From Fr Sean
A change mid-parliament of prime minister in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, fired up by high energy prices and inflation, mixed with multiple strikes seemed that it could only inevitably end with not only a change of government but a change in society as the post-war settlement finally gave up the ghost with the accession of a Conservative government in 1979. Many commentators are drawing the parallels with our own time in order to predict what comes next but that is always a fool’s game. Yes, we should try to learn the lessons from history but always remember that nothing is ever quite the same and the actors on the stage at any particular time always play a unique role. For me at the tender age of fourteen the election campaign of 1979 marked my political awakening. For the first time I realized there were principles and values to be argued over, and battles to be fought. For the first time I realized there were politicians who put ideology before people and others whose power really could make a difference whether I agreed or not. Since that time, as in so many of our institutions, politicians have fallen from grace. I have been fortunate to have contact with and work with a few, and it has enabled me to appreciate the vocation of the politician. I know you have to be a bit different to the norm to put yourself out there for election but most of them work quietly in the background on behalf of their constituents irrespective if they voted for them or not. It isn’t 1979 all over again but it does feel, as in so many walks of life including the Church, that a seismic change is going on: a change of era rather than an era of change, as Pope Francis has perceptively remarked. The vast majority of us do not have a vote in the current election but we can at least pray that our hope may prevail: a hope for the good governance that comes from the practice of virtue in those who hold high office; a political outlook that takes being a minister at its word for the good of those most in need; and the courage to seize the opportunity of change to shape a better future. We might even try it in the Church.
The Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS)
The Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS) provides parish leaders with knowledge and understanding of theology and the Catholic faith.
You can learn the course in person, by distance learning or online - details below:
Centres (in person learning)
http://brs-ccrs.org.uk/index.php/course-centres
Life-Light Home Study Courses (distance learning)
info@studylifelight.com
01844 351 514
CCRS Online (online learning)
ccrsonline@hope.ac.uk
0151 291 3055
Yours sincerely, Board of Religious Studies