#so here. the full quote. and a beautiful race. and a beautiful podium

[6-30am]

Kimi Antonelli: Racing in F1 with the 19 other best drivers on the grid gives you a lot of motivation. Having the chance to race at your best and show what you're capable of is a great boost. Of course, seeing what Max has done over the years, especially in his rookie years, was quite astonishing. So definitely he's a model who I get inspired by. But at the end, racing against the best is a great chance. And having someone like George as a team-mate really helps you improve. It's also down to George this result because he has helped me during this first part of the season to develop and push myself even further.

[bellaserina]

7It wasn’t the championship that defined the season.

Charles had come close — P2 in the final standings — a masterclass year. But it wasn’t the trophy the world remembered.

It was what came after.

Abu Dhabi was hot, tense, and crackling with adrenaline. The paddock shimmered in the night race lights, and the end of the season buzzed with cameras, champagne, and post-race press madness. Charles gave his final interview with sweat still glistening on his jaw, voice tired but proud.

Then someone asked:

“What’s been your biggest win this year?”

He didn’t hesitate.

“Her.”

And the photo of that moment — the slight smile, the faraway look in his eyes — ended up on the cover of Esquire with the headline:

“Charles Leclerc, Fastest on Track, Slowest to Fall — But Fall He Did.”

They slipped away from the noise together, just past midnight.

No PR. No stylists. No cameras.

Just a private jet to Tuscany, where a stone house waited under olive trees, tucked behind a vineyard Charles had bought and never told anyone about.

When Isabella stepped onto the property, barefoot in the golden morning light, she turned to him.

“You brought me here for a reason.”

He nodded.

“I wanted a place that no one else could touch. Somewhere we could exhale.”

She wandered toward the vineyard rows, brushing her fingers over the leaves. “It’s beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful,” he said softly, walking up behind her.

She turned, half-smiling, sunlight catching the gold ring she now wore on her thumb — his ring, not as a symbol of marriage yet, but as a promise. One she’d slipped on after that kiss in Milan and never taken off.

“I want to stay here awhile,” she said.

“You can stay forever,” he replied.

“I’m not ready for forever.”

“I’ll wait until you are.”

She looked at him — really looked — and saw everything she’d once feared: vulnerability, certainty, permanence.

And none of it scared her anymore.

Because now she knew that forever wasn’t something you promised under fireworks.

It was in the quiet.

In the morning coffees. The unsent texts. The way he’d show up after a bad day and just listen. The way he still kissed her hand when she was angry, because he didn’t need to win — just to remind her he was there.

That night, she cooked pasta in one of his old Ferrari shirts, and he danced with her barefoot in the kitchen while Nina Simone played on an old record player.

There were no announcements.

No press releases.

Just two people in love, finally allowed to breathe.

Three Months Later

Isabella Moretti opened Vogue Italia and found the full-spread waiting.

It wasn’t a fashion shoot. It was a profile. Honest. Raw.

The title?

“No Apologies: Isabella Moretti on Love, Loss, and Finding Home in a Man Who Let Her Be Loud.”

The final quote read:

“They thought loving him would break me. It didn’t. It made me unbreakable.”

On a small hill in Tuscany, with vines all around them and wind in her hair, Charles handed her a folded piece of paper.

It was another song. A short one. Untitled.

She read the last lines aloud:

No more hiding behind noise or light —

Just you and me,

in the quiet we fought so hard to earn.

She looked up at him.

“Does this mean you’re still writing songs about me?”

He grinned. “Only when I’m trying to tell the truth.”

And she kissed him — no flashbulbs, no crowd, just the sun sinking low behind the hills — and finally, there was no fight left to win.

Only the kind of peace you don’t find on billboards or podiums.

The kind you build with the person who stayed, even when it was hard.

The kind of love that lasts

[banduckoot]

Okay, so! I’ve given it some thought - mostly because I can’t sleep - and I’ve figured out how my OC, N. Chant, would fit in Nitro-Fueled.

If N. Chant was in Nitro-Fueled...

Although I originally envisioned her as a Balanced character, I think I'd prefer if N. Chant were a Speed character instead. She's highly competitive when it comes to racing for some reason...

QUOTES:

"Mwahahahahahahahaha!" (when selected) "Good choice!" (when selected) "Let's tear up this track!" (when selected) "Woooooohoooooooooooo!" (when boosting) "YES!!" (when boosting) "SPEED IS KEY!!" (when boosting) "Wa-hoo!" (doing a trick jump) "Yeeeeee-HAW!" (doing a trick jump) "OW!" (when hit) "Ow! Hey, knock it off!!" (when hit) "Ack! Stop that, you fool!" (when hit) "Oh, was that supposed to hurt?" (hit when shielded) "Ooh, that tickles!" (hit when shielded) "Oof!" (crashing into a wall) "Ack!" (crashing into a wall) "Whoa-oa-oa-oa-oa-oa!" (spinning out of control) "I'm going to be sick!" (spinning out of control) "I'm whirling like a dervish!" (spinning out of control) "Here you go, darling!" (using an item) "And for my next trick, THIS!" (using an item) "From me to you, dear." (using an item) "Time to make you disappear!" (using an item) "Watch me pull an item out of my hat!" (using an item) "YEET!" (using an item) "Make way for beauty!" (passing another racer) "Ladies first!" (passing another racer) "Out of my way, slowpoke!" (passing another racer) "I WON! I WON! YAHOO!!" (race won) "Ah, victory feels magical!" (race won) "NO! No, no, no, no! That's not fair!" (race lost) "Oh, I hope Dr. Cortex didn't see that..." (race lost)

VICTORY ANIMATION (default):

N. Chant jumps up and down, cheering excitedly, then blows loud kisses to her audience before jumping up and down again.

LOSING ANIMATION:

N. Chant is on her knees, crying loudly. She doesn't bother holding anything back; she is MISERABLE that she lost.

EXOTIC SKINS:

N. Verted N. Chant = N. Chant with purple skin, white hair, and green clothes. Win a race as N. Chant to unlock.

Brunette N. Chant = N. Chant with yellow skin, brown hair, and white clothes. Win 10 races as N. Chant to unlock.

Blonde N. Chant = N. Chant with blue skin, blonde hair, and red clothes. Win 25 races as N. Chant to unlock.

LEGENDARY SKINS:

Magician N. Chant = N. Chant in full illusionist's regalia, just like her father. + Victory animation: Disappears in a cloud of smoke, re-appears directly in front of the camera and grins, then returns to the podium.

Teacher N. Chant = N. Chant in a dress-and-sweater combo. She would have become a school teacher if she weren't evil. + Victory animation: Takes out a ruler and twirls it like a baton.

Cleo N. Chant = N. Chant dressed as Cleopatra, to match Cortex's Pharaoh skin. + Victory animation: Waves at her fans like a queen to her people.

Prom N. Chant = N. Chant dressed in a 50's prom outfit, as a shout-out to the first Back To The Future film. + Victory animation: Poses as cameras flash and take her picture.

Dark Elf N. Chant = N. Chant with blue-gray skin, white hair, red eyes, and fantasy regalia. + Victory animation: Tries to look threatening with a dark magic spell.

Witch N. Chant = With her looks and magical prowess, N. Chant was born to wear this skin. She's a bit angry that Tawna "copied" her. + Victory animation: Floats on a broom, gracefully at first, until it flies wildly out of control around the podium, then drops her... and catches her just in time.

Ringmaster N. Chant = N. Chant dressed in full red ringmaster regalia and carrying a cane. + Victory animation: Light is dimmed slightly on the podium, save for a lone spotlight that shines down on N. Chant, who bows gracefully to her fans.

Santa Elf N. Chant = N. Chant dressed as a Christmas Elf. There's mostly red and white in this outfit, since she's already green. + Victory animation: N. Chant uses her magic to bring a toy to life, which promptly tries to attack her before she throws it away in fear.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Sanders Sides Avatar Au, Part 13 (final chapter)

This is the conclusion to a multi chapter fic in an AU where Thomas is the avatar in an atla type universe. Refer to the intro and chapter list post for more details.

So, this is the end of the story. Well, stories never really end but you know what I mean. Sorry for taking so long to update and thank you so much to everybody that commented on these chapters. It’s what keeps me writing. Normally I only write short stories so thank you all for sticking with me on this bittersweet little adventure.

Tip Jar

Intro and chapter list

Warning for a small fight. 1,685 words.

Back, and then jump. Freeze. Water blast. A hit. Sorry. It’s like dancing, only easier. Wow. Jump again. Go with the flow. Heh, flow.

Thomas dodged another ice pick. He knocked his last opponent over and stood panting. He turned to Kana, who was waiting up in the stands. Everyone else looked to her as well.

The old warrior smiled half a smile and nodded.

Thomas stood in shock. He started laughing. Several friends jumped over the barrier and ran across the arena to him. He couldn’t keep track of who was hugging him when until he felt himself lifted up and lifted onto a pair of shoulders. Leo’s shoulders.

“Let’s hear it for Thomas!” someone yelled.

Although the crowd was small it was enthusiastic. Thomas got Leo to put him down and then started crying. It was over. After all this time. He passed.

Thomas held his parents in his arms for almost a full minute. He left after he finished visiting with them to where Leo was staying. He took a good look at the scar on his leg.

“Man. So they couldn’t prevent that?” Thomas asked.

“Nope. Unfortunately not.” said Leo. “But I’m back on my feet with all my limbs. So how are you doing?”

Thomas looked at the hotel ceiling and thought for a minute.

“Different. Changed. It’s not bad, though. I don’t think it is. We got back safely. The water tribe fixed their wall. I passed my exam.”

“Are you okay though? You’ve been well, not quite as bubbly I guess.”

Thomas thought about it for a minute and then smiled.

“Yeah. You know what? I think I am okay. I am. It was scary, and I remember the whole thing from four different perspectives but I think I’m okay. Or I’m going to be.”

Leo gave him a hug. They talked for the rest of the night.

“So when’s your movie coming out, again?” Talyn asked.

“A week from tomorrow.” Joan said, crawling across the carpet to turn the dial on the moving picture box. “Just for one day though.”

“Is it just me, or is it weird suddenly living normally again?” Talyn asked.

“It’s not just you.” Joan said, flicking past another news station.

“Is Thomas coming to the screening?”

“No, I think he has a speech or something. Going to Republic City to talk to the senate or some other important Avatar thing. I’m not entirely sure. We can’t go. I already checked.”

Talyn sighed. “Well that blows. What do you think Patton is saying about all this?”

Joan smirked. “Probably crying.”

Thomas took a deep breath.

“Come on. Just like those stupid plays we were in, remember?” Leo said. “Only easier.”

“Sounds like what Logan is saying. No real reason to be anxious.” Thomas said. “Thanks.”

Leo went back into the main hallway to wait and watch on the television monitors outside. Thomas waited on a bench outside the doors to the senate hall. His heart was racing. Important looking people walked past him to go inside. He tried to make himself look as small as possible so not to look like the avatar. None of the important people noticed him.

He tried talking to himself. “Worst thing that could happen? Yeah I know that, but will it happen, Vir-”

“Avatar Thomas?”

“Ah, hi!” Thomas said, standing up a little too quickly.

“They’re uh, ready for you.” said the man in formal looking robes.

Thomas suddenly felt self-conscious about his lack of formal clothes, but took a breath and walked in. He barely registered that someone had announced his presence, but walked up to the front of the chamber just as he had been instructed and stood at the podium, looking at his index cards. Cameras pointed at him, recording this for later. To be broadcast. Yikes.

He took another breath. Then he smiled the most winning smile he could manage and was as happy as he could be.

“Uh, hi. Esteemed people of the senate. You probably know who I am, but, I’m Thomas, and I just recently became, officially, a fully realized Avatar. Now, I’ve never really given a speech before but I know that it’s important. So I’m here. And forgive me for maybe being too much of an actor. In addition to finishing my waterbending test, I kind of went on a journey recently that ended in quite an international upset. I’m here because I don’t know much about politics, but I do know one thing. Non benders are amazing people. Two of the people in my life who have helped me the most on my journey to being the avatar are non benders. Without them, I could be dead, and you would be out there looking around in the fire nation for someone else. Who probably wouldn’t be up here giving a speech.”

There was a small chuckle from some in the crowd. Thomas let out a little exhale laugh in response and then the chuckles picked up again. He fixed his hair out of a nervous tick and then kept talking.

“I’m not ready to go into detail about what exactly happened out there, who I was, or who they were. Anybody up to date on current events knows and yeah, I’m still confused about it. But if you want my opinion on what has to be done, talk about it. Don’t… don’t fight. We’ve been fighting for too long. I think I have been fighting for too long. We need to talk to each other because, our differences are what makes us... better. The differences between each other, and the differences within ourselves.”

Thomas took a breath and tried not to look like an emotional internal interaction was going on.

“And I know that sounds like a motivational poster, but I’m basically a walking cheesy inspirational quotes generator. Just ask any of my friends. And you should, by the way. They’re awesome.”

Another chuckle from the crowd. Thomas smiled a little wider again.

“But I really do believe that the world is getting better in spite of all that’s going on. And… to non benders that might see this, that might be scared, I’ve got your back, and you’re worth a lot. And whatever it takes to move on from here, I’m willing to help Republic City, or any of the other nations in any way I can.”

He jogged his index cards against the podium.

“So, yeah. That’s my speech. Peace out.”

He waved and then walked off the stage. The senate laughed in good humor and he shook at least a hundred hands before he was able to break away.

When he finally got out after at least an hour of talking to important people he couldn’t remember anything about he ran to Leo out in the hallway and they hugged.

“Oh, I’m still shaking.” Thomas laughed.

“You’re such a doofus. Let’s get out of here.” Leo said.

“Dude, that was the most casual speech I have ever seen.” Joan said over the phone.

“Yeah, but this is me we’re talking about, right?” Thomas said. “Hey, how did your screening go?”

“Awesome. I got invited to a film festival in the fire nation next year.”

“What’s a film festival?”

“This new thing where it’s like just a week of new independent movies. They’re kind of a big deal.” Joan said.

“Well, I’m happy for you. Even though I’m still not sure what that is.” Thomas said, petting his tiny dragon absentmindedly.

“Yeah, well I gotta go. I’m expecting another phone call.” Joan said.

They said goodbye and then Thomas hung the hotel phone back on the receiver. Niddy stretched and yawned in his sleep like a dog.

“I love him so much.” came a soft voice full of feeling.

Thomas looked up. A see through version of Patton, wearing round glasses and a sky blue t-shirt was sitting on the bed in front of Thomas, not making an indent in it.

“I know.” said Thomas. “How are you feeling, Patton?”

“A little bit lost, but hey. I’m feeling a lot better, kiddo.”

“I thought so. Just wanted to think about it some more.” Thomas said, gently rubbing some dirt off of Niddy’s scales with his fingers.

“One question.” came a voice from by the window.

It was Logan, wearing a black wrap shirt and steampunk like glasses that looked like they could zoom in on things.

“Why weren’t we dressed like we normally are when we were split up?”

‘“Is that really what you’re worried about?” came a voice sitting next to Thomas on the bed.

Thomas gave a little salute. “Hey Verge. How’d you like the speech today?”

Virgil pulled one of his knees up to his makeup covered face and leaned his nose against the black pants.

“I guess it didn’t completely blow. You think Joan was getting tired of talking with you just now?”

“They never get tired of talking with us!” came the last voice from the foot of the bed, its owner dressed in formal attire like Thomas wished he had.

Thomas’ thoughts wandered to what comes next. Somehow it was easier to imagine where all the thoughts were coming from now. After a while of making them argue he made the visions disappear.

That’s all they were now. Visions. He placed Niddy on his shoulders, who sleepily adjusted himself and then dozed off again.

He gripped his fists and then looked at his hands. He stood up and opened the window, looking out at Republic City. Taking it all in from one angle. He smelled the tea shops and noodle shops and bakery that made him think of soda bread and bread pudding.

He felt… quieter. Maybe. Maybe not. It really was such a beautiful day.

He started crying slowly. He realized that he felt relieved somehow. Like he hadn’t let himself feel it until now. He chuckled to himself. Niddy woke up and went to stretch on the windowsill. Thomas locked his fingers behind his head and watched the sun set over the skyscrapers.

“I’m back.” he said, letting out another smile as the tears came harder.

Fin.

Previous chapter 

[johnhardinsawyer]

“Things Fall Apart”

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

1 / 10 / 2021 – Baptism of the Lord/Ordination Sunday

Mark 1:4-11

“Things Fall Apart”

(God Makes Us Whole)

On Christmas morning, our three-year-old son unwrapped a lot of gifts.  And one of those gifts – the “Marble Run Starter Set” – has been particularly captivating for him (and his daddy).  The “Marble Run Starter Set” involves a series of plastic pieces that can be assembled any number of ways to allow marbles to roll down through chutes and funnels.  It’s basically a roller coaster obstacle course for marbles and then you dump the marbles in and watch them roll.  It’s awesome. . .  Now, I flatter myself, but I’ve built a couple different marble run configurations over the past few weeks that are pretty cool.  And, after I build each one, I will proudly declare to anyone who can hear the sound of my voice that “Behold!  I have built a masterpiece!”

The Marble Run Starter Set does have a fatal flaw, though.  The plastic pieces don’t fit as tightly together as they could.  And, unless you build it just right, it can be a bit unstable – pushed over at any point by a busy three-year-old or someone’s foot or elbow – and the plastic pieces and marbles go everywhere.  Alas, all of my so-called “masterpieces” have eventually fallen apart.

This is what can happen with most things.  Even masterpieces as big and imposing as the pyramids and mountain ranges, or as small as molecules and atoms can, under certain conditions, all fall to pieces.  As the old poem by Yeats goes, “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.”[1]

When it comes to who we are as human beings, we have plenty of evidence to prove just how easily things can fall apart, whether we are reading the history books or living through history. . .

It’s interesting. . .  on Wednesday of this past week, I had just written that last sentence about living through history when I heard the historic news of insurrectionist mobs rioting in the halls of the United States Capitol Building.  Windows were broken, doors were barricaded, rebel flags were waved, bombs were found, guns were drawn, threats were shouted, people died. . .  What does it take for things to fall apart?  Well, on Wednesday, all took was a little push – a push in the form of shoving police officers out of the way, a push in the form of a false and careless word uttered from a podium to an angry crowd of people who were searching for answers.  And, then. . . things fell apart.

In today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark, we find a crowd of people who are searching for answers.  They live in a land so full of tension that it wouldn’t take much of a push for things to fall apart.  The people are divided along political and religious lines.  The politics of Rome – the people in power – don’t always match up with the religious expectations and politics of the Jewish faith.  You see, it is the people’s faith – or, at least, the faith of their Hebrew ancestors – that has been pointing to the words of the prophets for generations.  And now, it would seem, they have their very own real live prophet out in the wilderness.  This John the Baptizer even looks (and probably smells) like Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in history.  So, out they go – by the hundreds, maybe thousands – down the dangerous mountain road from Jerusalem to Jericho and out into the Jordan River valley, close to the lowest place in the world, near the Dead Sea.  This was the place where the people of Israel had – generations before – crossed from the wilderness into the Promised Land, from a troubled past into a hopeful future.  Here, on the edge of the wilderness, the people gather along the river in hope that, perhaps this wild prophet in the wilderness can wash away their sins and life will be a little more okay.

The prophet keeps telling the people that life is about to change – not just their lives, but the life of the world – and he is clear when he says that as dramatic as all of this washing in the river might seem, the main event has not yet begun.  Someone else is on the way.  As Eugene Peterson translates,

The real action comes next [John says]:  The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life.  I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life.  His baptism – a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit – will change you from the inside out.[2]

This message – this promise – spoken by a camel-hide-wearing wild man in the wilderness is all about how even though things are falling apart, God is about to gather up all that is broken about humanity and make it whole, again, from the inside out. . .

You probably don’t need me to detail all of the brokenness that was seen at that time, because it’s not too different from the way things are today.  People are proud, they are sinful, they do and say and think wrong things, their hearts are hard and their minds have a hard time changing.  It’s always been this way – in 2021, or two thousand years ago on a muddy riverbank in the Jordan Valley.

But then Jesus steps onto the stage, and into the river, where he is baptized – washed – by John.  Just so you know, John was baptizing people as a sign of a changed life, a cleansing and forgiveness of sin.  But Jesus was not baptized to wash away any of his own sin.  Jesus didn’t and doesn’t need that.  Instead, in today’s story we see Jesus identifying with our very human need for healing, and wholeness, and cleansing, and we see Jesus being identified in a very powerful and public way by God.

In today’s story, we get to see Jesus as God sees Jesus, as he comes up out of the water, and the heavens are “torn apart” and the Spirit of God descends from heaven and gently rests on him.  And then, a voice is heard – thundering over the crowd and telling Jesus, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)  “You are my child.  I love you.  I am pleased with you.”

Here, standing in the muddy water where the sins of so many have been temporarily washed away, stands not a masterpiece, but the Master – the Word that became flesh – God’s own child, enveloped by and filled with the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of belonging, and of love, and of God’s holy joy and great pleasure.  This is God’s own child who has come to be with us – for us.  As one commentator writes, today’s story “summarizes the essence of the gospel:  the astonishing claim that God does not will to remain hidden in the heights of heaven but descends to the depths of earthly life in order to be seen and heard by us finite creatures.”[3]  The good news is that God does not remain hidden from us.  God is seen and known in Jesus.  And, because of Jesus, God sees us as we would only hope God to see us.

You know, for many people, the sacrament of baptism is all about the washing away of sin – and, yes, there is that because we need that.  But the gracious and deep beauty of baptism – the holy current running deep in the water beneath the many distracting things that might be on the surface of our lives – is that we catch a glimpse of and are reminded of who we really are – who God made us to be:  each, a masterpiece, with plenty of fragile fatal flaws and failures and a flair for falling apart, but with no small measure of God’s grace to make even the most broken among us whole. . .  to make not even the worst among us irredeemable.

The loving truth of God’s love for God’s own children – a loving truth that is often so hard for us to believe – is the holy ability God has for seeing us – all of us – as God created us to be – beloved children.  God sees us in this way, because God first saw Jesus in this way.

How different is this from how we see one another, especially when things fall apart, and we are at each other’s throats, filled with outrage (righteous or otherwise), with all of our brokenness on display?  How easy it is for us to forget that only God can make us whole and only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we work through our own brokenness to bring God’s wholeness to others.

Things fall apart.  This is a sign of our humanity.  But always – always – the Holy Spirit is about the work of repairing and restoring what is broken and God, through the Holy Spirit, is always – always – urging us to do the same.  You see, hidden at the heart of who we are is the goodness that God planted there from the very beginning – the goodness that God confirms in us through our baptism and the gifts inspired in us through the Holy Spirit.  God’s gracious goodness is in there – somewhere – no matter what we see on the news or know to be true about the brokenness of the human race.  Remember, God started at literally the lowest place on earth to begin to do something new and holy and loving and pure in the world.

I wonder what God is doing, even now, in this low time of pandemic and division. . .  “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.”  But what if it can be remade – what if we can be remade – from the inside out, with God’s help?

Things fall apart.  We fall apart.  But it is God who makes us whole and sees and celebrates our gifts – our gifts to lead, and care, and speak out, and work for justice and change, and love our neighbors into being able to see God’s love in themselves.

Friends, remember your baptism.  Remember that you belong to God, that God loves you, and that God is pleased with who God made you to be.  May we, as broken as we are – with God’s help – be the whole people that God made us to be.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

------- 

[1] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming.

[2] Eugene Peterson, The Message:  Numbered Edition (Colorado Springs:  NAV Press, 2002) 1377.  Mark 1:7-8.

[3] David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, Feasting on the Word – Year B, Volume 1 (Louisville:  Westminster John Knox Press, 2008) 238.  “Theological Perspective” – Lee Barrett, quoting Karl Barth.

[brisbanecollection-blog]

Pope Francis to find Ireland transformed, troubled by Catholic Church

For each empty space in the crowd, let it represent a child abused, let it represent a woman incarcerated, let it represent a baby stolen, the group organisers said. Let the gap in the crowd be a person the churchs teaching chose to ostracise.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin. Photo: PA And dont just take the churchs enemies word for the problems it faces. The Popes visit, starting Saturday, comes as the Church in Ireland struggles to find a new place in Irish society and culture, the archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin admitted in June. In recent years the church has lost much of its standing in society, its political influence and perhaps most seriously many of its faithful. The last census in 2016 showed, for the first time, a fall in the number of Roman Catholics in the country: 132,000 fewer Irish described themselves as Catholic compared with five years previously.

Members of the public celebrate at Dublin Castle, in May after the results of the referendum on the 8th Amendment of the Irish Constitution which prohibited abortion. Photo: PA The decline as a percentage of the population dates back much longer: in 1961 almost 95 per cent of the Irish called themselves Roman Catholic, but by 2016 only 78 per cent did. Many of that 78 per cent are not practising only half of Irish marriages last year were Catholic compared to over 90 per cent two decades ago, Reuters calculated. Fewer than a third of Catholics go to mass every week compared with more than 90 per cent in 1972. This year Ireland voted in a referendum by an overwhelming 66 per cent to overturn a ban on abortions. In 2015 more than 62 per cent voted to allow same-sex marriage. In October another referendum is expected to remove the offence of blasphemy from the Irish constitution. Irelands Association of Catholic Priests conducted a survey in the lead-up to the papal visit, simply asking what do you want to say to Pope Francis about the Irish Church? More than three-quarters of the respondents wanted major reform, including equality for women in the church and a more effective response to clerical abuse and the fallout. The wrongs of the past should never be forgotten, some respondents said. Full disclosures should be made and apologies given. There is a desperate need for Rome to genuinely face up to and acknowledge the horror of the Catholic Churchs blindness to and mismanagement of the perpetrators of sexual abuse.

Limited edition Pope dolls for sale during the World Meeting of Families at the RDS in Dublin, Ireland. Photo: AP Irish leader Leo Varadkar has said he will challenge Francis on the issue of same-sex marriage, and he intended to raise Church abuse issues at a reception at Dublin Castle. I will certainly want to express to him the real concerns Irish people have in relation to the legacy of the past, in relation to issues such as the churchs involvement in Magdalene laundries, mother-and-baby homes, and sexual and physical abuse, he said. Mr Varadkar, quoted by the BBC, went further, saying: "I think in the past the Catholic Church had too much of a dominant place in our society. I also think (the visit is) an opportunity for us as a republic for us as the Irish state to start a new chapter in our relationship with the Church one that again is very much about having a place for the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland but not one at the centre in the way it was in the past." Former Irish president Mary McAleese has been particularly critical of the visit, calling the WMOF a right-wing rally designed to get [people] motivated to fight against the tide of same-sex marriage, rights for gays, abortion rights, contraceptive rights. In March, McAleese a lifelong Catholic with a masters degree in canon law - was barred from a conference on women in the Church at the Vatican. Dr Jane Suiter is associate professor at Dublin City University in the school of communications. All of the radio programs here at the moment are about how the country has completely changed since [John Paul IIs visit in] 1979, she says. Ireland is shaking off many traditions the latest Rose of Tralee beauty pageant winner is a mixed race woman which just would have been unheard of before and a few years back it was won by a single mother.

Capuchin priest friar Bryan Shortall from Dublin looks out from the wet stage during preparations are underway to build the stage for the Pope in Phoenix Park, Dublin. Photo: PA But it is more than just cultural change. On Monday Francis wrote a letter to the people of God condemning the atrocities of child sex abuse and systematic cover-ups in the church. We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them, Francis wrote. It came a week after a grand jury report in the US described decades of abuse in Pennsylvania, where more than 1000 children had been abused by 300 priests. One cardinal named in the report had been due to attend the Dublin event. The debate over the last week has all been about Pennsylvania, about the report, about whether the Popes letter went far enough, Suiter said. We even had the minister for health coming out this morning saying we need particular measures more than just the wringing of hands. To have a government minister so openly critical of the church shows how much influence it has lost, Suiter says. Some public figures have even offered to give up their place on the podium with Francis for victims of abuse. People feel that its not properly resolved, that there have been apologies but some bishops havent taken it on board, she says. There is now a lot of talk about a cultural Catholicism, where respect for the church is lost but a personal faith remains. McAleese is seen as someone showing the way to keep the faith while rejecting the institution. Suiter says there has been a lot of speculation about how many Irish will attend the papal mass, compared to the number of international visitors.

A recently unveiled waxwork of Pope Francis is carried from the National Wax Museum to be put on a refurbished 1979 Popemobile in Dublin, Ireland. Photo: AP Some Catholics had been hoping for a renewed fight for the church after the blows of the recent referendums but instead they have been left a little bit down and feeling theyre not as represented any more, she says. Now they hope Francis visit will be that fillip they desperately need. Certainly its what the Vatican hopes for. This week Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vaticans Secretary of State, told Vatican News Francis visit to Ireland would be a sign of hope, and above all of trust. I believe that the Church in Ireland has recognised its failures, its errors, its sins, and at the same time also has adopted a series of measures that can prevent these atrocities from happening again, these horrors, he said.

Preparations in readiness for the closing mass for the World Meeting of Families event at Phoenix Park in Dublin which will be attended by Pope Francis as part of his two-day visit to Ireland. Photo: PA But Suiter is sceptical. For those who are there it will be reassuring to be in huge numbers of other [Catholics]. But whether it does anything for others who will be staying away whether it is a long-term fillip for the church, Im not sure. I think a lot more needs to be done in terms of action by the church rather than words. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/europe/pope-francis-to-find-ireland-transformed-troubled-by-catholic-church-20180823-p4zz76.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed