As I predicted in this newspaper some time ago, Fine Gael is increasingly trying to frame the debate around legalising abortion in all circumstances up to 12-weeks as a moderate position. The reality, of course, is that there is nothing moderate about the state-sanctioned killing of children – whatever the Taoiseach’s spin doctors try to…
A centre founded by an Irish priest has been proposed as a partner in Africa’s Great Green Wall project, writes Susan Gately Fifteen kilometres wide and 8,000 km long, the Great Green Wall is a band of indigenous trees and vegetation planted across Africa which aims to halt the desertification of the Sahel and…
US: Search and rescue workers with dogs scour through properties after a mudslide in Montecito, California.
Vatican Roundup Pope Francis has said the silence that precedes the opening prayer at Mass is an opportunity for Christians to commend to God the fate of the Church and the world. Departing from his prepared text at his weekly General Audience, the Pope urged priests “to observe this brief silence and not hurry”.…
The World of Books by the Books Editor At this time of the year many people are thinking about and booking their summer holidays. Not many I suspect, planning that annual stay in the sun- drenched Umbrian region of central Italy, will be considering its connection with Lough Derg and with the medieval shrine…
The various TV companies often launch new drama series at this time of year and so far this year’s crop is a mixed bag. The best I’ve seen so far is Next of Kin (ITV/TV3, Monday nights, with ITV a week ahead) – it’s a rollercoaster of emotion and conflict, with more emphasis so far…
Australia: Family and friends sprinkle holy water on the caskets of three family members of actress Jessica Falkholt (best known for her role in ‘Home and Away’) after their funeral Mass at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Sydney. Lars, Vivian and Annabelle Falkholt were killed in a car accident the day after Christmas.
Letter from Rome Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, gave a talk at Notre Dame’s Global Gateway facility in Rome addressed to ecumenical and inter-faith experts, which laid out the Church’s post-Vatican II approach to ecumenism and the new directions the press to bring Christians together is getting…
Holy Land: A Palestinian demonstrator hurls stones toward Israeli troops near Nablus, West Bank, during a protest against US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
There’s a mouth-watering pairing of Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in Steven Spielberg’s The Post. The title refers to The Washington Post, the newspaper that brought down Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal. Set in 1971, this centres on a leaked government study of the Vietnam war which basically admitted it was unwinnable. Streep plays…
Michael Kelly
Susan Gately
Peter Costello
Brendan O’Regan
John L. Allen Jr.
Aubrey Malone