Our Father: Reflections on the Lord’s Prayer by Pope Francis (Rider, £9.99) This little book, which is issued to mark the fifth anniversary of the Pope’s election, is like so many of the publications which bear his name, drawn from an interview, or rather conversation, with a friendly interlocutor. This was Fr Marco Pozza, a priest…
Letter from America Claire Giangravè Not everyone’s got it. For that matter, not all of those previewing the May-October Met exhibit on the Catholic imagination bought the curator’s pitch that the show was building a bridge between culture and faith. Not everyone, but some, looked at the opulent vestments on loan from the…
Eight bishops’ conferences in Latin America have joined efforts to assist Venezuelans in transit through or settling in their home countries with the help of the Migrant and Refugee Section of the Vatican Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development,. Called ‘Bridges of Solidarity’, the two-year pastoral program seeks to “find common solutions to…
Spuds and the Spider by Séamus Ó Conaill (Gill Books, €8.99) The President’s Glasses by Peter Donnelly (Gill Books, €9.99) Margaret Gleason Spuds Potsofgold lives an idyllic life with his wife Rose Goodytwoshoes in the cosy surroundings of Toadstool Cottage, except for one nuisance – an eight-legged, hairy and googly-eyed spider called Leggers McWeb, who is in…
Pope Francis asked the bishops of Germany to continue working together to find broader consensus on guidelines for allowing a Protestant married to a Catholic to receive the Eucharist. “Pope Francis appreciates the ecumenical commitment of the German bishops and asks them to find, in a spirit of ecclesial communion, a result as unanimously as…
“I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse ; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19) This verse is taken from the last chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Capturing the essence of how the future of the nation of Israel depended on the response of the Jewish people to the Covenant, it underlines the connections between life and blessing. To the nation…
Inés San Martín Typically, Pope Francis and German Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich are considered allies. Recently, however, the two men offered contrasting takes on the legacy of one of the modern world’s most influential social and political movements – ironically enough, ‘Marxism.’ While the Bavarian cardinal said in a recent interview that the father of…
With opinion polls tightening on the repeal of the Eighth Amendment this month, several Church leaders have stepped up their campaign to promote the right to life of the unborn. Over the bank holiday weekend, seven bishops across Ireland issued pastoral statements in a bid to influence more people to vote ‘No’ in the May…
A leading pro-life campaign has welcomed figures indicating a further drop in support for removing the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution in a referendum this month. An opinion poll, published on May 6 by the Sunday Independent/Kantar Millward, revealed that 45% of respondents say they intend voting ‘Yes’, and 34% say they will vote ‘No’.…
In front of a small crowd of cabinet members and religious leaders at the White House Rose Garden, President Donald Trump announced, and then signed, an executive order giving Faith-based groups a stronger voice in the federal government. “It’s a great day,” he said after signing the order and passing out pens to religious leaders…
Peter Costello
Colm Fitzpatrick