Witness to Hope

  2006-10-16


Christian Priest Killed in Indonesia

An unidentified gunman killed a Christian priest Monday in central Indonesia, where religious tensions have been mounting since the executions last month of three Roman Catholic militants.


I suppose that this type of thing occurs frequently over in that part of the world, but it's a trend I like to see disappear. As the church is undergoing rather massive structural changes and serious decreases in clergy, this is the kind of thing only worsens matters. As the church continues to be hammered at by post modernism on the one hand, and outright hostilities on the other, it is more important than ever to critically assess both direction and core principles of the Faith. I am becoming increasingly concerned about the disharmony in the Church as it exists today. I see steps towards ecumenism, but these must be intensified and encouraged far more strongly in the future, lest the Church disappear into irrelevancy.

I am reading a book I picked up a few days ago called Witness to Hope, a biography of John Paul II. I am not, as most of realize, a Catholic, but I believe that our future relies on us making better efforts to begin building on mutually recognized frameworks. There simply won't be enough of us around to pretend otherwise in a few decades.

I spent this weekend burying my grandfather, which I have to admit, was harder than many things I have done before. He was quite ill in his later years, and it was a blessing to him to be called home. That said, it's always a loss to those left behind.