Scottish Catholic Observer

A generation of Scots have grown with a knowledge of drought and famine in Africa engrained in their consciousness, and ringing in their ears, thanks to the efforts of pop stars in the 1980s, including Scotland’s own Midge Ure, reprised by their successors in recent years. And when a cause has been championed to such an extent in popular culture it becomes increasingly difficult to once again grab the attention of the ‘been there, done that, bought the T-shirt (or should that now be download)’ generation.

That is why agencies such as the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund play such a vital role. As news of the worst drought in Africa in 60 years now comes to light, SCIAF has the experience to tackle the immediate crisis in East Africa, the partnerships to make a difference at ground level in the region and the longevity to see projects through long after the harrowing reports have stopped hitting the headlines.

With your help, SCIAF’s emergency appeal can really make a difference. The hope is that action now can help the millions already suffering and prevent the problem worsening.

All too often, famine follows drought.

“From our relatively wealthy country of Scotland we cannot imagine the true horror of facing starvation,” Cardinal Keith O’Brien said when leading his support to the SCIAF Horn and East Africa Emergency Appeal. “Yet this is the reality which thousands of men, women and children are facing.”

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Speaking of those who have relatively little, it came to the SCO’s attention this week that a retired Motherwell Diocesan priest had his worldly goods stolen when he arrived to fill in for a fellow clergyman on holiday.

The retired priest left three plastic bags at the gate of the chapel house when he went into to the church to retrieve the key. While inside the church, he stopped to hear Confession and, upon his return, the bags were gone.

Whether the culprit was an opportunist thief, or a child playing a prank, it is sad comment on our culture that nothing is sacred anymore, not even the humble possessions of an elderly visiting priest. If this is an example of the lack of respect and understanding for religion, and the religious, in our society then it is little wonder that we struggle to tackle deep-seated problems, such as secularisation and the anti-Catholic bigotry that still manifests today among a minority of football fans.

Somewhere along the line we have forgotten that we do not have to agree with, or understand, our elders—or another person’s point of view—to respect it.