If we can believe the reports of the Catholic Communications Office and other media outlets, Jennifer Sleeman’s call for the women of Ireland to boycott mass yesterday did not prompt a widespread ‘stay away’ movement. As this report from RTE television shows, some parishioners felt annoyed or offended by the suggestion while others – such [...]
Archive | September, 2010
US-Based National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC) Supports Sleeman Mass Boycott
The US-based National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC) has issued a press release in support of Cork woman Jennifer Sleeman’s call for a mass boycott in Ireland on Sunday, September 26th. The NSAC urges Catholics in the US and worldwide to join the boycott in solidarity. NSAC posted their press release in a comment on my [...]
Jennifer Sleeman Mass Boycott: Can Protest be an Ecumenical Matter?
Jennifer Sleeman, an 80-year-old mother of a monk, has called on women to boycott mass this Sunday, September 26. Her proposal is in many ways old news, having been debated in various media for the past month. As I’ve written previously on this blog, it annoys me when Sleeman’s critics claim that she doesn’t know [...]
Platform for Change Northern Ireland: Meeting About Cohesion, Sharing & Integration Document
Does Northern Ireland have a community relations strategy? Is anyone making a plan about how citizens in Northern Ireland might develop better relationships with each other, and move beyond the divisive politics of the past? With the Shared Future document apparently shelved, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister has offered up [...]
The Pope’s Apology – Will there be a ‘Benedict Bounce’ or a Boycott?
Pope Benedict expressed his deep sorrow for clerical sexual abuse yet again during his state visit to the UK. The BBC has called his remarks on Saturday his ‘strongest public apology yet over the scandal.’ On the same day, the Pope met privately with five victims of clerical abuse, at least one of whom it [...]
Pope’s Visit to the UK: Is Atheism a Threat?
The Pope has finally arrived in the UK, with all the pomp and ceremony that was expected. Watching the images of his appearances today in Scotland, it is hard to begrudge the spectators their excitement. Popes do indeed know how to put on a good show. I come from a decidedly low church background, so [...]
Ulster Scots & Presbyterianism: Does Denomination Matter?
In response to my recent post, In Search of the Ulster Scot, some people have commented that the Ulster Scots identity and language is not just for Presbyterians. Others have said that the Ulster Scots identity fails to capture the complexity that is present within Protestantism/Unionism in Northern Ireland. Fair enough. But is there a [...]
Zimbabwe: Transitional Justice & Reconciliation Options
I reviewed Xoliswa Sithole’s documentary, Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children, on this blog back in March. I hope that the BBC’s recent re-airing of the film has once again highlighted the situation in Zimbabwe, which continues to be precarious for the vast majority of its citizens. The plight of Zimbabwe’s orphans, regrettably, has probably not improved much [...]
The News Letter’s Union 2021: Is a New Northern Irish Identity Possible?
The Belfast News Letter’s ‘Union 2021’ series has canvassed a range of unionist and other commentators to assess the state of the union, as it were, and put forward some ideas about making Northern Ireland a better place. Yesterday’s contribution from Stephen Goss, who describes himself as a ‘pro-union Catholic’ from West Belfast, floated the [...]
Tanya Jones Guest Post: Archbishop Martin & Theological Illiteracy in the Irish Catholic Church
On occasion, someone leaves a comment on my blog that is so detailed and insightful that to draw further attention to it, I post it in the main body of my blog. Tanya Jones’ response to my post on ‘Irish Catholics are Theologically Illiterate: Who do you Blame?’ is one of those posts. Jones, a [...]
About me
Welcome to Building a Church Without Walls, a website for people who are excited about how Christianity is developing in the 21st Century. I am a Lecturer and Coordinator of the Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Studies Programme at Trinity College Dublin at Belfast (the Irish School of Ecumenics).
Please note this is my personal site. All views are my own and are not representative of TCD.
