Gratitude to Creator and Creation

 

                                                 Blue Heron in Flight -- Gerry Gant 

In a couple of days Ruth and I will be on different schedules travelling hither and yon for a couple of weeks, something that rarely happens. We agreed that this morning was the best opportunity to get out on the water in our kayaks until the middle of June, so we headed north 20 minutes to a stretch of the Moira River. It may not surprise you that the river was not busy at 7:00 AM on a Monday morning. Well, there were no humans about but there was a lot of activity. 

Over the course of an hour or so of paddling we saw several blue herons including one that startled us flying up from a spot at the edge of the water. There was a single deer in a meadow and we caught a glimpse of an eagle on the pair's Volkswagen Beetle sized nest. On our return to the launch Ruth let out a delighted cry as she passed immediately over a large snapping turtle and another as a large fish leapt and splashed her. The water lilies are all emerging, some already with pads on the surface while others are climbing toward the sunlight. We heard a kingfisher, a pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers. 

If this sounds idyllic, it was, other than the mosquitoes at the put-in site. We started paddling later in April but today's lush surroundings, the birdsong, and the unexpected creatures were all a blessing. We took a moment to thank the Creator as is our habit, taking nothing for granted. 

This wasn't the blog entry I had planned for today but I just had to interrupt regularly scheduled programming to express gratitude to Creator and Creation. 

Who are the Good Guys in International Charity?

 I've just finished the novel Good Guys by Newfoundland writer Sharon Bala. There are several important characters in this story about international aid organizations including Claire Talbot, the publicist for Children of the World, started by an aging rock star.  Her motives are good when she facilitates the involvement of an A-list actress at their Central American orphanage. When this celebrity visits she is moved to adopt an infant with special needs who has a family living in abject poverty. While this supposed orphan adoption brings plenty of media and online attention with plentiful monetary contributions to Children of the World the machinations of the "good guys" soon goes south (pun intended?) and the well-meaning white saviours become bad guys. 

Good Guys is a thought-provoking story, well told by Bala. It is also a focused and sometimes cutting scrutiny of the ecosystem of international charity. We have been privy to celebrity adoptions by Madonna and the then-couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Both women have been generous in their support for charitable causes, Madonna began the charity Raising Malawi and her adopted kids are from this African nation. Jolie was named a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees at the age of 26. I certainly don't question their sincerity but we are reminded that stars attract eyes and ears, as was the case with Audrey Hepburn decades ago. 

                              

                                                                                Angelina Jolie 

Earlier this year we watched a segment of 60 Minutes featuring the orphanage Have Faith Haiti financed by best-selling author Mitch Albom (Tuesdays With Morrie) in violence-torn Haiti. This compound with 30-foot walls and careful security is an oasis of peace and hope for children who would face a bleak future otherwise. We were impressed. I am an admirer of rock star Bono and his work in the Jubilee movement and AIDs relief. 

There are bigger questions, though, about the inequities between have and have-not nations and how children are rescued from their fate. Bala also circles around the role of churches and other Christian institutions in outreach work and the cynicism of an investigative reporter who left evangelicalism is obvious. Characters in the novel reflect on the mission trips of teens from North American churches to help build schools without much thought to how those schools will be supported into the future. Who are these trips for? We have a friend in ministry who was very involved in these trips on behalf of the United Church for a number of years. Again, we never questioned her sincerity but what is the bigger picture and what are the lasting effects of these trips in the lives of those who parachute into countries for a brief period of time at considerable cost? 

In the end Bala paints a picture that is not a simplistic polarization of good guys and bad guys. It is an indictment of privileged assumptions and actions. 

This would be a worthwhile novel for discussion by a church book club. 

Acknowledging the Shame of Slavery

 "Slave Chain with Four Yokes" from the Dexue voodoo convent in Adounko, Benin, dating from the 19th century at the Memorial ACTe, the Caribbean Centre of Expression and Memory of Slavery and the Slave Trade, in Point-a-Pitre, May 8, 2015. © 2015 Nicolas Derne/AFP via Getty Images

This past week there was plenty to catch our attention in the news, everything from Pope Leo's newly released encyclical, to the spreading Ebola outbreak in Africa, to the peace deal/not a peace deal between the United States and Iran.

There were two significant acknowledgements that probably flew under the radar in the news feed. One was the recognition by France of the nation's complicity in the international slave trade in earlier centuries and the possibility of reparations. According to Human Rights Watch:

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the need for reparations in connection with France’s role in the transatlantic slave trade on May 21.

Macron said that reparations for enslavement crimes should no longer be ignored. He also warned against “false promises,” Emphasizing that the legacy of enslavement could never be fully repaired because it was “impossible.” Macron backed the symbolic repeal of the never-abolished “Code Noir,” which were royal decrees from the 17th and 18th century that governed enslavement in French colonies.

Other European nations including Great Britain are grappling with complicity in the horrendous trade in human beings and the need to support initiatives to compensate the descendants of those who were enslaved, as complicated as that might be. King Charles has addressed the shame of the royal family accruing wealth through slavery. 

The other acknowledgement was by Pope Leo within the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas who apologized for the involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in slavery through the centuries. He named  the "regulating and legitimising forms of subjugation, including the enslavement of of [non-Christians]" by the church. He also acknowledged that earlier in the Middle Ages, ecclesiastical institutions had their own slaves. Pope Leo sincerely asked for a pardon in the name of the Church, adding that it was "impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many".

Not long ago I wrote about the initiative  of the Church of England to raise money for a slavery reparations fund, controversial within the denomination which also benefitted from the slave trade. 

Pope Leo visited African nations recently. Did this trip prompt the inclusion of the apology in the encyclical? The BBC reports:

Ghana said the Pope's acknowledgment of the "painful history" was significant, at a time the world was having a "deeper reflection" on the effects of slavery and colonialism. The country successfully pushed for a UN resolution in March, which recognised the enslavement of Africans as the "gravest crime against humanity".

All these public statements and efforts toward compensation are important if they are honest and lead to results in the lives of those who continue to be affected, both individuals and nations. We'll see. 

George Washington & the Prayer at Valley Forge

 

"The Prayer at Valley Forge", a 1975 painting by Arnold Friberg done for America's bicentennial celebration in 1976.

It's hard to miss that this year marks the 250th anniversary for the United States of America. There will be celebrations "from California to the New York Island" and presumably Hawaii and Alaska. In some of the gushier praise of America's shining history there is no mention of slavery or a brutal war pitting North against South or segregation, but there ya go. 

One of the recurring myths to be brought forward is the Godliness of the Founding Fathers, including George Washington. As I mentioned recently. Washington went to church with wife Martha from time to time but he referred to go fox hunting on Sundays. He was more of a theist than a Christian and he didn't mentioned Jesus in his writings. 

The historical record has never deterred patriots from portraying him as a man of prayer, even in the midst of war. This is based on an unconfirmed story created by the same writer, Parson Weems,  who fabricated the "I cannot tell a lie" tale of young George confessing to cutting down a cherry tree. Apparently the parson could tell lies without compunction. Search "The Prayer at Valley Forge" and you'll be rewarded with lots of images going back long before the 1975 painting above. 

An article from NPR offers: 

After the publication of Weems' book in 1800, images of the first president praying became a meme — long before there were memes. Paintings and engravings were reproduced on china plates and on postage stamps in the 1920s. It appeared on the cover of the popular magazine The Saturday Evening Post in 1935, and reproduced in stained glass in a special prayer room built in the U.S. Capitol for members of Congress in the 1950s.

Of course, we could all be content to accept Washington as a person of prayer and faith, if it's true. Even if so, it's the ways in which the story of Valley Forge is used to suggest that the United States has always been Christian and therefore other religions are "lesser than" that is problematic. And then there is the blurring of the separation of church and state, along with the sanctification of war swallowed whole by millions, including lots of people in the current administration. The story is almost certainly fabricated, so why perpetuate the dishonesty? 

Well, there is likely much more to come during this year. God bless America. 

                    The altar in the Congressional Prayer Room at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

                                                                     Lisa Mascaro/AP

Gratitude for Steven Guilbeault

Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, announces the Canada Strong Pass at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa on Monday, June 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Backslide 

1

: to lapse morally or in the practice of religion

2

: to revert to a worse condition : retrogress

Yesterday Steven Guilbeault, a Liberal Member of Canadian Parliament, announced his resignation from the party and his decision to leave politics when he vacates his Montreal seat in the summer.

I consider this a loss for Canada. Guilbeault was a strong environmental activist long before running for office and he was arrested more than once in his work, including once for scaling the CN Tower. After his election he served as Environment Minister during the latter Trudeau years. He is smart, understands the challenges we face as a nation, including the climate emergency, and he was an articulate spokesperson for the government.

During the past year and more since Mark Carney became Prime Minister Guilbeault has become a Cheshire Cat, slowly but surely disappearing from the public eye. We've heard that he has disagreed with the choices of a government favouring economy over environment and a recent deal with Alberta regarding a pipeline to BC has been the last straw. 

He made his announcement with grace but he used the term "backsliding" to describe recent choices by the government. It's an interesting term to use because while most of us understand it in a general context of "to revert to a worse condition" it has a religious and moral connotation. During my teen years I hung out with conservative Christians and backsliding, growing cold in devotion to Christ, was a miserable although rather nebulous condition to be addressed immediately. . 

I do feel that the decisions we make regarding the environment and what we as Christians call Creation are moral and deeply spiritual. And I would agree that Canada is both retrogressing and and lapsing morally. 

Once again I think of Mark Carney's book, Values, in which he reflects on the moral and ethical guideposts we establish for every aspect of life. Carney is a practicing Roman Catholic

and we would hope his faith would move him beyond questionable pragmatism to a greater good for this generation and generations to come. 

Steven Guilbeault now feels he can do more in climate advocacy outside of government. Many of his Liberal colleagues speak highly of him and Green Party leader Elizabeth May expressed sadness that he is leaving. There were times when I wished he showed more of his activist fire but his departure is discouraging and I certainly wish him well. 

 

Pope Leo, AI, & the Tower of Babel

 

INTRODUCTION 

1. Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together. Each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era, of guiding history to become a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted and fraternity is made possible. Yet every era also runs the risk of creating an inhumane and more unjust world. 

Whenever humanity is in danger of marring its true identity, we Christians lift our eyes to the Incarnate God, knowing that it is “only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear.” [1] In Jesus Christ, this humanity in its grandeur becomes the Way, the Truth and the Life, opening the path for each of us to grow toward fullness.

I've had serious misgivings about Artificial Intelligence (AI) for some time now, for a number of reasons including the erosion of human creativity as algorithms lead us to the mushy middle. Yet when I do a search for different reasons, including information for this blog, it is AI that leads the way in response, often with helpful information.

On Monday Pope Leo issued the first encyclical of his pontificate and he didn't mess around. It is titled MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS: ON SAFEGUARDING THE HUMAN PERSON IN THE TIME OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. Thank God that in this age of Christian communities on the decline and increasingly voiceless, along wihthe disturbing movement toward toxic religious individualism, someone such as Pope Leo and the Roman Catholic church are willing to address the implications of a runaway-train technology that seems to have no limits or guardrails.  The Pentagon is considering using AI guided autonomous weapons which will make the decision to deploy without human involvement. This is morally wrong and even evil --them's 'ligious words!

This encyclical, essentially a theological position paper, was released with a Canadian, Christopher Olah, at Leo's side. Olah is a co-founder of AI giant Anthropic and in the presentation he said that the development of artificial intelligence cannot be ‌left solely to technology companies, urging greater oversight from religious leaders, governments and civil society. This is a striking observation from someone who has overseen the development of AI. 

Will I read this encyclical the way I did with Laudato Si, Pope Francis' magnificent encyclical regarding the environment and what we call Creation? Maybe not. but I do look forward to the summaries and analyses which will some be available. Here is a thoughtful take from a Jewish writer. https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/idols-of-the-valley

                                            Tower of Babel -- Pieter Brueghel the Elder, 1561

The Tower of Babel

 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as they migrated from the east,[a] they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone and bitumen for mortar. 

4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” 5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 

6 And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 

8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babel,[b] because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth, and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Genesis 11: 1-9 NRSVue

Mystery in a Remote Island Monastery

 

                                                                                Justin Evans

How is this for a premise for a mystery series? We'll set it on a remote island off the coast of Scotland in a somewhat secretive and controversial monastery called Golgotha. A young monk goes missing without a trace and the thorough search of land and sea by authorities brings no results. Is this suicide, misadventure,,,or murder? 

Sadly, this is an actual recent news story rather than fiction. The monk who disappeared from Papa Stronsay was 24-year-old Justin Evans, also know as Brother Ignatius. An early comment from Golgotha stated that  "It is believed he came to harm in conditions involving the sea."

An article in the Scottish Daily Express offers: 

A message sent out to members of the order said Mr Evans had left his "monastic cell" shortly before midnight on Saturday and had been missing since. The vicar general of the monastery, Father Anthony Mary said he had been the last one to speak to Mr Evans hours before and he had been "fortified with confession" the night before. "We have no explanation of why this happened," the message said.

Then the plot thickens: 

In July 2024, the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch [New Zealand] asked the religious order to leave the diocese after a Vatican investigation into claims of ritualistic abuse including holding prolonged, unsanctioned exorcisms. Father Christopher Longhurst, the leader of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said the allegations included children being told they were possessed by Satan, people having lengthy exorcisms performed on them without prior medical examination and isolation of parents from their children.

Yikes. Over the years I visited a fair number of monasteries, convents, and secluded retreat centres. Sometimes I was the only guest but I never feared for my safety other than an ill-advised icy hike on a mountain trail and a stay in cougar country. No exorcisms were performed. 

When Evans went missing in early April there were no clues about where he'd gone. On May 6th his body was retrieved from the sea and police said there were no suspicious circumstances. No doubt this is a tremendous loss for his family and friends. They may never know what transpired. Sometimes the truth in life is stranger than six fictional episodes.

                                                                   Golgotha Monastery