We Must be Talking

  A Crazy World                     Gerry OShea I thought of the Christian Crusades recently when reading about Russian Patriarch Kirill 1 giving a fulsome benediction to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Back in the 12 th and 13 th centuries various popes offered all kinds of spiritual benefits, including the forgiveness of sin, to men who agreed to participate in one of the many armies marching east to defeat the Muslims forces occupying Jerusalem. These crusading wars represent a shameful part of the Christian story, generated by a basic misunderstanding of the core gospel message. Leaders wearing cassocks and miters urging their followers to slaughter members of a different faith convey Roman leadership at its worst. In March of this year Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill consulted, thanks to the power of zoom. It did not go well!   Kirill read a 20-minute diatribe against the...

    Approaches to Dealing with Poverty          Gerry OShea I read recently in the Irish Independent newspaper that Ireland has been ranked among the worst countries in Europe for providing paid maternity leave. The league table used in this study showed that new mothers in Ireland get up to 52 weeks off work between pregnancy and aftercare with a maintenance allowance of 245 punts – around 260 dollars – paid to them weekly for the first six months. By comparison, Bulgaria rates as the best European country for maternity entitlements. New mothers there are assured of 58.6 weeks of paid leave with the central government shelling out 90% of their salary during their time away from their job. Norway also scored well, paying mothers at least 80% of their wages for 49 weeks after giving birth.   In America only 23% of private companies provide any coverage for their employees going through the challenges of pregnancy and birth – ...

  Symbolic Politics in Northern Ireland        Gerry OShea 102 years ago, James Craig, the first prime minister in the new statelet in Belfast, proclaimed that his parliament was designed to have a Protestant majority “in perpetuity.” The results in the recent elections in Northern Ireland shattered unionist hegemony because Sinn Fein easily outpolled their main rivals, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), by about 65,000 votes giving them the most seats in parliament. Symbols play an important role in life in Northern Ireland which was set up as a sectarian statelet. For instance, mention of 1690 and the Battle of the Boyne to loyalists or 1916 and the Easter Rising to nationalists is likely to elicit a powerful emotional response suffused with pride and visions of past glory. The results of the recent elections there may well have little impact on everyday life in the province. However, at the symbolic level it would be hard to overestimat...

  Homosexuality and the Catholic Church               Gerry OShea Up until 1973 homosexuality was considered a mental illness, meaning for instance, that any member of the medical profession in the United States, identifying as gay, was liable to lose his or her license. In those years, sodomy was listed as a crime in 42 states.  The cultural milieu in most Western countries which allowed this blatant discrimination has changed dramatically in just a few years, and gays now can comfortably proclaim their sexual orientation without fear of recrimination. Pete Buttigieg represents a good example of this transformation in American life. From a modest leadership role as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, he ran for the nomination of the Democratic Party in the last presidential election. He acquitted himself with distinction in all the debates and public appearances, often accompanied by his husband, Chasten. Mr. Buttigieg now serves as the...

  Putin’s Invasion             Gerry OShea I was among the many “experts” convinced that Vladimir Putin would not invade Ukraine. Our thinking still seems logical: why would he attack the second largest country in Europe – smaller only than Russia – and start a continental war in the 21 st century? What would drive him to initiate a major murderous conflict, drawing the anger of most people in Europe and beyond? Why make Russia a pariah nation, viewed contemptuously almost everywhere? On the evening of February 21 st , three days before the Russian invasion, President Putin spoke at length about his beliefs in an interview on Russian radio. He angrily attacked NATO for its alleged eastern expansion, accused Ukraine of aggressive behavior and condemned the presence of Western missiles on Russia’s borders. However, most of his tirade was directed against Ukraine’s sense of nationhood. “Ukraine is not just a neighbor...