Church renewal depends on its willingness to listen to criticism

I WATCHED some of the opening ceremony of the Eucharistic Congress on Sunday afternoon.

Tue, 12 Jun, 2012 - 01:00

Fergus Finlay is a former political activist and adviser to three governments, the former head of the children's charity Barnardos, a writer and a broadcaster.

It was on live television — clashing with the men’s final at the French Open Tennis Championships, and the Munster Football championship match between Cork and Kerry.

I wonder how many other people watched the opening ceremony. There were certainly lots of empty seats in the crowd, despite the fact that it was a wonderful afternoon — the perfect weather for an outdoor ceremony. And I think it would be a safe bet that the numbers there, and watching on television, were dwarfed by the tens of thousands of Irish people glued to Ireland’s opening Euro 2012 match against Croatia on Sunday night. You can bet, too, that nobody was in tears at the end of the Eucharistic Congress opening ceremony.