The blessings ± of Christmas 2002 ± be with you!

Far away and long ago, a Savior was born,
the Alpha and Omega arch of history.
Under his star, shining with eternal care,
not so far away and not so long ago, you and I came on the scene.

How are you doing? - Let me know.
How am I doing? - Let me say a little.

Next month I will clock 67 (an old age!),
47 of it spent as a Dominican, 40 as a priest, 39 in Nigeria.
Health? - Good. Leg only a slight handicap, no malaria in over 2 years.
Spirits? - Still upbeat, propped by God's grace and so many good people around.
But it is never easy. May we persevere!

Doing what? - After 22 years in the University, the past year has been "retirement":

With so many young priests around, I have little pastoral work any more,

although Saturday night at the University I heard about 60 confessions,

and had the Sunday evening Mass there.

I teach a few courses at the flourishing Dominican Institute,

write, publish and keep up my web site,

work on inter-religious dialogue projects for Nigerian bishops, West African bishops and Vatican,

meet regularly with a Muslim-Christian Project for Peace, here in Ibadan.

Since 10 months ago I have been vocation director.

My motto in that: "Leave the 99 and go after the one."

Even so, the coming intake is 15 (up from the present low of 2 novices).

Other jobs and projects are on the drawing board.

What do you say about what has been going on the past year in the world? - Tell me.
What do I say? - Briefly:

1. The Church crisis:

• The media wanted to batter the Church by focusing on some real cases to give a wrong general picture.
  
• The cases were rarely pedophilia, but in fact homosexuality.
  
• The media has always promoted gay culture; therefore its outrage is inconsistent.
  
• Since the 60s large segments of the Church have bought the media message about gay legitimacy.
  
• The bishops have not yet owned up to the root of the problem: bad teaching, where pop-psychology, pop-philosophy and pop-theology have taken over. Bad teaching causes bad behavior.
  
• A recent Vatican statement rightly says that gays should not be admitted to seminaries or religious life.

2. Iraq:

• The charge that there is a program for weapons of mass destruction is still "freely asserted" and can be freely denied, as long as evidence is not publicly produced. And no one has linked him to Qa'ida etc. - So much for a "just cause".
  
• The war build-up is proceeding regardless of what the investigators find or do not find. - So much for war as a "last resort".
  
• Saddam no doubt rules like a mafioso. Yet he is poles apart from Islamic fundamentalism. Who would replace him? - that squabbling mob in the London hotel? - and at what cost? A regime change is not a clear improvement. - So much for "a better good".

My love and prayers,
Joseph Kenny OP