SUGGESTIONS that the Pope's visit to Ireland in 1979 was a financial disaster for the Irish Church have been dismissed as a "myth" by Mr Jim Cantwell the Irish bishop's press officer in Dublin.
He also strongly rejected suggestions that the Church was "ripped off" by commercial interests.
Mr Cantwell was commenting on press reports that the organisers of the papal visit to Britain were taking precautions against mistakes alleged to have been made in Ireland.
CND is asking everyone opposed to the nuclear arms race to join in observing a two minutes silence in memory of the past and present victims of nuclear weapons. The internationally co-ordinated silence will take place from 11.90 to 11.02am on Nagasaki Day. Sunday August 9, and will he observed in church services and rallies at local war memorials throughout Britain.
THE CARMELITES in Faversham, Kent are concerned about a chain letter which is being circulated with some Latin American connections. The letter is accompanied by a leaflet of the Carmelite Press in Faversham. Fr Edward Maguire stressed this week that the Order had no connection with the letter: "Our leaflet is being used in an attempt to give the letter some spurious authority," he said.
FR EDWARD Schillebeeckx, the Dutch theologian whose teachings have brought him into conflict with the Vatican. said in Cambridge last week that he was confident of satisfying the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He has already convinced the Congregation of his orthodoxy on nine major points concerning his theology and said he does not expect any serious problems over the four minor issues left outstanding.
SYMPATHISERS with the cause of the "Siberian Seven" took part last Saturday in a demonstration in Trafalgar Square followed by a march to the Soviet embassy in London. At a press conference earlier in the week direct telephone contact was established with the seven, who are all Pentecostal Christians who have taken refuge in the US embassy in Moscow. They have been denied permission to emigrate from the Soviet Union.
ALL the members of the Church of England General Synod have been invited to a meeting sponsored by LIFE which will be held on Monday at York University. The meeting has been sponsored by the Anglican Board for Social Responsibility. LIFE now has about 300 Anglicar members.