Connections

EGYPT: A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Nelson Mandela and the power of conscience to triumph over fear and change the world. Now the world stands in awe of the change wrought in Egypt by that very same courage. Difficult days remain for the people of Egypt, but for a few hours we celebrate their willingness to put an end to tyranny and oppression. While violence and war continue to ravage many areas of the world, the steadfastness of the Egyptian people illuminate the planet with hope. In Libya and elsewhere, a taste for freedom is growing…
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KAIROS: About a year ago I wrote about the Canadian government’s decision to cut funding to Kairos, the ecumenical social justice organization of the mainstream Canadian churches, stating that it was no longer in line with CIDA priorities. No one who knows Kairos could believe that was the truth. Last week, thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, Kairos was able to obtain documents showing that their funding had in fact originally been granted and then, incredibly, the form had been doctored by International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda’s office. It took my breath away to see the word ‘NOT’ penciled in above the clearly signed line granting funding to Kairos. Are we still in Canada?
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MISCELLANEOUS CONNECTIONS: As the people of the Middle East stand up at great risk for democracy, and as members of Kairos demonstrate the worth of persistence, I can’t help but hope that we as Catholics will also advocate for greater freedom of speech within our Church. Let us hear the voices of women. Let us feel the movement of the laity. Let us seek the love of God.

No more apathy. No more waiting for another pope, or another generation. Let us be the Church of inclusiveness, of hope and of God that Jesus called us to be.