Not all of them have been approved for publication. - Originally reported 29 May 2015.

Feed-back we have received would lead us to believe we are not alone in our discomfort.

In the year 197 Tertullian imagined pagans looking at Christians and saying "Look how they love one another (for they themselves [pagans] hate one another); and how they are ready to die for each other (for they themselves [pagans] are ready to kill each other.")

We wonder if a searcher for the truth coming across the comments in CathNews New Zealand and Pacific would say the same thing.

At CathNews New Zealand and Pacific we work hard to provide a broad range of news items, comments, features and opinions.

We select items from all parts of the faith spectrum, in the hope that knowledge might lead to understanding and understanding to bridge building.

It is not a matter of agreeing, but of seeking to get inside the skin of another person so as to understand why they think and act in the way they do.

Without this understanding, a genuine exchange of ideas is impossible.

No one changes their mind by being shouted at, let alone being labeled as evil.

Polarisation is a bad thing. Conflict need not be, and in fact in human affairs it is often vital for growth in truth.

The opening of the Good News to us, the Gentiles, depended in no small measure on the conflict between Paul and Peter in the early Church.

Pope Benedict XVI repeatedly stressed the compatibility of faith and reason, and there is a lovely phrase in the Declaration of Religious Freedom in Vatican II that says, "Truth cannot be imposed except by virtue of its own truth, as it makes its entry into the mind at once quietly and with power."

So in the words of Barack Obama can we:

• Find a way back to civility empowered by faith
• Step out of our comfort zones in an effort to bridge divisions
• At least be civil, by relearning how to disagree without being disagreeable

A rule of thumb could be, "If you can't speak the truth with love, then it is better to remain silent."

In 1997 Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who was the Archbishop of Chicago, wrote:

"American Catholics must reconstitute the conditions for addressing our differences constructively—a common ground centred on faith in Jesus, marked by accountability to the living Catholic tradition, and ruled by a renewed spirit of civility, dialogue, generosity, and broad and serious consultation."

Here is a summary of seven principles for dialogue suggested by Bernardin:

1. We should recognise that no single group or viewpoint in the church has a complete monopoly on the truth.
2. We should not think of ourselves or any one part of the church a saving remnant.
3. We should test all proposals for their pastoral realism and potential impact on living individuals as well as for their theological truth.
4. We should presume that those with whom we differ are acting in good faith. They deserve civility, charity, and a good-faith effort to understand their concerns.
5. We should put the best possible construction on differing positions, addressing their strongest points rather than seizing upon the most vulnerable aspects in order to discredit them.
6. We should be cautious in ascribing motives. We should not impugn another's love of the church and loyalty to it.
7. We should bring the church to engage in the issues of the day, not by simple defiance or by naive acquiescence, but acknowledging, in the fashion of Gaudium et Spes, both our culture's valid achievements and real dangers.

Called to be Catholic in a time of peril

There is always a fair degree of editorial judgment in allowing and not allowing comments. In general the editors' choice is governed by several factors:

At CathNews New Zealand and Pacific, in deciding whether or not to approve a comment we ask ourselves:

• is the comment spam?
• is the comment offensive?
• is the comment libellous?
• is the comment ad-hominem?
• is the comment a put down?
• is the comment a "cheap shot"?
• is the comment on topic?
• is the commenter repeating themselves?
• has the point been been already made by someone else?
• is the comment adding to the discussion?

We hope comments on CathNews New Zealand and Pacific will be expressed in a manner befitting the followers of Jesus Christ who said, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37

DenisO'Hagan

Denis O'Hagan is the editor of CathNews New Zealand and Pacific

Image: ovenantaldivide.com

It has been a pleasure and privilege to have known and been inspired by him.

I began working with Denis in 2002 when he became Provincial of the Society of Mary.

I worked closely with him, especially on how the Society of Mary and the Church at large in this country communicated their message.

At the time, we were being made aware of the sexual abuse activity that had existed within our communities in the preceding decades.

Denis was committed to ensuring that abuse complaints were heard and appropriately acted upon.

He appreciated the value of good communications but was not accustomed to talking to the media.

He agreed to undergo professional media training to enable him to fulfil his responsibilities as Provincial.

Denis was a modest man who was not comfortable in the limelight.

Yet, despite his nervousness, he courageously agreed to a lengthy television interview to discuss the situation in which the Society and the Church found themselves embroiled.

I was present at this interview and was moved by the honesty and humility of his responses.

In the following years, I met him on many occasions in Auckland, mainly when he came to oversee and guide the Logos Project.

He valued the care and empowerment of young people. He spent much time supporting Logos in its amazing work to develop faith-centred and resilient young people, especially those not reached by other Church agencies.

CathNews rarely publishes obituaries; however, Denis, CathNews' first editor, was ‘known' to readers for nine years.

Mission at home

As a Marist and priest, Denis O'Hagan primarily considered himself as an ‘at home' missionary.

Although he spent some time working in the local church in Western Samoa, which he thoroughly enjoyed, the home mission in a modern New Zealand context also attracted him.

Trying new boots for size

Some years after returning to New Zealand and when presented with the idea of CathNews, he saw the potential.

He also saw many of the pitfalls, but he was not beaten.

He required little convincing to get involved and given his manner and considerable experience in working with Church authorities and political structures these additional skills were a considerable bonus in getting the project off the ground and sustaining it over a long period of time.

His passion for social communication and engagement with people was a challenge he embraced.

When CathNews started Denis was 65, an age many people consider hanging up their boots, not trying on new ones for size.

As well as his administrative insight Denis also set about acquiring a new skill set to prepare himself to be the editor of a twice-weekly, entirely online publication.

This involved blending communications, immersing himself in new Internet technologies he was unfamiliar with, and combining these with a deep understanding of the Gospel, Church teaching, theology, history, and modern society.

Editorial training and writing came courtesy of UCANews.com, and journalist Fr Michael Kelly SJ.

A public-space product using a publication style that had not been done before in the New Zealand church, and Denis generously loaned his name, credibility and a wealth of Church experience to it.

Denis' approach was to treat Catholic readers as adults. While sensitive to them, he did not favour hiding all sorts of tricky issues and was known to say that CathNews is not the news. It just reports it in a way that is of interest to New Zealand Catholics.

He believed in focusing the news in line with the first paragraph of the Church document "The Church in the Modern World" (Gaudium et Spes).

"The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.

"Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of human beings.

"United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit in their journey to the Kingdom of their Father, and they have welcomed the news of salvation, which is meant for every person.

"That is why this community realises that it is truly linked with humanity and its history by the deepest of bonds." Gaudium et Spes Number 1.

New times, new missionary approach

Denis entered the seminary before Vatican II. New Zealand society and the World were different.

In Church terms these were times when one priest would offer Mass in Latin with his back to the people.

He learned the Latin Mass but was ordained into a Vatican II Church, where sometimes several priests celebrated the Mass together, facing the people and speaking English.

These were times of significant change in the life of the Church, times he negotiated well. While wondering about some modern-day challenges, Denis did not dwell on what was, seeking to restore it. Instead, his eye focused on today's people, their challenges, and the future.

The Church in the modern world was Denis' ‘ministry beat'.

Colleague and teacher

For some time, Denis worked alongside CathNews' writer Juliet Palmer.

She came to CathNews, having mainly worked with hardcopy.

Juliet says she found working with Denis accommodating in learning new skills for a new work environment. She said his instructions and ideas for writing a story were helpful, and he was gentle with his critiques.

"He was lovely to work with, reliable, happy, accepting, comfortable.

"It was a wonderful blessing to work with him."

Other contributions

Before being involved with CathNews, Denis led the New Zealand Society of Mary in New Zealand for six years.

As a leader, he understood that Marists were not financially invested in the Congregation to earn a return but were emotionally invested, and their passion led them to contribute.

He knew that, like those he worked with and among, he was not perfect. He also knew he would not be perfect by the time his life was over, but it never stopped him from wanting to improve.

Four years ago, he celebrated his 50th jubilee of priesthood and his 75th birthday.

At the occasion, Tim Duckworth, the current leader of the Society of Mary, spoke of Denis O'Hagan, saying that Denis walked the talk as a leader.

"Denis' compassion and kindness made a big change in our group. We became wiser, more gentle and caring of each other," he said.

"By the time I finish as Leader, if I can be half as kind and compassionate, I will be happy."

Denis' other significant contributions to the Church and New Zealand were remembered over the past few days and at his requiem Mass, celebrated Monday at St Mary of the Angels church in Wellington, New Zealand.

Here, we have chosen to focus on his work as readers knew him, the first editor of CathNews New Zealand.

Death

Around five weeks ago, Denis collapsed in the pool at Kilbirnie Aquatic Centre and was taken by ambulance to hospital.

After undergoing scans, the doctors discovered that he had metastatic melanoma, which, among other things, included tumours affecting his brain.

Rest in peace, Denis.

At a social occasion on Saturday night, Denis O'Hagan said he didn't remember much of his ordination day.

One thing he however remembered was his cousin, at one point an undertaker, saying, "Just let me know if you need a hand at any time".

The former leader of the Society of Mary in New Zealand, Denis O'Hagan was CathNews' inaugural editor.

As well as continuing to write at CathNews, he also works as chair of the LOGOS Marist Youth Development Organisation and volunteers at the Compassion Soup Kitchen.

People at the gathering spoke warmly of Denis O'Hagan's various ministries as a secondary school teacher, college rector, school chaplain, parish priest, Marist administrator and leader, retreat house director and editor.

One such is the Society of Mary's recently elected new leader, Fr Tim Duckworth.

"By the time I finish as Provincial, if I can be half as kind and compassionate, I will be happy", Duckworth told the gathering.

Duckworth said as Provincial Denis O'Hagan walked the talk.

"Denis' compassion and kindness made a big change in our group.

"We became wiser, more gentle and caring of each other", Duckworth said.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Michael O'Hagan described his younger brother as a wonderful friend, brother and inspirer of people.

Having officiated at family weddings and funerals, Michael O'Hagan said people value that Denis "speaks the truth, not the doctrine, and is guided by what is right rather than the rule".

Michael O'Hagan said his brother is very familiar with the ‘beyond world' but with his feet firmly on the ground.

He described him as a bridge between them both.

On Sunday people joined Denis O'Hagan at Mass in Newtown where for many years he had been a parishioner and visiting priest.

A keen proponent of taking the Church to public spaces, Denis O'Hagan recently stood down as editor of CathNews and announced he plans to retire from the pressure of writing the twice-weekly New Zealand publication.

But I am wondering why this skirmish between Lucan Battison and St John's College over hair length caused such a stir?

Why is it that a disagreement between a school and one of its students in a provincial town in a tiny country at the bottom of the world should cause such a tidal wave of chatter?

It featured all week on the front page of several of New Zealand's metropolitan newspapers.

It filled the talkback chat and the blogosphere. It even sent ripples out to England, Japan, the USA and elsewhere.

Of course the haircut war is an eternal warfare. There is no end in sight.

When I was a schoolboy the school sent students home because their hair was too short. Crew cuts were the fashion statement of the day. One fortunate guy who shaved his head earned himself a holiday until his hair grew again.

Later, I became a schoolteacher and we sent people home because their hair was too long. As we morphed into the austere 90s short was again the problem.

Now the possibilities are endless. Hair can be too short. It can be too long. It can be green, red or rainbow. It can have names or designs carved into it. You can make it took like a rooster's comb and add a safety pin through your nose for good measure.

It is easy to blame a cynical media by saying this kind of story sells papers. But we the readers are the real culprits. The story would not sell if we did not want to read about it.

And yes, I did want to read about it, I became fascinated by it, but why?

Well there is the Tiananmen Square syndrome, the lonely individual standing in front of the mighty tank. We do love the little kiwi battler.

The student was already a minor celeb. He had featured in a good news story after saving someone from drowning. Now here he is standing alone in front of the mighty educational institution.

Then there were the delightful incongruities: the photo of the board chairman as a school boy sporting long locks; the student and his dad all dressed up in suits and ties with their hair neatly groomed for the appearance in court.

But beyond that there remains something more primal - hair "censored and shaved, controlled and suppressed" as the Australian poet and cartoonist Michael Leunig wrote in his prayer "Giving thank for the mystery of hair."

Hair, says Leunig, is

"Complex and wild; Reminding us softly

That we might be animals.

Growing and growing

‘Til the day that we die.

And the day after so they say"

Becoming an adult requires a rite of passage, a journey from dependence to autonomy. And on that journey you have to challenge the rules.

A wise old teacher once told me we need a few unimportant rules for people to rebel against. He suggested we make smoking compulsory and forbid the eating of broccoli.

Then, he said, we would be picking up broccoli stalks rather than cigarette butts behind the gym.

Hair is so primal, it is not surprising that it became the battleground on which we wage our personal war of independence.

The school was right; it is the school's job to require compliance.

The student was right; it is a young man's job to test the boundaries. This is the way a human being finds a healthy balance between independence and belonging.

Conflict and tension are not always bad things. They can help us to learn and to change.

You can have peace only if one side wins and the other loses.

If the institutions always win we have a political dictatorship.

If the institutions never win we have another kind of dictatorship called chaos.

When chaos rules there is just one rule - the survival of the fittest; the powerful prevail and gentle people go under.

So long may the hairy battle continue.

Denis O'Hagan is a Marist priest. He is the editor of CathNews New Zealand, and former schoolteacher. He began his teaching career with a one-term stint at St John's College Hastings. At the time he had long hair, now he hasn't got any hair. It's neither here nor there.

It seems that, as a result of our growing understanding of the unrealized potential we possess, there is a perception that human beings are infinitely plastic and that we can mold ourselves into any form we choose. This attitude the latest manifestation of an age-old human tendency to overweening pride - hubris; we think we can become as God is. It is the contemporary version of the story of Adam and Eve.

I am no Usain Bolt; no matter how much I tried, even in my younger days, I could never have covered 100 metres in less than ten seconds unassisted on a horizontal surface, even if I was being pursued by a fierce mountain lion. The only way I could manage such a feat would be by being rolled on my side down a very steep hill, or jumping from an airplane.

I am neither a materialist nor a duelist - (I hope). I do not think I am just a body. My visible being is just the surface of an unknowable multi-faceted mystery. But I am a body, and because I am a body, a particular, unique body, there are some things I cannot do.

Who I am and what I can become does depend a lot on my attitude to life, but there are limits. These limits are set my genetic inheritance - the 46 chromosomes that ensure I am a human being and not a fruit fly, and the particular arrangement of genes lined up on those chromosomes that ensure a I am white, short, balding, male human being. These possessions gave me the potential, should I have had the passion earlier in life, of aspiring at least, to being an All Black front rower but never a twinkle-toed ballerina.

There are some things I cannot do. I cannot fly.... never been able to. I cannot be nourished by the sun, like plants can. And although cloning is now a possibility, I cannot, as some primitive animals can, split down the middle and become two people. Imagine if we could! Because I am a man I cannot give birth to a baby. Because I am not as young as I was, I cannot climb the stairs five at a time.

I wonder if some people are uncomfortable about being animals. Animals are such messy, smelly, unpredictable, swishy things aren't they? We burp - and worse! We wear out with use; we start to sag wrinkle and stretch. Hair stops growing where is should and starts growing where it shouldn't. The mind plays Russian roulette with our memories. We get hungry, tired and weary. We die.

But I like being an animal, with all its limitations. Being an animal is what makes living such fun. It would be so boring to be an angel or a pure spirit of any kind. I love the heat of the sun on my body earth under my feet. The taste of food, the coolness of water, the wild untamed instincts that may my body fizz and bubble... even if some of them seem longer very useful and can sometimes get me into trouble.

The human species is evolving of course, and it is possible that one day we will be genderless beings giving birth by parthenogenesis. Maybe, as described in Aldous Huxley's "A Brave New World", human beings will be brewed in batches of 88 identical beings all colour coded depending on their designated task in life, and spontaneous baby making will be criminalised. If this happens it will take a lot of the fun out of life but everything will be much tidier.

We may in centuries to come be able to fly, to absorb energy directly from the sun and to pass instantaneously from one place to another. But for the time being we would do well to just accept our limitations and enjoy our animal pleasures and endure the limitations.

Denis O'Hagan is a Marist priest, the editor of CathNews New Zealand, and among many other things, a former teacher of biology.

In the course of Britain's colonial rule so many Indians were imported to work in the cane fields, that by the time independence came around there were, in Fiji, almost equal numbers of indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians. They lived in separate communities, their children attended separate schools and they practised different religions. Their political system was organised on racial lines, so that no matter what the outcome of the election, one group felt excluded.

Read Denis O'Hagan's Blog

Denis O'Hagan is a Marist priest and one of the editors of the online e-newsletters CathNews New Zealand and CathNews Pacific.