Catching up

Catching up on a few news stories over the last few weeks:

News from the Ordinariate (diaconal ordinations and group news) here. The 'caravan' continues its journey.

More positive reactions to the PEV appointments from around the world from the Forward in Faith website here

While this blog has been 'absent,' the Church in Wales has commissioned a review into its organisation and structure. See here 
I make no comment except to say that, given the new ethos of the Church in Wales, the choice of Baron Harries of Pentregarth to head the review was an obvious one.

The Master of the Welsh province of SSC is to take up a new appointment as parish priest of St Augustine's Kilburn. [Here]
Our congratulations and prayers to Father Colin Amos SSC and our deep and lasting gratitude for helping to keep things together in an almost impossible situation.

And the big ecclesiastical news (it's fatally easy to forget this on this "right little, tight little island") -  the beatification of Pope John Paul II [here] from the Vatican website and here from the Catholic Herald
Excellent photos here at the Sevenoaks Ordinariate site

A round-up of comments on the death of Osama Bin Laden here
Perhaps more significant are the non-comments? [here]

This is from C.S. Lewis' 'Mere Christianity', of course only echoing the Church's tradition down the ages, but nevertheless putting it rather well:

"I imagine somebody will say, ‘Well, if one is allowed to condemn the enemy’s acts, and punish him, and kill him, what difference is left between Christian morality and the ordinary view?’ All the difference in the world. Remember, we Christians think man lives for ever. Therefore, what really matters is those little marks or twists on the central, inside part of the soul which are going to turn it, in the long run, into a heavenly or a hellish creature. We may kill if necessary, but we must not hate and enjoy hating. We may punish if necessary, but we must not enjoy it… Even while we kill and punish we must try to feel about the enemy as we feel about ourselves – to wish that he were not so bad, to hope that he may, in this world or another, be cured: in fact, to wish his good. This is what is meant in the Bible by loving him: wishing his good, not feeling fond of him nor saying he is nice when he is not."

And, on behalf of everyone here, many thanks for all the positive feed-back from the BBC Radio 4 Palm Sunday broadcast, including a very kind note of appreciation from the Archbishop of Wales, and some very nice comments from and via a former PEV. Merci à tous!