Bishop Donal McKeown, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Down and Connor Abandoning sacredness of the family promotes irresponsibility – Bishop McKeown
When a society abandons the sacredness of the family, it promotes a “lack of responsibility and maturity”, Bishop Dónal McKeown said on the feast of the Holy Family.
The bishop of Derry warned that “in a secular world, preparation for Church marriages needs to be clear about the divine dimension” of the Sacrament.
“When marriage is reduced to a legal contract, then it remains a human construction that is by definition flawed,” Bishop McKeown said.
But the Holy Family tells us “there is something profoundly sacred about human relationships. They are not merely useful and often pleasant”.
“The idea of faithful family relationships calls us out of a preoccupation with self and our hurts and challenges us to build bridges,” Dr McKeown said.
“A society which encourages and promotes long term stable committed relationships is a healthy society.”
Bishop McKeown added that the family can be “a key place” where love, relationships and responsibility are promoted.
“When it is presented as little more than a contract that can be dumped when the going gets tough, then we are all diminished.”
Trócaire warns 2022 will bring ‘massive challenges’ to the vulnerable
Humanitarian needs are set to escalate in 2022 due to the compounding impacts of Covid-19, climate change and conflict, the CEO of Trócaire said.
The “biggest crisis” facing low-income nations is the “hunger pandemic”, CEO Caoimhe de Barra warned.
According to the UN, Covid has already triggered a dramatic worsening of hunger with 811 million people undernourished last year – a tenth of the global population.
“We are witnessing and responding to the devastating triple impact of Covid, climate change and conflict” in 20 countries, Ms De Barra said.
“Due to Covid lockdown measures people have not been able to travel to markets to sell their goods, go in search of daily labour to earn their living, or plant crops. The result is there is no money for food.”
Tackling global hunger requires addressing climate change, the political drivers of conflict and responding to Covid in a way that means no one is left behind, Ms De Barra continued.
“All this requires political will and a belief that all of humanity has the right to aspire to the same quality of life.”
She thanked the Irish people for their great generosity and “unwavering support” in 2021.
Trócaire is the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland.
