCIAF is supporting a project which helps David, his family, and many others to work with nature to grow more food through sustainable organic farming. This means learning how to make organic compost which returns vital nutrients to the soil, helps produce bigger harvests, allows farmers to grow a variety of crops which can survive if the rains don’t come, and avoids using expensive chemical fertilisers.‘Before we lacked farming

Finding hope Val Morgan

Page 5 A perspective on development Frances Burns

Page 7 Faith in the public square Lynn Jolly

Page 9 Lent reflection John Eagers

Page 10 Getting the message across Glen Reynolds

Page 12 View from the border Michael McAndrews

Page 13 The Hart Report and the demographics of abuse Arthur McCaffrey

Page 15 John Knox and Mary Stuart John Irvine

Page 17 Notebook

Page 19 Letters

Page 20 Reviews: books, film and music

Page 24 Moments in time

Thank you to all those who contributed to this edition of Open House.

Open House, which was founded in Dundee in 1990, is an independent journal of comment and debate on faith issues in Scotland. It is rooted in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and committed to the dialogue which began at the Council - within the Catholic Church, in other churches, and with all those committed to issues of justice and peace.

www.openhousescotland.co.uk

Cover photo by Thomas Omondi, courtesy of SCIAF.

Despite improvements in recent years, Zambia remains one of the poorest countries in the world with 74% of people living below the

poverty line on 85p a day or less.

knowledge,’ David told us, ‘we grew very little and we didn’t have enough food to eat. We grew enough to last for four months and the rest of the time I would work in other people’s farms for food. When we could, we’d have two meals a day but sometimes we had nothing. It made me sad that my children were malnourished and we didn’t have anything to sell.‘I got seeds, training and tools. I

learned how to get the land ready for planting, how to space out my crops and how to improve the quality of the soil by making compost and using manure. Now I grow maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, ground nuts and vegetables. My harvest lasts for at least seven months and I sell vegetables to my neighbours.‘There has been a lot of change. We

don’t have to struggle as much. I feel happy to be able to provide for my family. I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones to have been involved in this project. It’s changed our lives. Without it, I wouldn’t have the knowledge I have today. I’ll continue to use the skills I’ve learned.’I’ve just returned from Zambia

where I met many farmers like David whose lives have been transformed by changing the way they farm. Many

used to struggle to survive but now find they have what they need to support themselves, all year round.Warren Simutili lives with his wife

and their four children in Kasangula, on the outskirts of Livingstone. He told me: ‘I’ve seen a difference since I started the project. I have gained a lot of knowledge so we don’t have the problems we had before. The cost of the chemical fertiliser was high which was a big problem for us. But, because of the consistent use of manure from my animals, even with less rainfall, we’re now able to have better harvests.‘Before, from one hectare I’d only

get between 10 and 20 50kg bags of maize. Now, in the same hectare, if I prepare the ground well, I can get 55 to 65 bags. The thing that has really made a difference is improving the soil fertility.‘Now I can send my children to

school from the income I get from growing more food. We now eat whenever we want. Hunger is no longer a problem. Now we can eat nshima, eggs, chicken, fish and vegetables. Thank you very much for the help that you have given.’Support for the WEE BOX BIG

CHANGE appeal during Lent makes a huge difference to people in need in Zambia and other poor countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Last year alone, with the UK government matching people’s donations, the Lent appeal raised £3.4million. This money helps many thousands of families to grow more food, start up small businesses, get an education and learn new skills so they can support themselves. It also helps promote peace where there’s conflict and provides emergency aid like water, medicine and shelter when disasters strike.As well as putting money in your

WEE BOX and sending it to SCIAF at Easter, it’s important to reflect on what we can do to reduce the sometimes negative impact Scotland is having on poorer countries around the world.Our use of fossil fuels is driving

climate change, which is pushing poor families further into poverty

and hunger. Time after time I have spoken to people in countries such as Zambia and Malawi who have told me that the weather they depend on to grow food has become much more erratic and severe. Many had also been hit by floods which destroyed their homes and crops.The Catholic Church has taken a

leading role in highlighting the issue of climate change since the 1990s, when Pope John Paul II warned us of global ecological crises brought about by deforestation and our use of fossil fuels. Pope Francis has urged us to replace fossil fuels ‘without delay’. He also states that sustainable energy should be available to everyone and that richer countries must help poorer countries to develop cleaner sources of energy.The Scottish Government recently

published a new Climate Change Plan and Energy Strategy laying out policies to meet its targets to reduce greenhouse emissions and secure our future energy needs. However, oil and gas still supply the majority of the energy we use in Scotland today.In a new report, Powering Our

Common Home, SCIAF is asking the Scottish Government to phase out fossil fuels in Scotland and dramatically increase our use of clean energy such as solar, tidal and wind power. The report urges the Government to take stock of the damage caused by fossil fuels and invest considerably more in clean energy.It’s vital that we work with poor

and vulnerable communities today, so they have the tools, skills and knowledge they need to support themselves. But it’s also vital that we come together in solidarity with the poor to tackle major global issues like climate change, so that we can have hope of a better future for all.To find out more about SCIAF’s

WEE BOX BIG CHANGE Lent appeal and the new report, visit www.sciaf.org.uk

Val Morgan is the Communications Manager for the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF).


David Munyindeyi in his field in Zambia.Photo by Thomas Omondi.


Scottish people care about the challenges faced by those they will never meet in countries they will never visit. This manifests itself most notably in their generous response to appeals at times of natural or ‘man-made’ disasters. Images of suffering, brought into our living rooms by news reports, and appeals from charities, tear at our heartstrings and loosen our purse-strings. Which one of us who viewed it can forget the images of starvation and hopelessness described so movingly in the1984 broadcast by Michael Buerk as a ‘Biblical famine …the closest thing to hell on earth’? Through that BBC broadcast the world learned that a three-year drought had left some seven million people close to death. Likewise, who among us can remain unmoved by current news broadcasts which show images of shivering, suffering children caught up in the misery of the Syrian war? In many ways their plight seems all the more harrowing because it is not the result of nature’s vagaries but of the deliberate actions of human beings. Our common humanity moves us to take action to alleviate the suffering we witness through these media reports.We should be proud of the generous

response made to these, and numerous other, humanitarian disasters. We should also be grateful to the journalists and photographers who tell the stories and bring us the pictures. However, there is a downside to all of this. Not only do

the images and stories we see and hear during times of disaster allow us to demonstrate our concern by offering practical support and demanding political action, they also shape our understanding of how men, women and children in poorer parts of the world live their lives. But just as it would be a distortion of reality to form our ideas about life in the UK from media portrayals of, for example, the floods of 2015, by only seeing the developing world through the prism of disasters, we gain a distorted view of how people live day to day in say Uganda, or India or Nigeria.There is nothing new in the fact that

news stories across the world focus on the negative; and that when any particular disaster is no longer news the cameras move away. Because of the media we consume, it’s little wonder that many people believe that the developing world is one long, unsolvable basket case and that the best we in the developed world can offer is charity and compassion. And of course relief support is absolutely essential at times of disaster. It save lives and provides the means by which local people can rebuild their communities. But there is also a downside: long term relief programmes can create dependency and undermine local economies.

They can also let local politicians, who are responsible for ensuring the wellbeing of their people, off the hook.

An interdependent worldWe may ask ourselves why, apart from offering financial and other practical support at times of disaster, should we be concerned with development? After all, we have enough problems of our own without importing more from parts of the world with very different cultures and histories. There is an increasing call from some politicians, both local and national, to focus on UK plc and let the rest of the world look after itself. And that call is finding a sympathetic ear across the country. That’s understandable when so many decent people are experiencing a drop

Development education

FRANCES BURNS

A perspective on developmentA former senior civil servant who spent many years promoting understanding of international development in the UK reflects on its importance for the health of society at home as well as its role in the elimination of global poverty.

Syrian refugees.Photo courtesy of SCIAF.


in their living standards, and when many families depend on food banks to feed their children. However, I would argue that bunkering down and looking inward will not result in increased prosperity for ordinary people in the UK. Whether we like it or not we live in an interdependent world. Whether we like it or not globalization isn’t going away. I believe our interest will be better served by arming ourselves with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will enable all of us to play a productive part in the increasingly global society we inhabit.So what should that involve? We

might start by acknowledging that it is possible to banish extreme poverty from our world, and that it is in our interest to do so: poverty is one of the most powerful forces behind the unrest and migration in today’s world. And this impacts on us all. As far back as 1947 Harry Truman stated that for the first time in history, humanity possessed the knowledge and skills to relieve the misery in which half the world’s population lived. Since then (as indeed before then) innumerable enterprises, some with the express aim of banishing global poverty have been initiated. Some of these have succeeded and some have failed, but most importantly perhaps, there have been many lessons learned.We now know that the starting

point for development is local people in their own communities. Development cannot be imposed, or grafted on to a country, or a community. There is no one model that fits all situations. We know that sustainable development is achieved when all members of a community are involved. When consulted on what is needed to achieve development there will be different answers from different local groups: elites will have different priorities from those of the powerless; women’s perceptions of what will improve their lives will be different from men’s; the old and the young will view their situation differently as will

the relatively rich and the very poorest. We also know that the very act of starting a business or running a development programme will, in itself, effect changes in any community. And, of course, local and global events can change everything in a heartbeat. Therefore, to be effective, development initiatives must be both planned and flexible, with local people being full participants throughout.We also need to acknowledge there

have been many development successes. If we look at literacy, one of the known drivers of development, we see that the Ethiopian youth rate rose from 34% to 52% between 1990 and 2007. Among adult women in Bangladesh the rise has been even more impressive – from 26% in 1990 to 55% in 2014. Between 2000 and 2015, life expectancy in the World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa region increased by 9.4 years. The number of people across the world living in extreme poverty has more than halved since 1993 despite a growth in world population of 1.9 billion. That means that every day over the past 25 years 137,000 people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. That’s almost half the world’s poorest people.These impressive statistics are the

result of many factors including expanded access to medicines, improvements in child survival, improving nutrition, an emphasis on women’s education, new technology, and, most importantly, increased trade within and between countries. However, despite this success, mind-numbing poverty, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa still exists. While the world is hugely wealthier than it was in Truman’s day, the distribution of the benefits flowing from wealth creation are unevenly spread. If the international community is to meet the UN pledge to lift the remaining one billion poorest people out of extreme poverty by 2030 there must be a more equitable distribution; and developing countries, particularly in

sub-Saharan Africa, must be equipped with the tools to grow their economies.

Creating the political climateThis will not be easy, but it is achievable. And we as individuals can play an important role by helping create the political climate that makes it possible. Our support for development projects, particularly those that help strengthen local communities, demonstrates to western governments that we see the elimination of global poverty as important; this pushes the issue up the political agenda. When we lobby for fairer trade agreements between rich and poor countries; for more liberal markets; for the abolition of tariffs that punish poor countries, we demonstrate our solidarity with the poor; and importantly give them the ammunition to fight their corner. Our support for human rights across the globe and for conflict resolution puts pressure on legislators to deliver a safer, fairer world.It’s easy to point to development

initiatives that have failed. The media will tell us about them. But it’s also easy to point out those that have succeeded. All we need to do is look for them; they are there to be found. No one would suggest that we should stop investing in research to find cures for diseases such as cancer despite the fact that many initiatives have unfortunately proved to be fruitless. So why should we stop investing in a fairer deal for the world’s poorest people? After all, being able to live in a more just world is as important for us as it is for them.

Frances Burns is a former head of External Communications for the Department for International development (DFID) with responsibility for building understanding of, and support for, development. She was awarded the OBE for her services to international development.


It’s a dreich lunch time in Glasgow when I meet the former Director of SCIAF and Secretary General of Caritas International; lifelong supporter of and campaigner for Scottish independence; and sometime contributor to this journal, Duncan MacLaren. We find a snug corner of a west end eaterie, order our Friday fish, and settle down to what turns out to be another imaginative encounter for your interviewer. (If you paid me to do this I’d have to give the money back).Duncan was installed recently as a

Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great by Pope Francis in recognition of his work in international aid and social justice for SCIAF and Caritas. It’s a papal gong to you and me and is the latest in an impressive list of awards and accolades recognising a lifetime’s service to international development, academic research and teaching. This includes his adjunct professorship at the Australian Catholic University and his role as co-ordinator of a tertiary education programme for Burmese refugees on the Thai-Burma border. His CV reads like the life history of at least three overachievers who still have a lot to do. Linguist, poet, and current PhD scholar at Glasgow University, he seems to embody something essentially ‘renaissance’ and ‘catholic’ and I make that my first question: absolutely determined this time to follow the answer.

What does it mean to you to be Catholic?

Since I began at SCIAF, through all my work there and later with Caritas, and at the Australian University, my Catholicism has always been public. That’s the only way in which it makes sense to me to live out my faith. It can never just be a private thing. I’m very suspicious of a piety that doesn’t spill out into daily, public life. I’m puzzled for example by the idea that you can be someone who never misses Mass but objects to the welcoming of refugees. That’s just a basic contradiction. That said, I see the personal aspect of faith as something

that requires nurturing and development and is the bedrock of that public expression. My long and very personal association with the Dominican Order is a source of prayer, community and, in every sense, religious life. They are a huge influence and resource for me and were among my first encounters with what it meant to be catholic in the world. I wasn’t brought up as a Catholic or in any religious tradition and they’ve always demonstrated to me that essential openness and inclusivity that being catholic really means.

Have you seen ‘Silence’? ( Scorcese’s adaptation of Endo’s novel about the Jesuits in Japan, currently in the cinemas.)

Yes! It demonstrates a lot about that very question. What does it mean to ‘go public’ with your faith? What should the cost be? Does it matter what you say so long as you do the right things? Those are all challenges I think and in our corner of the world we’re not very obviously faced with them. Elsewhere though, people are. All the time. In fact, Endo said something about Catholicism that expresses very well what it means for me to be part of it. He called it a ‘symphony’. Whereas other traditions are ‘good tunes’, Catholicism is the whole, complex symphony of life and faith.

But what of those who don’t find themselves included in this ‘symphony’? The poor, refugees are certainly embraced and profoundly so

Interview

LYNN JOLLY

Faith in the public squareOpen House’s literary editor interviews Duncan MacLaren, who has spent most of his working life contributing to international development. What inspires him and how does he view current trends in politics and international development?

Duncan and Sar Lu Lu, a graduate of the refugee programme.

I’m very suspicious of a piety that doesn’t spill out into

daily, public life.


by the current Pope, but what of gay people who may hear themselves condemned or, um….women….for whom it can still be a very qualified welcome?

Well, I see that as the church rather than faith. Faith is all inclusive. The church struggles with its own human aspects: prejudice, power, self-interest. I think the current Pope is challenging those too in as creative a way as he can.(We move on.)

Staying with the theme of global poverty and social justice, what changes have you seen since your days with SCIAF?

I suppose in a way the most obvious one is the professionalising of the aid and development world. When I became director of SCIAF in the early 80s I was SCIAF’s first full time employee. Until then the whole thing had been done on a voluntary basis and staffed entirely by volunteers. A lot of great work was done but there was still a sense of an old fashioned charity mentality; those of us who were comfortable ‘bailing out’ those who were in need, rather than a developmental approach which enabled people to realise their own potential and establish sustainable ways of supporting their own livelihoods. That became the aim of SCIAF and that is now the accepted way in which overseas development organisations think about their work. I see that as a major positive change. However I do find it worrying that there are signs of the old mentality creeping back in some places. It’s easier to tell people all they have to do is give a small amount of money to feed a child. That allows them to stop thinking about it. It’s much harder to get people to give the money AND begin to change how we think and live in order to create a more just world.

That world is going through some very significant changes right now. Before SCIAF you were Press Secretary for the SNP and have always supported Scottish independence. How do you see

modern Scotland emerging from this new world order?

Well I know how I’d LIKE to see it emerging! I am, as you say, a supported of Scottish independence and firmly believe that is the best future for Scotland, politically and economically. My basis for that is not principally that I think we would all be so much better off financially, though that may be a consequence, it is even more that I believe that’s the way to being a more just nation. For example, Scotland has benefitted hugely from being in the EU. Not just economically. We are a more generous, more welcoming, more expansive country because of that association and that may well now be taken from us. Clearly a majority of people in Scotland don’t want that.

That’s a personal thing for me as well as a political one. I feel European. I studied German and Celtic Studies as an under graduate. I’ve lived in Rome, London, Germany and Switzerland and visited most other European countries. I’m very angry at the idea that we can be taken out of Europe because of an insular kind of nationalism. That’s not how I see Scottish nationalism at all. It is inclusive and outward facing. I think if we ran the indy ref again now, the outcome would be different. People feel lied to. I know the polls aren’t showing that but I do think there is an underlying feeling that isn’t being reflected there.

Through your variety of experience then, and you mention the significance of Europe, who has influenced you most?

That’s very difficult to answer. There are so many people in so many areas of life. My own family would have to be first. My maternal grandfather was a big influence on me. He was a shipyard worker and very involved in the trade union movement. I think I got a strong sense of social justice from him. My father was also a trade unionist in the printing industry. My paternal grandfather from Highland Perthshire encouraged me in my love of the Gaelic language.

I mentioned my study of German and

I would say Goethe and his works have been a great influence. He really embodies for me what it means to be European: scholarly, creative and intensely human. At university here in Glasgow I was very influenced by the Jesuit Gerry Hughes who was Chaplain and in theology it would be Rahner and Aquinas. Timothy Radcliffe too of the Dominicans who is a friend as well as a spiritual and theological influence. In literature I love the poetry of Sorley MacLean, Edwin Morgan, Norman MacCaig … so many …. my favourite book is The Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg, which I think beautifully sums up the risks of small mindedness in religion, politics and personal life.

At this point we are interrupted by the woman at the next table who alerts us to the fact that my table napkin, carelessly disgarded earlier, has been set alight by the candle. Such was our absorption neither of us noticed. It seems a good moment to put a final, focussed question:

If there was one thing you’d like to see happen in 2017 in church, state, and in your own life what would they be?

Well, in my own life that’s easy. I’d like to have completed my PhD…or at least be able to see the end of it. In church I’d like to see this Pope remain healthy and vigorous enough to see through some of his programme of renewal. As he says, the church is still of ‘huge relevance in a fractured world’. I want to see his ‘poor first’ commitment have further impact. In the nation? No Brexit! I don’t think it will happen but I’d love to see it all halted. At the very least, failing that, that the ‘deal’ gets returned to parliament for real scrutiny.

On that sombre note we depart. No easy answers, as seems to reflect a life still dedicated to a long struggle. I’m reminded as I leave of Martin Luther King’s famous ‘arc of the moral universe’ quote: it’s long, it’s arduous but it leans always towards justice. It serves to underline the direction and energy of this one life and makes me think it no accident that something was set on fire.


On Ash Wednesday Donald Trump’s administration will be well into its first one hundred days. This is traditionally a time in which the new president of the United States sets out his stall. During these days the American people will come to know their president. They will come to develop stronger feelings towards him; feeling of affection or dislike; feelings of respect or distain; feelings generated by his attitudes and his actions, his words and his expressions. This is a time of change for the people of the USA, and therefore, by its nature, it can be an uncomfortable time.

For some Americans during these days it may seem as if Easter has come early, bringing them new hope and anticipation of great things to come. For many others these days may seem like a prolonged Lent; a time of penance, fuelled with dread and even despair. It is, for all, a time of transition.

Lent is a time of transition, in which we move from the rituals of Ash Wednesday, and the call to, ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel’, to rituals of Holy Week culminating with the Easter Vigil’s joyful proclamation that ‘Christ is Risen’.

For years I have viewed Lent as both a liturgical season and as a penitential season, with an emphasis on penance. Usually I experience it as an endurance test and I find myself counting the days until I can once again eat chocolate, drink wine and put aside the dry volume that I unwisely chose for my spiritual reading. If I am honest, more often than not, I arrive at the eve of Holy Week feeling a little disappointed and empty, even if I have been faithful in keeping my Lenten promises.

However, I am coming to believe that this would be different if I view Lent as a liturgical season and as a reconciliation season. Emphasising reconciliation rather than penance puts the focus more on God than on me, and can be seen more as a time to draw ever closer to God through entering more deeply into the mystery of our salvation, than a time to be purged of my sins.

The wonderful Ruth Burrows describes

Lent as follows: ‘The Church gives us the season of Lent as a special time for reflection in preparation for our celebration of the climax of revelation: the death and resurrection of our Saviour.’1 In her view, Lent is a time to enter more deeply and intimately into our relationship with God who calls us into union with him. This is the goal of our Lent and as we come to know God more intimately, it presents us with possibility of becoming more the people we are created and redeemed to be.

Are we, though, able to know God, never mind to know God intimately? Ruth Burrows responds to this question, by saying, ‘(T)he answer is yes, we can and do, because God has chosen to reveal himself, has shown as wanting to be known. We know God through the human life of God; the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ history, his life, his death are nothing less than the human life and death of God. Here lies our true vision of God’.2

Ruth Burrows’ language is challenging and yet uplifting. She challenges us to shift our focus from Lent as a season of penance: of adding extra time for prayer; being more generous with money and time; and on fasting, to a season in which we make a more concerted effort to learn more about God and to know God more intimately. This is a knowing that is concerned both with knowledge and experience of God. It is in coming to know God in this way that we truly prepare to celebrate the mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.

If we chose to use this time of Lent to discover more about God, and to grow closer to God, then where do we begin?

St. Ignatius of Loyola might suggest that we begin by reflecting on God as Creator. Everything has been created by God and so everything speaks to us about God. Therefore, if we are to spend time coming to know more about God it makes sense to spend time observing, reflecting on, and meditating on our environment, our world and our nature, for God is present in all things.

God speaks to us through the Scriptures

and the Scriptures reveal God to us. We hear of the glory of God in the psalms and we hear his voice in the prophets sent to speak to his people, and so if we want to know more about God this Lent then it might be good to spend time with them.

Above all, God, the God who wants us to know him, reveals himself to us in the person of Christ, in his life, in his death, and in his resurrection.

Ruth Burrows tells us that, ‘When we love someone, we want to know all we possibly can about them. We want to know of their parentage, of their childhood and everything that happened in their life. We want to enter into their heart, to understand and share their interests, their joys, their sorrows’.3 If we truly want to know God and if we desire to fall ever more deeply in love with him during this Lent then there seems to be no more profitable commitment that we can make than to spend time with the Gospels, reading them, studying them, and praying with them, and when we pray, to pray with our intellect, our heart, and our imagination.

Lent is a penitential season, but it is much more, it is a gift given to us to become reconciled with God, our world, the people who surround us, and our very selves. It is a gift given to us so that we may come to know God more deeply and more intimately, and in doing so come to know that in his unfathomable love for us he wants us to know him and to love him. It is in knowing this, experiencing it, feeling it, and by being moved by it that we will be ready to celebrate the great mystery of God’s love for us as revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

1 Ruth Burrows OCD, Love Unknown (London: Burns and Oates, 2011), 252 Ibid., 25-263 Ibid., 23-24

John Eagers is a priest of the Diocese of Paisley.

Lent reflection

JOHN EAGERS

A season of reconciliation


Communications

GLEN REYNOLDS

Getting the message acrossA church communications officer argues that getting the gospel message across depends on good tools and quiet persuasion.

It was the divisive message of an anti-religious and Islamophobic media that drew me to discussions with the Bishop of Aberdeen, Hugh Gilbert OSB, and my installation as a communications officer in the diocese. There was a gap that needed to be filled, and a positive and unifying Catholic message that I was keen to help convey.

Modern day communication tools and skills are truly gifts from God. This was illustrated in a Guardian article entitled ‘O click, all ye faithful: church expands online in “paradigm shift.”’ And indeed, what a shift there is underway in our methodology in conveying the good news.

The Guardian pointed out that Pope Francis has attracted more than 10 million followers on Twitter in four years, posting messages in nine languages including Latin and Arabic and, according to a Vatican source, personally approving each tweet before it is launched. The Dalai Lama has 13.1 million followers; Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, clocks in at 98,000. The Catholic church in Edinburgh and St Andrews has launched a ‘confession finder app’ allowing users to locate their nearest or soonest Mass. Christians all over the world can follow daily Bible readings and prayers online via services such as Pray as You Go, an app pioneered by the Jesuits.

The church is beginning to recognise the evangelisation tools at its disposal. Imagine the powerful message that can be conveyed in an instant by the Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who has 31,148,312 Facebook followers (when I last looked). If he told his followers to read the bible,

(just as he tells them what he is reading at any moment in time), that would be quite a paradigm shift. Any recommendation by Mr Zuckerberg changes the publishing industry overnight, or at a click.

Communion and communicationChrist proclaims that he has ‘come into the world, to bear witness to the truth’. Indeed, the Gospel summons us to authentic human development in communion, community, and communication under the sovereignty of God’s love. You could say that inasmuch as the entire life of the Church is a communication process, every major decision about the Church is, in one aspect, a decision about communication.

Living in a world that is largely shaped by communications media, the Church must constantly keep abreast of new developments in order to keep its decision-making processes in pace with the current situation. A decision that is based on insufficient communication, or one that cannot be successfully communicated, is pastorally a bad decision, and may do spiritual harm. Concern for communications, therefore, is an important aspect of the pastoral responsibility of church leaders.

I am reminded of Cardinal Newman, whose coat of arms motto was ‘Cor ad cor loquitur’ or ‘heart speaks to heart’. To communicate is to listen to what people are saying. It’s about the other heart. Human life is constituted by an especially high level of communication, the kind we call language, however that is expressed. All human media

of communication are extensions of the body into language, into social structures, into all the various and complex means of living together which human beings have created. So to be human is to be in communication. The implication of this is that we have a task of becoming human and we are summoned to achieve the use of modern tools in a better way.

The Latin term ‘communicatio’ refers to an experience which is the end of a being alone, and the movement towards a social experience - so it is in truth, the action of enlarging the human conversation by comprehending what others are saying. You could say that communication is at the heart of what the Church is all about, as US Cardinal Avery Dulles stated in a paper, ‘The Church Is Communication,’ given at Loyola University, New Orleans, in January 1971. The Jesuit priest and Cardinal said that the ‘Church exists to bring us into communion with God and, thereby, to open us up to communication with one another. The Church is a communion. If communication is seen as the procedure by which communion is achieved and maintained, we may also say that the Church is communication. It is a vast communication network designed to bring us, individually and corporately, out of our isolation and estrangement into communion with God in Christ’.

Making the argumentAs a libel lawyer and investigative journalist, winning an argument and expressing that argument effectively was what took me on my own spiritual journey to where I find myself now. But I had a lot to learn in how best


to convey an argument, and I think the church has much to learn too. It led me to South Africa and a new experience of communication, a growing recognition that it is not just the act of imparting information, but also the representation of shared beliefs and common experiences. I became involved in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in South Africa – and that was a crossroads on my journey.

The Chair of the TRC, Desmond Tutu has said ‘Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.’ [in an address at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa, 23rd November 2004], some ten years after the concept of Truth and Reconciliation was realised in that country. I was there on the sidelines of the first hearings that took place in 1997. Tutu was reflecting on the path that South Africa had taken. He said:

‘We should lower the temperature in our public discourse and hopefully thus increase the light. We should not impugn the motives of others but accept the bona fides of all. If we believe in something then surely we will be ready to defend it rationally, hoping to persuade those opposed to change their point of view. We should not too quickly want to pull rank and

to demand an uncritical, sycophantic, obsequious conformity. We need to find ways in which we engage the hoi polloi, the so-called masses, the people, in public discourse through our networks, town hall forums, so that no one feels marginalised and that their point of view matters, it counts. Then we will develop a national consensus. We should debate more openly, not using emotive language, issues such as affirmative action, transformation in sport, racism, xenophobia, security, crime, violence against women and children. What do we want our government to do? Are we satisfied with quiet diplomacy there? Surely human rights violations must be condemned as such whatever the struggle or credentials of the perpetrator. It should be possible to talk as adults about these issues without engaging in slanging matches. My father used to say: ‘Don’t raise your voice – improve your argument’.

A personal example came out of my year-long involvement with the TRC. It began as a small opportunity to engage with the problem of gun control in South Africa, and travelled with me to the UK when in 1998 I began carrying out consultancy work for the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT). I have been doing it ever since.

The quality and focus of our argument changed – from ethics to economics. And now, eminent economic commentators like Sir Samuel Brittan from the Financial Times have started to take a hard look at the necessity of the arms industry in light of the financial benefit it brings us (or not). You can also take a serious look at job diversification and exaggerated job losses. Indeed, the same argument could be made in Scotland about Trident.The basic reality on which the

Church is founded is a mystery of communication: the communication of the divine life to us through the incarnate life of Jesus Christ. Let as many of us as possible consider how we use, and can increase our use, of these gifts from God.

Dr Glen Reynolds OFS is a secular Franciscan and consultant with the RC Diocese of Aberdeen, dealing with Media and Communications. He has a background as a tutor in Christian Studies at the University of Aberdeen, a solicitor specialising in libel, a freelance journalist, novelist, politician and campaigner. He lives in Pennan, on the NE Coast of Scotland.

THE NEWMAN ASSOCIATION (GLASGOW)2015/2016 LECTURE SERIES

Promoting open discussion and greater understanding in today’s Church

Admission: Non-Members: £3 (includes refreshments) Any enquiries, email to: [email protected]

A South American Experience: Lessons for Western Parishes?A talk by

Fr Timothy Curtis SJParish Priest and Jesuit Superior, St Aloysius Church, Garnethill.

•• Please note : the meeting will be held a week earlier than usual ••

THURSDAY 16th FEBRUARY at 7.30pmOgilvie Centre, St Aloysius’ Church, Rose Street, GLASGOW G3 6RE


The village of Pettigo, situated on the border of County Donegal, (Republic of Ireland) and County Fermanagh, (Northern Ireland) is divided by the River Termon which is part of the international border that exists between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.The Northern part of the village

is officially called Tullyhommon. Prior to 1922, Tullyhommon was a townland, though with the creation of the border it was promoted to the status of village.The village of Pettigo was to suffer

greatly from the partition of Ireland in 1922 which saw the closure of many local businesses in the ensuing years and as a result, mass emigration.The closure of the Enniskillen

and Bundoran Railway line that ran through Pettigo, in 1957, also had a significant effect on the local economy.The closure of numerous cross-

border roads by the British Army at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland effectively cut access to and from Pettigo from much of its neighbouring counties of Fermanagh and Tyrone.During the mid to late 20th century,

the popularity of the Lough Derg pilgrimage saw a significant boost to the local economy as tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over Ireland and abroad travelled through the village on their way to and from Lough Derg. Although the popularity of the pilgrimage has dwindled in recent years, it is still an important driver of tourism in the area.In March 2017 it is expected that the

UK Government will invoke Article

50 and thereby set in motion the mechanism that will lead to the UK’s exit from the European Union.

Growing concernThe very same land border that separates the UK from the rest of Europe is the border that currently separates Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland. In the coming months and years those who live close to this border will become increasingly concerned as to the fate that awaits them.Nationality and status for most is

not the concern. The vast majority of people living on the Island of Ireland are entitled to dual nationality of both Ireland and the United Kingdom, following the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, and therefore will be able to travel back and forward without any bother. However, the freedom to carry goods across the border may be a completely different matter.Employment in many border towns

and villages is often dependent on the existence of the border, with customers travelling from one jurisdiction to the other depending on currency rates. This is more obvious around the Christmas period. The cost of fuel in The Republic of Ireland, for example, is significantly cheaper and as a result motorists often travel south to fill up thereby creating much needed employment and an economic boost where none existed before.Under the terms of the Good Friday

Agreement, the border that separated the Six Counties of the UK from the 26 Counties of the Republic effectively disappeared and it is often

only the change of road signage that indicates you have crossed from one jurisdiction to the other. Customs and Excise checkpoints disappeared as the European Union master plan fell into place, and roads that were closed for security reasons were reopened. British Army watchtowers were dismantled and army foot patrols became a thing of the past. A corner in Irish history had most definitely been turned and a new and brighter future lay ahead for all who lived on this Island.When faced with diversity or

calamity, communities generally pull together in a bid to overcome the challenges they bring by working together, seeking compromise and understanding. A fruitful way forward can often be found. However, those of us living along the land border at this point in time are unable to comprehend the outcome of what may lie ahead. The situation is even more confusing and muddled when it appears that the very people tasked with taking the United Kingdom out of Europe do not appear to have a solid plan for doing so. The future is not clear and what lies ahead can be nothing more than mere speculation.Despite all this, having survived

the worst that can be thrown at it, I am sure that in the years to come the community will pull together and once again adapt and overcome the hurdles that lie ahead.

Michael McAndrews works for Castle Craig Hospital, an alcohol and drugs rehabilitation centre.

Brexit fallout

MICHAEL MCANDREWS

A view from the borderA Scot living on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland highlights the impact of the Brexit vote on a small border community.


I first wrote of the Hart report in Open House, November 2015. I noted, sadly, that there was a growing library of investigative reports of child abuse in the UK - from Ireland, Scotland, England, and now, from Northern Ireland, the Hart Report. The Hart Commission of Inquiry (HIAI) into institutional abuse of children in Northern Ireland (NI) is the biggest public inquiry into child abuse ever held in the UK. The Inquiry took three years, 2013 - 2016, before its chairman, Sir Anthony Hart, presented his findings to the public on January 20th, 2017.The full report consists of ten

volumes and 2,300 pages, so it needs some digesting. In this and a further article, I will attempt to deal with HIAI findings in two stages. First, it is important to put the record of abuse into a historical context - as Sir Anthony Hart explained:‘…although there were many

failings in terms of individual and institutional responsibility in the homes which we examined, those failings must be viewed against the background of the political, social and economic circumstances…’So this first account will address

the demographics or sociology of abuse in order to show how abuse is not simply a function of institutional culture, but also reflects the social and cultural mores of its time.Above all, it reflects the status

of the child in society. In 2017 we live in a world that is preoccupied with the plight of refugee children

flooding into Europe. Yet, during the period studied by HIAI - 1922-1995 - these child victims in NI were refugees in their own families, their own neighborhoods, their own churches, their own schools, their very own society - refugees in their own land. And the foreign country that they were forced to move to consisted of anonymous homes and shelters staffed by strangers, not far from where they were born; thus, institutionalisation was deemed a

refugee solution for children without mothers or fathers to care for them. All credit to Sir Anthony Hart and his team for finally giving a voice to these victims after almost a century of deafness to their pleas.In Part II, I will attempt to

summarise the findings which not only indict many public, private, and religious institutions, but, in a very real sense, also indict a whole society which permitted these kinds of mistreatment of children to continue unabated for decades. Since we will

never see the faces of those who exploited their charges ‘unspeakably’, nor ever meet the thousands of victims (many of whom still suffer today), I have chosen to characterise the findings as the ‘Anonymity of Abuse’. Yes, there is both individual and collective guilt, and individual victims can name their abusers, but when we are dealing with over 70 years of injustice, where to point the finger? Who among the public knew what was going on? And who listened to children anyway?Labelled ‘survivors’ by the media (as

if from a plane crash or shipwreck), victims said that HIAI ‘vindicated’ them, with one saying she had waited a ‘lifetime’ for such a report:‘Today we are believed. As young

children we tried to complain about our abuse and no one would listen… and even bullied us for daring to complain.’This raises the critical question

to which I will return in more detail in Part II - how do children acquire voice and advocacy for their interests?With regards to the demographics of

abuse, HIAI heard testimony covering almost three-quarters of the 20th century, a turbulent period during which NI experienced the same trauma as the rest of the UK, plus the disruption of its own homegrown sectarian violence. This included the aftermath of WWI, with the threat of a new Irish Republic to the south, then WWII, then the ‘Troubles’ of the 70s and 80s. Many lives, not just

The Hart Report

ARTHUR MCCAFFREY

The Hart Report and the demographics of abuseA Scottish psychologist who has worked in the USA for many years writes the first of two articles on the Hart Report into the institutional abuse of children in Northern Ireland which was published last month.

All credit to Sir Anthony Hart and his team for finally giving a voice to these victims after almost a century of deafness

to their pleas.


children’s, were at risk over many decades, but, lacking any status, civil rights, or advocates, children were victimised more than most. They existed at the end of the food chain, the misery chain, the cruelty chain, and as will become clearer in Part II, at the end of the compassion chain.Who were these children? A total

of 527 people gave either written or oral evidence to the Inquiry, of whom 333 had been residents of target institutions, a small proportion of the thousands of children incarcerated in these ‘homes’. The diaspora of victims over the decades stretched around the globe, with most informants coming from NI, but with others from the Republic, England, Scotland, Europe, North America, and Australia.These adult informants made

allegations against 65 institutions in NI. HIAI decided to focus their energies and resources on a representative group of 22 homes and institutions, plus six targeted investigations, as a way of obtaining ‘a broad and complete understanding of the nature and extent of systemic failings, not just in those homes and institutions, but within all the types of homes and institutions that came within our remit’.The inquiry investigated five local

authority homes, five juvenile justice institutions, two secular voluntary homes, nine Catholic homes and one Church of Ireland home. Several chapters in the report are devoted to the Kincora Boys Home in Belfast, because of the ‘complexity and gravity’ involved.Two other targets of inquiry were

also investigated: the practice of child migration, where children were sent from Roman Catholic, Protestant and local authority homes in Northern Ireland to homes in Australia; and the sexual exploits of the notorious Norbertine priest, Fr Brendan Smyth, never given up to authorities by his order or superiors or the Catholic Church in NI, but convicted of offences relating to children in homes in both NI and the Republic.Evidence of abuse was found at all

22 sites, though not all patterns were

the same across all homes. HIAI did not find the same failings in every institution investigated, ‘nor were there as many allegations about some homes as others’.HIAI identified different categories

of abuse, not just sexual , but also ‘physical and emotional abuse, neglect, unacceptable practices, as well as other failings to provide proper standards of child care’.The historical context provides a

sociology of institutional care - its nature, its operation, the way in which it reflected the priorities and values of the surrounding society where its customers lived, as well as how modes of care changed in response to social, economic, and cultural transformations in the surrounding society.The mid-century years - ‘40s, ‘50s,

‘60s - got a large share of attention (perhaps because a generation of victims from earlier decades had died?) For instance, before 1945 and the arrival of the Welfare State, the vast majority of children in care were in homes provided by a very wide range of religious denominations, voluntary bodies and secular organisations. State provision for the welfare of children was limited to local authority work houses or juvenile justice institutions which were directly funded by the Northern Ireland Government.HIAI notes that out of 1500

children in care in 1947, whether in homes, institutions, work houses, or in foster care, fully two thirds were in private institutions outside the purview of the government. By 1957, those statistics were reversed - the number of children in care had risen to 1900, but the majority were in the care of local welfare authorities. The beneficial effects of the modern Welfare State were beginning to be felt, but old religious customs still made themselves known, to the detriment of the children.For instance, HIAI notes that a very

large percentage of those children in care in 1957 were illegitimate, as were two out of every three children in the six largest homes for children, topping out at 82.8% in Nazareth

Lodge in Belfast. Nazareth was one of four homes run by the Sisters of Nazareth, all of which attracted the largest number of complaints (189). If we consider the common practice of Catholic clergy of that period of separating illegitimate babies from their unwed mothers, it is obvious that ‘sin’ trumped ‘welfare’ when it came to doing what was best for the child - better a home than a mother’s hug? So, despite the socio-economic gains provided by the welfare state, old prejudices still governed the lottery of life for many infants, especially Catholic ones, in a badly divided sectarian society where the rules are often applied to keep ‘the faithful’ in line.Yet society was progressing,

and so was the sociology of institutionalisation. A decade or so later, patterns of residential care were already changing: fewer children were coming into care, and spending less time in it; families were becoming smaller, the stigma of illegitimacy was receding, and more support was being provided to assist families in need to stay together. Smaller units were starting to replace the traditional larger homes where very large numbers of children were often mismanaged by an overwhelmed, poorly trained staff.The demographics of abuse

illustrate the role of ignorance, poverty, unemployment, religious bias, political inertia and civil strife, in contributing to both the institutionalisation and subsequent mistreatment of children in NI. But these are only the correlates of abuse, not excuses for practices that were inexcusable.Child abuse tarnishes everyone

associated with it, actively or passively. At the risk of sounding deterministic, I wonder if the abusers were prisoners of their circumstances as much as the children were.Details of the Inquiry and the Full

Report can be found on the Inquiry website at www.hiainquiry.org

Arthur McCaffrey is a retired Harvard University psychologist who was born in Rutherglen.


When Mary Stuart returned to Scotland in 1561 at the age of 18 after the death of her mother and husband the year before, the government was in the hands of her half-brother James. She was no longer Queen of France, but she was still Queen of Scotland. Mary was young, inexperienced and devotedly Catholic. She arrived, a stranger in her own country, a queen without friends, surrounded by traitors in the pay of England.When John Knox returned to

Scotland from Geneva in 1559 at the age of 44, he was determined to continue his attack on the Catholic Church which he had left many years before. He had been a priest himself and had learned at first hand of the failings and scandals of the Catholic clergy and religious. His contact in Geneva with Calvin and in Scotland with Wishart had radicalised him further, reinforcing not only his opposition to the abuses but also to the doctrines and ceremonies of the Church, in particular the mass. The Pope was the Roman Antichrist and the Church the Synagogue of Satan.So, when Mary arrived, she found

that a Reformed Church had been set up the year before. The First Book of Discipline and the Confession of Faith had effectively imposed a new form of worship on her subjects. It was decreed that the Church and State should be one in authority and discipline and all doctrinal matters settled by the elders of the new Kirk. However, although the realm was thus nominally Protestant, the majority of the ordinary people were still Catholic as few had heard of the new doctrines.The first Sunday after her return,

Mary was attending mass in the Chapel Royal at Holyrood when there was a violent demonstration and the priest was attacked. The next day Mary issued a proclamation allowing the new religion to be practised but there were to be no restrictions on herself or her household. That day she met John Knox for the first time and accused him of deliberately inciting the mob to violence against herself and her chaplain. John asserted that subjects had the right to revolt against those, including monarchs, who refused to obey God’s word. Mary simply confirmed her adherence to the Catholic faith and to the Church of Rome as the one true Church and the repository of God’s word.Mary complained also of the

destruction of monasteries and holy places during her mother’s rule. John blamed these violations on ‘the rascal multitude’ who could not be restrained from venting their anger against idolators and their superstitious practices. Actually, the rascal multitude were on the main desperately poor and illiterate. They knew little of the new doctrines and cared only to loot and pillage, encouraged by the Protestant nobles who coveted the ecclesiastical estates and the parish revenues. John

continued to thunder and fulminate from the pulpit of St Giles, using language that was insulting and vulgar. His attacks were always against the Catholic Church and its superstitious rites. In his interviews with Mary he was never insulting to her as a person, only to her assumed authority and the faith that she clung to. In the pulpit, however, he had called for her execution. It was necessary ‘to strike at the root’.Mary and John met four more times

face to face. Each time he repeated at length that he spoke as God commanded him, quoting extensively from the Old Testament and the Hebrew prophets.In one of these meetings John

condemned Mary’s rumoured intention to marry an infidel, Don Carlos, son of the king of Spain. Mary asked him what her marriage had to do with him. What was he anyway within the commonwealth? John answered ‘A subject born within the same, Madam, and my duty is to warn of anything that might hurt the same’. This brought Mary to tears. John apologised if he had given any offence, but he could not betray the commonwealth.In a later meeting Mary asked him if

he approved of armed rebellion; John asserted that it was legal if a monarch broke the law and that she was now breaking the law which banned the saying of mass. Sovereignty lay not with the sovereign but with the people, and it was the people who made the law.There was some attempt during these

confrontations for reasoned argument, especially on the part of Mary, but John always stuck to his one theme,

Scottish history

JOHN IRVINE

John Knox and Mary StuartA retired academic draws on contemporary accounts and personal records to look behind the public face of two of sixteenth century Scotland’s most famous protagonists, John Knox and Mary Stuart, and the relationship between them.

In his interviews with Mary he was never insulting to her

as a person, only to her assumed authority and the

faith that she clung to.


the false doctrines and mass-mongers of the Popish Church. Although Mary was well educated, she was not skilled in theological arguments. However, she held her own in these confrontations with John; she argued articulately and always reasonably. As Maitland of Lethington, her Secretary of State, said: ‘Surely in her comporting with him she declares a wisdom far exceeding her age’. John himself admitted that ‘she had a proud mind and a crafty wit’.So, John was not all bluster and

invective in front of Mary and Mary was not all delicacy, defenceless and vulnerable before him. John was the archetypal, paranoiac demagogue. He truly believed that his sacred duty was to rebuke sin and vice. ‘I dare not deny that God hath revealed to me secrets unknown to the world.’ Mary truly believed that she was a divinely appointed monarch and that her sacred duty was to defend the Catholic faith, although she was forgiving and generous towards the new ministers.Away from the pulpit and his

pontifications in front of Mary, John

reveals a different side to his character. He married twice, both times women much younger than himself, and had five children. He is considered to have been a caring husband and father and his private letters reveal a surprising tenderness and sense of humour.John died in 1574, preaching

from the pulpit until near the end. He had achieved his life’s ambition – the establishment of a national independent Church. He died as poor as he had lived, refusing to enrich himself, unlike the nobility, with the ecclesiastical spoils of the old Church. ‘None have I corrupted, none have I defrauded, merchandise have I not made’. He passed away painlessly in bed surrounded by wife and family. Towards the end he asked his wife to read a passage from the Good Book. His last words, spoken quietly, were ‘Now it is come’, his thunder stilled at last.Mary died in 1587 in a foreign

country surrounded by her enemies, abandoned by her only son, holding in her hand rosary, crucifix and prayer

book, all the ‘trinkeries of popery’. She had remained resolute and never surrendered. Her last words as she laid her neck on the block, waiting for the executioner’s axe to sever her head from her body, were ‘In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum.’ John would have approved of the sentiment, but not the language.

John Irvine lectured at the University of Aberdeen. He researched the lives of Mary Stuart and John Knox at the National Library. His sources include the ‘Diurnal of Remarkable Occurrents’ an invaluable contemporary record of daily events of the period; Knox’s ‘History of the Reformation in Scotland’, and Knox’s secretary Richard Bannatyne’s ‘Memorials of Transactions in Scotland’. For Mary’s own thoughts and feelings there are her letters as collected in the seven volume set in French ‘Lettres de Marie Stuart’ by Prince Labanoff.

Meetings are in Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, 18 West Mayfield, Edinburgh DH9 1RQ7.30pm – 9.30pm

All are warmly invited to attend. We ask for a small donation to cover our expenses.

For further information please contact [email protected]

Wednesday 15th February 2017

“New models of Christian Community: towards a post-Clericalist Church”

Werner G. Jeanrond, Master of St Benet’s Hall, Oxford.

Wednesday 15th March 2017

“Eucharistic Traditions”Rev. Scott McKenna, Minister, Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church.


The legacy of the Year of Mercy?Fr Jim Lawlor gave a thoughtful reflection on the legacy of the jubilee Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis, which came to an end in November last year. The question left in the air at the end of his talk was why the year did not seem to have been energetically promoted in parts of Scotland.Speaking at a meeting of the

Glasgow Newman Circle, Fr Lawlor, a Glasgow parish priest who studied Fine Art at Cambridge, offered a reflection on the meaning of mercy by using images of the pieta: the dead Christ taken down from the cross and placed in the arms of his mother.He discussed Michelangelo’s

beautiful and highly polished pieta in St Peter’s, Rome, which the artist created as a young man, and moved on to more sombre pieces, including the much later Florence pieta destined for Michelangelo’s own tomb and never finished. In this version, the face of Michelangelo himself appears as a much older man in the figure of Nicodemus, who supports the dead Christ, and an unnamed woman (the woman who anointed Jesus for burial?) holds his body and looks directly out at the viewer. Fr Lawlor described the work as ‘an icon of solidarity which reveals God’s mercy through suffering’. It was created around 1551, as the Council of Trent was issuing its decree on the Eucharist. Michelangelo, argued Fr Lawlor, would have been aware of the shifting currents in the church

and the need for reform.In his letter to the church at the

end of the year of Mercy, Pope Francis stressed that the door of mercy never closes. He spoke of his Friday visits to those on the periphery – to the old, to asylum seekers, to young people in a drug rehabilitation centre. Again and again he emphasised the importance of such encounters. This, Fr Lawlor argued, is the key to understanding the Year of Mercy: we need to be open to encounter God who is mercy, to encounter each other, and to encounter ourselves. The role of the sacraments as privileged places of encounter was illustrated by a beautiful image of the gospel story of the encounter on the road to Emmaus.There is no legacy in the

commonly understood meaning of the word, Fr Lawlor suggested, only a challenge: to think about a merciful God and the meaning of encounter with such a God in ourselves and the people we meet. Which prompted the thought: perhaps such direct encounters might also challenge the church and its ability to move out from the security of the institution and into the periphery where, in Francis’s words, the church is more like a field hospital than a settled institution. This may help explain why the year of mercy did not resonate too loudly in parts of Scotland.

Focus on the laityFebruary’s Newman Association meetings in Glasgow and Edinburgh will focus in different ways on the future of the Catholic Church and the role of lay people.In Edinburgh on Wednesday 15th

February, Professor Werner

Jeanrond, former Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow and currently Master of St Benet’s Hall, Oxford, will speak about new models of Christian community, and a post-clericalist church.The following evening, Fr Timothy

Curtiss SJ, at the Glasgow Newman meeting, will ask whether there are any lessons to be learned for Western parishes from the experience of South America.Open House hopes to report on

both lectures in the March edition, when there will be a focus on the role of lay people in the church. If you would like to contribute your thoughts to this, in a letter or an article, please contact us by Friday 24th February. [email protected]

For details of the lectures see adverts on pages 11 and 16.

Let Glasgow FlourishGlasgow celebrated its patron saint last month with a feast of events and exhibitions in the city’s St Mungo festival.The annual festival is organised by

the Mediaeval Glasgow Trust, which aims to bring alive the story of the city’s founding to all its people. There were lectures and drama, ecumenical services and music, exhibitions and walks.Vespers were sung on the Eve of

St Mungo in Glasgow Cathedral. This was the first time since the Reformation that a complete Office for the city’s sixth century patron was sung in the cathedral dedicated to him in the twelfth century.On display in the Mitchell Library

were two volumes of the city’s earliest documentary history, which included the city’s foundation charter, loaned by the Scottish

NOTEBOOK


Catholic Heritage Commission.The annual Molenidar lecture,

named after the Molenidar burn around which the city grew, was given by Gordon Matheson, former leader of Glasgow City Council and visiting professor at the Institute for Future Cities at the University of Strathclyde. His lecture had the intriguing title of ‘Saints, Trains and Commonwealth Games: Now to Shape Globalisation’.His focus was the moral purpose

of cities in an age of fracture. He began by recalling Kentigern/Mungo, the sixth century monk from Culross who established the ecclesiastical origins of Glasgow. Stories of Mungo’s life are reflected in Glasgow’s coat of arms. Professor Matheson pointed out that the saint was good for business in mediaeval times, as pilgrims provided the footfall for economic growth. The Act of Union brought access

to English colonies overseas and saw the development of Glasgow’s tobacco wealth, which came to an end with the American War of Independence. The 19th century was a time of ‘epochal transformation’ as the city became a global powerhouse and grew from a population of 77,000 in 1801 to 762,000 by the end of the 1900s. One in five of the world’s ships were built on the Clyde, and trains from Springburn were exported across the globe, until heavy industry declined in the second half of the

20th century.Today Glasgow is Scotland’s

largest city with a young and growing population. In the face of globalisation, and challenges from the politics of Trump in America and Brexit in Europe, Professor Mathieson argued that strong cities are well placed to grow economies and refresh democracy in a fractured world. The majority of the world’s population, he pointed out, live in cities: by 2050 the figure is predicted to be 72 percent. Cities will be the powerhouses of economic development and innovation. They will also, he argued, need to control the levers of social and economic policy and align growth to local social needs. He spoke of a city devolution agenda in which we the values of cities and their moral purpose would play a vital part

One woman’s storyThe story of one woman’s abuse at the hands of a violent husband will be the focus of a book launch and panel discussion in Edinburgh next month.Witness, by Kitty Nolan, will be

launched in Martin Hall, New College, Edinburgh EH1 2LX at 5pm on Thursday 23rd February. The discussion is scheduled to finish at 7pm.

See book review on page 19.

Simeon at the cribA Glasgow parish did not put away its Christmas crib until the beginning of February.Holy Name parish decided to keep

the crib in the church to mark the first 40 days of Jesus’ life. While others dismantled their nativity scenes after the arrival of the magi on the feast of the Epiphany, Holy Name kept a scaled down crib until the feast of the Presentation in the Temple on 2nd February, which commemorates the presentation of Jesus by Mary and Joseph 40 days after his birth.At the temple they met Simeon,

who thanked God for letting him live to see the Messiah. Simeon made an appearance in the Holy Name Crib, a kneeling figure praying near the child Jesus. The parish claims to have the first crib with a holy Simeon in it.

International Women’s DayThe theme of International Womens Day this year, which will be celebrated on 8th March, is Be bold for change. People around the world are being asked to take bold action for a more gender inclusive world following the prediction by the World Economic Forum that the gender gap will not be closed until 2186.The kind of action people might

take includes challenging the organisation of all-male speaking events; launching female focussed initiatives, educating boys about stereotypes and violence against women, nominating women for senior jobs, and donating time to a female-focussed charity. Many of the suggestions make

uncomfortable reading for the church, which many would argue is part of the problem rather than the solution. One action churches could take is to ensure that feminist theology is included in the education of priests.

Celebrating the city at the St Mungo Festival’s ecumenical service in Glasgow Cathedrall


Moments in TimeTim Rhead’s ‘Moments in time’ column is always something I look forward to. I envy his ability to identify the various species of birds which he sees on his walks. In the last issue, he wrote of his walk along the Forth from Bo’ness to Blackness. There is a significant connection between Blackness and Glasgow. In the 18th century, it was a thriving port (the third most important in Scotland at the time), and it was used by the Glasgow merchants to export goods to the continent. Of particular importance was the export of tobacco, since the Glasgow merchants had the contract to supply the French central buying agency for tobacco – a very lucrative business for Glasgow! Today’s little huddle of houses presents a stark contrast to what once must have been a busy port.

Michael Martin,Glasgow

Pain and chaosWhat reasonable person doesn’t understand Michael O’Neill’s pain (The Election of Donald Trump, Jan/December Open House)? No week has seemed longer in politics than the week since President Trump’s inauguration. While all the smart money said Trump wouldn’t triumph he did – albeit in the most graceless fashion.In the last paragraph of his piece

Michael optimistically reminds us that ‘Chaos like crisis can have opportune as well as dangerous moments’. There seems to be some evidence for that. Responding to concerns in his largely Hispanic

constituency, Congressman Luis Gutierrez from Illinois called a Town Hall Meeting to do what he could to re-assure a community fearful of being deported and/or separated from their Dreamer children. As well as the expected representation from the Hispanic community he was surprised and touched to see a significant representation of white women, who are increasingly stepping forward to take up the challenge of opposition.For those looking for a glimmer of

hope … maybe it’s that.

Florence Boyle,Old Kilpatrick

Michael O’Neill was right to express dread at the prospect of Donald Trump’s election. The chaos he feared was not long in coming, as migrants from majority Muslim countries were banned by Presidential order before even immigration officials were told how the ban was to be implemented. It was heartening, however, to see how people from all walks of life responded with outrage. The pressure needs to be maintained.

Edward Gallagher,Glasgow

Their Lordships’ workYour report on the House of Lords’ consideration of Brexit and its implications (Open House December/January) made interesting reading. It highlighted the need for careful scrutiny of government policy: the Commons may be sovereign when it comes to making decisions, but the Second Chamber ensures that there is a critical opportunity to scrutinise its

decisions and send them back, if necessary, for amendment.It also highlighted the breadth of

experience on the red benches, compared to the high number of MPs who are ‘career politicians’. Many of them went from university to work within the political system, and thence to stand for election. Their perspectives are often more informed by the fortunes of their party than the impact of issues on the wider community.I was very struck by the idea of

having a debate, without a vote, on an issue like shared values. It is hard to imagine how that might play out in the House of Commons. But it is surely an important step in addressing the disconnect between the electorate and their representatives which led the UK to vote for Brexit and the US for Trump.

Mary Sweeney,Glasgow

Faith InsideYour suggestion that Faith Inside; a Guide for Catholics in Prison (Open House December/January) might be of interest to all those involved in catechetics, and not just prison chaplains, is well placed. It was interesting to read that there is a demand for material of this kind from publishers and, having seen a copy of Faith Inside, I am not surprised. As a former teacher of Religious Education who is currently involved in the RCIA programme for adults interested in becoming Catholics, I found it a very rich and thought provoking resource.

Eamonn Cullen,Dumbarton

The Editor of Open House email : [email protected] correspondence, including email, must give full postal address and telephone number.

LETTERS

The copy deadline for the March edition is Friday 24th February.Please send your letters and articles by post to the editor at the address on page 24

or by email to [email protected].


Witness.Kitty Nolan

AuthorHouse UK, 2016

February 14th fills the slot between Christmas and Mother’s Day in the promotional calendar of florists, card shops, hotels and restaurants. Happy Valentine’s Day. It is also the day when the One Billion Rising campaign focusses attention on the exploitation of women, taking its title from the statistic that one in three women across the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. That’s a billion women and girls.Here in Scotland, a new book,

which will be launched this month at New College, Edinburgh, will add another voice to those which raise awareness of the devastating impact of gender based violence on the lives of women and children. Witness is one woman’s account of surviving years of abuse at the hands of a controlling and violent husband, and the impact this had on her life and the lives of her children. It is told by a series of witnesses – the woman herself, who is called Sarah; members of her family and friends, and professionals who became involved with the family. The author, Kitty Nolan, hopes it might give readers an awareness of the factors which draw a woman (or a man) into what becomes an abusive relationship and the many factors which keep her (or him) there. It is difficult to understand, she writes,

‘the experience of the victim drawn in by charm and promises and held there by isolation, financial control, intimidation and violence’.Each of the book’s ten short

chapters is divided into three sections. The first section is Sarah’s story, which describes her journey from hope and happiness to betrayal and violence. The clear and almost matter of fact way in which she relates how she became trapped in an abusive relationship is chilling. The second section of each chapter offers a perspective from someone involved in Sarah’s story at the time; and the third section is a healing meditation based on the experience.The witnesses draw out the

complexities of the situation: what do the abuser’s family feel; how should the GP respond; and who does Sarah turn to when the police are called and her abuser denies his abuse? The meditations reflect one of the elements of Sarah’s struggle: how does she reconcile her commitment to Christian marriage and her understanding of God with the reality in which she finds herself?Sarah was brought up as a Catholic

and her faith was one of the first targets in her husband’s attempts to belittle her. In the course of the book she moves between one church and another, at one point encountering a helpful Catholic priest who tells her that hers was not a true marriage: her husband’s abuse and affairs had broken the marriage contract and the only way forward was for her to separate from him. She found this ‘amazing’ – she had expected the priest to tell her that she should be trying to get back with her husband. The priest also told her that she should feel free to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist. She felt accepted, although she was to find her spiritual solace outwith the Catholic Church.

Dr Lesley Orr, who has written and campaigned on domestic abuse and its links with religious structures and institutions, provides the book’s foreword. In it she supports the author’s view that very few publications give a survivor’s account of gender-based violence, especially from the standpoint of Christian faith, which is a crucial element in Sarah’s story. The traditions and institutions of Christianity, she says, shifted away from their origins in the radical egalitarian Jesus movement and were historically shaped to give ‘privilege, power and proclamation to men’. Women were exhorted to be subordinate, serving and silent.In Witness, the silence is broken

and the case is made for the transformation of attitudes, beliefs and everyday behaviours in church and society. Gender based violence destroys lives, despite improved legislation and better informed professional practice. Sarah’s courage and determination, her love for her children, and her search for peace are ultimately more powerful than the violence she encountered. We are invited to celebrate the power of the human spirit and the healing power of a God who loves as fiercely as a mother.Witness is available in paperback

or as an e-book.

www.authorhouse.co.uk

Mary Cullen

BOOKS

There will be a book launch of Witness by Kitty Nolan,

and a discussion panel on Intimate Partner Violence,

in Martin Hall, New College, Edinburgh EH1 2LX

from 5-7pm on 23rd February.


The Rising Laity: Ecclesial Movements since Vatican II.Massimo Faggioli

Paulist Press, ISBN 978-0-8091-

4934-6

Attending an education conference at Boston College some years ago, we heard a description of an initiative to encourage young Catholic teachers to teach in inner city parish schools. By converting redundant presbyteries into accommodation, the young teachers gained a home, a means of sharing professional experiences and an aspect of communal living and prayer developed by themselves to meet their own needs. A Religious sister present on hearing this exclaimed that this was a new type of religious community for a new age.Faggioli’s recognition of the basic

characteristics of ‘new Catholic movements’ would include this type of community, even if it never thought of itself as such. He refers to groups such as Communion and Liberation, Opus Dei, the Focolari, or the Neocatechumenal Way as examples of such movements that may be lay, clerical or a mixture of both and may promote a lifestyle that may be celibate, familial, communitarian, monastic or missionary. While many of these movements draw from a European or North American origin they are by no means limited by geography. The great challenge as they try to present a way of living out the

gospel in plural, multicultural and multi-religious society is discovering where they fit within the authority and authenticity of the Church.The author describes himself as ‘a

historian and theologian,’ a blend that is necessary in his study in attempting to assess where such movements fit in contemporary ecclesiology. As a historian he traces the origins of such lay movements in Catholic Action from the mid-nineteenth century reshaped by the papacy in 1905 and directed by episcopal authority. While the laity were regard as the ‘footsoldiers’, initiative was not welcomed. This is almost the inevitable result of a hierarchical structure that has seen the laity only as the lowest layer.In an analysis of the role of the

second Vatican Council in promoting these movements, Faggioli draws on ‘the spirit of Vatican II’ rather than the decrees and documents that make little mention of their formation or promotion. He presents the case that the vocabulary and style of Church that has moved from a centralised implementation is now one which has opened the way for these movements to emerge. Such a spirit is discerned from documents, among others, as The Church in the Modern World, The Apostolate of the Laity, The Missionary Activity of the Church or the Constitution on The Church, and supported by the Code of Canon Law. The slow recognition and even slower encouragement and implementation of these documents and of canon law are clearly evident. (How many of our parishes, for example, have a finance committee which involves lay expertise as in Canons 537 and 1280?)Faggioli quotes from Pope Francis

when in his homily for Pentecost in

2013 he said ‘The Holy Spirit would

appear to create disorder in the

Church since he brings the diversity

of charisms and gifts… yet he is a

great source of wealth, for the Holy

Spirit is the Spirit of unity, which

does not mean uniformity but leads

everything back into harmony.’

The growth of charismatic

movements, of emerging lay

responsibility and leadership in the

Church, while still being faithful

within the structures and disciplines

of the Church may well be one of

the greatest fruits of the Council.

As a historical and theological

reflection, the book is a valuable

tool in understanding these

developments. While it draws

heavily on Italian experiences to

develop many of its themes, in a

way, these could be replaced by

other experiences within different

countries and political cultures.

There might be a comparison made

with the growth of new female

religious orders in the nineteenth

century which, with hindsight, can

be seen to have been the bedrock of

the enterprise of Catholic school

development in this country. At the

present time of numerical decline in

clergy and other professional

leadership in our current culture,

perhaps the Holy Spirit, using the

spirit of Vatican II, is providing a

new way of Christian renewal. At a

time when there are many more

trained lay theologians, including

many women, and lay professionals

willing to assist with degree of

pastoral responsibility, the

components of such a renewal are

already in place.

Peter Boylan


MUSICCarreg LafarAur

Sain Records, SAIN SCD2754

Glasgow’s Celtic Connections music festival ran from 19th January – 5th February, bringing together musicians from around the world. When people talk of ‘Celtic’ music, it implies a generic similarity between the music and song of the so-called Celtic countries of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Brittany. This recently released

CD shows how traditional Welsh music can be rather different from that of Scotland and Ireland.This is Carreg

Lafar’s 4th album, released to mark their 20th anniversary. Their previous three albums are all regarded as classics. Carreg Lafar conjure a big, surging, confident sound-palette from the line-up of Linda Owen Jones (lead vocals), Rhian Evan Jones (fiddle, Kantele), James Rourke (wooden flute, whistle), Antwn Owen-Hicks

(bagpipes, vocals, whistle, cajon, shruti)) and Danny Kilbride (guitars, bouzouki, vocals, bass).This album, like its predecessors, is a

treasure chest of Welsh traditional songs and tunes. In his introduction to the Rough Guide To The Music Of Wales, Ceri Rhys Matthews points out that Welsh traditional music has kept medieval, Renaissance and baroque mainstream European musical elements within its corpus. And we can discover those musical characteristics within this album. For example, the Y Cadno song and dance set has a delightful skip-rhythm that is reminiscent of traditional French circle

FILMSilenceDirector: Martin Scorsese

Stars: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson.

The history of the Portuguese missionary Padroado (patronage) is not well known. Before the French, Dutch, English and others had ships able to sail the oceans the Pope had already divided the world into Portuguese and Spanish possessions. The East fell to the Portuguese who took responsibility for establishing churches along the coasts of India and beyond as far as Japan. The Jesuits, founded as Luther challenged papal authority, were well placed to take

advantage of colonial patronage.In 1966 the Catholic Japanese writer,

Shusaku Endo, wrote a novel about the experience of the first Jesuits in Japan. It was translated into English by the Jesuit, William Johnston, a professor in Tokyo’s Sophia University. Silence did not go down too well in Catholic Japanese circles. It alleged that the Jesuit Provincial publicly apostatised while retaining his faith in private.The Jesuit apostolate in Japan was

initially successful recruiting converts from all strata of society. Later Catholicism was subjected to an intense persecution which was directed against foreign influences in Nagasaki. Catholics became ‘hidden’. They reappeared only when in the 19th century foreigners were once again admitted into Japan. Modern Japanese Catholics are proud of their survival. Apostasy did not fit well into the history in Japan of heroic Christian martyrdom.Martin Scorsese obtained the film

rights to the book early in his career. Only now has he been able to secure the necessary funding. The film is a long (2 hours 20 minute) reflection on the place of suffering in the context of the apparent failure of God to respond to the suffering of the martyrs. It is a further reflection on his 1988 The Last Temptation of Christ (which starred

David Bowie as Pontius Pilate!) In it Jesus gives into the temptation of being abandoned on the cross.Silence doesn’t limit itself to the

ambiguity of the novel. Scorsese offers a reflection on what it cost his immigrant parents to be faithful to their catholic religion in a hostile America. One doesn’t have to be faced with a choice of life or death to know what the ‘silence’ of God means. The scenes of violence are temperate by modern movie standards. Now that most of us are eating and drinking and having a nice time, the film questions our comfort in a world where many people with religious conviction suffer for it. We profess to believe in the Cross. But does it cost us anything? For those who haven’t read the book the film is recommended.In Japan Catholicism was

traditionally centred on the southern port of Nagasaki. On 9th August 1945 an American bomber piloted by Charles Sweeney, having failed in poor weather to find its primary target in the north, on its way home saw an opening in the clouds and spotted the Urikami Cathedral. This is the reason Nagasaki felt the force of the other nuclear bomb. Not for the first time were Japanese Catholics faced with a deafening silence.

Norman Barry

Liam Neeson plays Father Cristóvão Ferreira in director Martin Scorsese’s epic set in Japan.


dances from Brittany to Provence. The traditional Welsh ballads Cariad Aur and Bwthyn Fy Nain and Glan Mor Heli all have sultry, sinuous, lush melodies that sound like Canteloube’s Songs Of The Auvergne, with the richly-textured contralto voice of Linda Owen Jones bringing that resemblance out fully, along with the sweeping, majestic instrumental accompaniment. Aderyn Bach (‘Little Bird’) is a joyous

folk-song for dancing, thrillingly spliced together with a Welsh traditional slip-jig played on old Welsh bagpipes, which have a sweet, mellifluous tone not unlike the Spanish gaita bagpipe. The song Aderyn Bach comes from the corpus of Hen Bennillion: ancient Welsh verses from the 16th/17th centuries that have their roots in the late Middle Ages. Medieval Welsh poetry is full of poems about birds, often portrayed as spiritual messengers or ambassadors of love. The little bird in Aderyn Bach is certainly a spiritual messenger, and the

song is also a Welsh poetic distillation of Matthew 6:26 (‘Consider the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap… yet our heavenly Father feeds them’). This combination of scripture and traditional folk culture takes us back to the Franciscan teaching of the medieval Welsh friars.

Diofal yw’r aderynNi hau, ni fed un gronyn;Heb un gofal yn y bydMae’n canu hyd y flwyddyn.

Fe eistedd ar y gangen,Gan edrych ar ei aden,Heb un geiniog yn ei god,Yn llwyio a bod yn llawen.

Fe fwyta’i swper heno,Ni wyr yn lle mae’i ginio;Dyna’r modd y mae yn byw,A gado i Dduw arlwyo.

Carefree is the birdNeither sowing nor reaping a grain;Without a care in the worldHe sings all year long.

He sits on the branch,Looking at his wings,Without a penny in his pouch,He leads the way by being joyful.

He will eat his supper tonightBut he doesn’t know where he’s to dine;That’s the way he is lives,Letting his God provide.

www.carreglafar.co.uk

Paul Matheson

Norman Barry is the long time film reviewer of Open House.

Peter Boylan is a former Catholic High School Headteacher, Consultant and Editor of ‘Networking, Catholic Education Today’.

Mary Cullen is the editor of Open House.

Paul Matheson is a music reviewer and an equality and diversity officer with the police.

Reviewers


Moments in timeWe leave the station at Falkirk High and join the Union Canal, which runs from Edinburgh just west of the

tunnel, which we notice is now lit. The canal heads west with parkland on the left and the town of Falkirk below on the right with the Ochills beyond. We see several herons, one calls a harsh cry as it flies slowly past. Soon we reach a new section of canal leading to Roughcastle Tunnel, named after the nearby fort on the Antonine Wall. We descend a hill to the famous Falkirk Wheel and visitor centre, which we are surprised to see are closed on January 3rd.

Now we join the Forth-Clyde canal heading north-east. There are many ducks, mostly mallard with a few goosanders as well as swans, moorhens and a cormorant. On the opposite bank some twenty narrow-boats are available for hire, but there is no activity today. Soon we arrive at a canal basin, which used to be the foot of a set of eleven locks which connected the two canals. An old pub called the Union Inn stands on the other bank but it appears to be closed. This must have been a site of

great activity in the heyday of the canals.

We continue past a row of old buildings at the start of a line of seven locks, part of the twelve which take the canal down to sea level. One of the buildings is a pub called Lock 15 so as this is our opportunity for refreshment, we pay a visit. The inn dates from around 1790, when the canal was built, and is full of character. We resume our walk passing an old distillery, with views of church towers in the centre of Falkirk. After passing the locks, which must take hours to negotiate, we walk along a straight section bordered by modern industrial units.

After passing under a bridge, we look over an agricultural field to have our first view of the Kelpies. These two enormous horse heads, sculptured in stainless steel and mirrored by the water of the canal, are gleaming in the sunshine. The visitor centre is open and the place is full of people enjoying their New Year holiday. The Kelpies are truly magnificent and a tribute to those who had the vision to construct them as well as the artist, Andy Scott.

Tim Rhead

Tim Rhead is a pastoral assistant in the Episcopal Church.

OPEN HOUSEBoard members:Florence Boyle (Treasurer); Ian Fraser; Elizabeth Kearney; Jim McManus (Chair); Jennifer Stark; Michael Turnbull.Editorial advisory group:Linden Bicket; Honor Hania; Lynn Jolly; Willy Slavin.Editor: Mary Cullen [email protected] editor: Lynn Jolly [email protected] House is published ten timesa year. We welcome letters andcontributions, which should besent to the editor by the lastFriday of the month beforepublication. Articles should be nomore than 1200 words long, andreviews no more than 800 words.Letters and articles may be edited or held over for future editions.The opinions and ideas expressedby all our contributors are theirown and not accepted as those ofOpen House.

All correspondence about the content of Open House to the editor:Mary Cullen, Ramelton,204 Cardross Rd,Dumbarton, G82 5DH.Tel: 07909 594797www.openhousescotland.co.uk

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