Month: January 2020

What has Benedict said?

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Benedict made the comments in a book that he co-authored with Cardinal Robert Sarah, which will be released in France on Wednesday.

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In the book, titled “From the Depths of Our Hearts,” the 92-year-old pontiff argues in favor of the centuries-old tradition of celibacy within the church, defending the ability to “put oneself completely at the disposition of the Lord” as a criterion for those wishing to be ordained as priests.

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“We can say: ‘Silere non possum! I cannot remain silent!'” Benedict and Sarah wrote in a joint introduction to the book, according to excerpts released by French daily newspaper Le Figaro on Sunday.

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Benedict also wrote that he believes celibacy carries “great significance” and is “truly essential” as a priest’s path to God becomes the foundation of his life.

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“The call to follow Jesus is not possible without this sign of freedom and of renunciation of all commitments,” he wrote.

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“Celibacy must penetrate, with its requirements, all of the attitudes of existence.”

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What has caused the controversy?

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In October, Pope Francis opened a contentious three-week summit to discuss environmental and religious issues in the Amazon region. The meeting raised the question of whether some respected married elder men — known as “viri probati” — could be ordained to help overcome a shortage of priests in the region.

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The proposal, which is pending approval by Francis, would be a historic change to the church’s centuries-old tradition of unmarried priests, but critics fear that if approved, such a move could leader to a wider dissolution of the discipline of celibacy around the world.

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Approved by Catholic bishops by a vote of 128-41, the proposal applies only to some churches in the Amazon region, including parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

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Allowing married men to become priests is not the same thing as allowing priests to marry, so the change would not affect the rule of celibacy for Catholic priests, who are not allowed to marry.

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Still, the possibility caused outrage among conservative groups in October, who protested with prayer vigils after American Cardinal Raymond Burke and Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan called for “a crusade of prayer and fasting” for 40 days throughout the meeting.

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There was no official conclusion to the summit. However, the final documentation that emerged from the meeting strongly recommended the change.

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Francis is expected to publish his conclusions on the proposal in the coming months.

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What do Benedict’s comments mean?

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Benedict retired in 2013 and has largely stayed away from sharing his thoughts on any of the measures adopted by his successor or any of the issues surrounding the church.

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When he retired in 2013, he vowed to remain “hidden from the world.”

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Reactions to the retired pontiff breaking that silence now are split along largely predictable political lines.

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Supporters of Francis, such as British biographer Austen Ivereigh, have suggested it’s inappropriate for a former pope to comment on a decision currently being weighed by the sitting pope.

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Critics of Francis, such as Italian commentator Sandro Magister, have said that given the gravity of the issue, Benedict was not only fully in line to speak out, but that he was actually obligated to do so.

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It remains to be seen whether Benedict and Sarah’s comments will have any impact on Francis’ decision. When he faced a choice in 2016 about opening Communion to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, Francis met with significant internal opposition, but in the end the pontiff decided to forge ahead.

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It’s also possible that the controversy may reopen debate about the institution of a “pope emeritus.”

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When Benedict became the first pope in centuries to resign in 2013, decisions about his title, living arrangements and role were made hurriedly. At the time, some experts believed he should go back to being simply “Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,” his previous title and given name, to emphasize that he no longer held any papal authority and to reduce the chance he might be seen as a rival point of reference to his successor.

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What has Francis said on the matter?

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The present pope has said in the past that he did not agree with allowing optional celibacy.

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On a flight to Rome from Panama in January 2019, Francis told journalists he believes in celibacy, but that the question should be studied.

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The Vatican responded Monday to the former pope’s defense of priestly celibacy, suggesting that Pope Francis agreed with his predecessor on the principle, but that there might be times when other factors had to be considered.

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“Pope Francis’ position on celibacy is known. During his conversation with journalists on his return from Panama, Pope Francis said: ‘A phrase of Saint Paul VI comes to mind: ‘I prefer to sacrifice life before changing the celibacy law,”” Vatican press office director Matteo Bruni said in a statement.

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“And he added: ‘Personally, I think that celibacy is a gift for the Church. I don’t agree with allowing optional celibacy, No. There would only be some possibility in the most remote areas — I think of the Pacific Islands…when there is pastoral needs there, the shepherd has to think of the faithful.'”

Stormont, the seat of Northern Ireland’s devolved legislative power, did not follow England, Wales and Scotland after the British parliament in Westminster voted by a huge majority to legalize same-sex marriage in 2013.

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Following the Westminster vote, Stormont held five votes before a slim majority returned a vote in favor of legalization in 2015.

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However, this was immediately contested by the Democratic Unionist Party, which tabled a “petition of concern” — a mechanism that can be used by lawmakers in Stormont to flag up motions before the assembly that could fall across sectarian lines, and so must have both cross-party and cross-community support.

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Because of Northern Ireland’s unique status and history, Stormont operates on a power-sharing agreement, requiring parties representing both republicans and unionists communities to govern together.

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That agreement fell apart in 2017 and has only recently got back on track. During that time, Northern Ireland effectively had no government, which meant politicians in Westminster had to ensure that the province still functioned, despite Stormont not sitting.

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On October 7, 2019, Westminster passed legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage and abortion on January 13, 2020, if Stormont was not back up and running by October.

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Despite the recent return of power-sharing at Stormont, that deadline was missed.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson is visiting Northern Ireland on Monday to meet leaders representing both unionist and republican communities, but given how strong opposition to same-sex marriage has been in Northern Ireland historically, it’s highly unlikely he will discuss the issue.

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CNN contacted Downing Street to ask if Johnson would be raising the matter, however, at the time of publication, there had been no response.

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The Republic of Ireland legalized same-sex mariage in 2015, following a landslide vote in a referendum on the issue.

On Wednesday night, their problems worsened. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the shock announcement that they would be stepping back from their roles as senior royals. “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year,” the couple said in a post on Instagram, adding that they hoped to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution.”

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While many were surprised, rumors that all was not well in the clan had been rife for months in Britain. From day one, Prince Harry and Meghan’s desire to do things differently irked many traditionalists. Their televised wedding in 2018 had so many personal touches that it stood in stark contrast to the relatively drab wedding of Prince William and Catherine just seven years earlier. Markle walked to meet her husband alone, with no man to give her away to another man. The couple left the chapel as a gospel choir sang Etta James’s version of “This Little Light of Mine,” a song synonymous with the American civil rights movement.

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The couple’s individualistic approach to royal life did annoy some, but was on the whole considered to be charming. Crucially, even in 2018, many British media commentators suggested the approach was driven by Meghan, and that Harry was simply giving her what she wanted.

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At a cursory glance, this might make sense. Meghan’s history of using her platform as a famous actor to speak out on issues ranging from gender equality to ending modern day slavery gives the impression of an independent woman. However, the idea that Harry — a headstrong young man who had spent a decade in the British Army, marching to the beat of a very different drum to that of his older brother — is merely living a life for the convenience of his wife is hard to believe.

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Indeed, the qualities of both Sussexes — and their very obvious public affection for one another — suggests that they are very well matched.

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The British media spent much of 2019 turning their fire on Meghan. She was painted by many as a whinging, out-of-touch celebrity who did little more than complain about how restrictive life in the clan was.

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Much of this will be down to the fact that Meghan and Harry didn’t engage much with the relationship that some of the British press have with the royal family, which is often criticized for being too transactional.

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The Sussexes bucked this trend when their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, was born in May last year. The couple were accused of being too private with pictures of their new child. They were then blasted for being overly protective when opting to make Archie’s christening a private affair.

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The press doesn’t want to upset any royal, but the risk here was low. Harry is only sixth-in-line to the throne and Meghan is a US citizen. And yes, even in 2020, that somehow still seems to matter.

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Stories began to appear in the press suggesting splits between Meghan and her sister-in-law Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. Over time, that morphed into differences between Harry and William, although the implication that Meghan was really the cause of all the trouble was lathered on thick in much of the coverage.

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Whatever the personal differences were, everything spilled into the open in October, when Harry told a British reporter in a documentary that he and William were “certainly on different paths at the moment,” but added “I will always be there for him, and as I know he will always be there for me.”

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Cue more media hysteria, as reports emerged that William was “worried” about his brother. Palace sources told the BBC at the time that rather than being angry with his brother, there was a view the couple were “in a fragile place.”

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Of course, brotherly concern is better than spitting blood. But the picture being painted by the palace was one of Harry and Meghan being a delicate couple, struggling to cope with the pressure of living in the spotlight, while William and Catherine were simply looking out for them.

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The coverage of Meghan herself became increasingly toxic. One real low point was a British newspaper, the staunchly royalist Daily Mail, running a feature titled “How Meghan’s favourite avocado snack — beloved of all millennials — is fuelling human rights abuses, drought and murder.”

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In October, the couple sued the Mail’s sister paper, the Mail on Sunday, for publishing a private letter that Meghan had sent to her father. Harry said in a public statement that “Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences.” He added that he feared “history repeating itself,” a reference to how the media treated his mother, Princess Diana, who it should not be forgotten died in a 1997 car crash in Paris while fleeing press photographers.

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The direct line of succession — the Queen, Charles, William, George — is currently very strong. But the Sussexes’ decision to take a back seat is a headache for the royals, especially the Queen. Prince Philip is now 98 and has officially retired from public life. Prince Charles, first in line, is far from being the most popular royal. Prince Andrew stands accused of having sex with an underage girl, provided to him by Epstein — an allegation the royal vehemently denies. To borrow a sporting expression, the bench is looking light for the clan.

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However, possibly worse for the monarchy, it will raise more questions about how happy a place the family is these days, and cause many to wonder why the fairytale of marrying into royalty is such a horror show that an independently successful, confident royal couple felt they had no choice but to walk away.

The Lilywhites are already having a pretty torrid season as it is but it has just gone from bad to worse with their talisman Harry Kane ruled out until at least April with a hamstring injury.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury during the 1-0 Premier League defeat at Southampton on New Year’s Day and specialists advised an operation was needed.

It is the latest injury Kane has suffered in recent seasons and alarm bells will now be ringing for Jose Mourinho, who now has a huge task on his hands to get his side into the top four.

But how have the club fared without the England captain in the past? Here, talkSPORT.com has looked at the extent of his injuries at the club and how Spurs coped without him…

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His £25million signing from Newcastle in 2016 was met with a little scepticism because of some inconsistent performances in a team that was relegated.

However, the 29-year-old has been pivotal to Liverpool’s recent success but without the plaudits and personal accolades others in the team have received.

Wijnaldum has been a key link between the imperious defence and much vaunted attacking three.

His role at Liverpool has been that of a provider more than a scorer himself, with 16 in 166 games, but can be relied upon to get important goals when the time calls.

He scored the second and third goals in their memorable Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona last season.

Some teams do make the right decision, like Liverpool’s signing of Virgil van Dijk in 2018, but there are far more that get it wrong.

Last January saw a far more cautious approach from the top sides with only Chelsea spending money on a player, due to fears of an impending transfer ban that prevented them from signing players in the summer.

The teams nearer the bottom of the table were more active in the transfer market.

Courtois kept out Thomas Partey’s spot-kick out after making a number of vital saves following Federico Valverde’s red card in extra-time, as it ended 0-0 after 120 minutes.

The Belgium goalkeeper, who joined the LaLiga giants for around £30million from Chelsea in 2018, is finally showing his true form in Madrid after a difficult debut season.

Saul also missed for Atletico, allowing Sergio Ramos to convert the winning spot-kick in the first year of the revised format of the competition, which was played in Saudi Arabia.

It was an 11th Super Cup for Real, who dominated the 90 minutes but ended up relying on Courtois to send the game to penalties with two big stops.

The LaLiga match between the two sides ended goalless in September, so there was no surprise that this was a cagey affair in Jeddah.

Real settled the quickest, but Diego Simeone’s men, who beat Barcelona in the semi-finals, created the first big chance as Joao Felix intercepted Ramos’ pass on the edge of the area, but his snapshot went wide of the far post.

Zinedine Zidane’s men began to dominate possession, but this was a Simeone defence they were up against and chances were hard to create.

Their best of the opening 45 minutes came when left-back Ferland Mendy went on an adventurous run, but his shot was easy for Jan Oblak to save.

They immediately carried more threat after the break as Luka Jovic was in menacing form, going close after getting free of two defenders.

Jovic was enjoying himself and provided a superb chance for Valverde midway through the second half, but the defender somehow headed on to his own knee inside the six-yard box.

Atletico had been camped in their half but had a chance to go ahead with 11 minutes left when Kieran Trippier teed up Alvaro Morata but his former Chelsea teammate Courtois got down well to keep out a low shot.

With extra-time looming Real had a chance to claim glory as the ball fell to Rodrygo, however, he shot straight at Oblak.

Valverde saw red in the additional period for hacking down Morata when he was through on goal and then Courtois had to produce two big saves to keep his side in it.