Huston Smith, the renowned commentator on world religions, submits that you should not judge a religion by its worst expressions, but by its best, its saints. That’s also true in terms of judging the merits of vowed, consecrated celibacy. It should be judged by its best, not perverse, examples, as is true too for the…
Thousands of people travelled to Stormont for the All Ireland Rally for Life in Belfast on July 7 to uphold laws in the north of Ireland “that protect unborn babies”. Northern Ireland’s Precious Life said the rally gave the people of Ireland an opportunity to send out a clear message to politicians that Ireland’s unborn…
Bean Counters: The Triumph of the Accountants and How They Broke Capitalism by Richard Brooks (Atlantic, £18.99) Peter Hegarty Brooks’ theme is “the demise of sound accounting”. Slipshod work by the ‘Big Four’ companies that dominate the profession – PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and KPMG – have brought it into disrepute. The author, an investigative journalist…
At Mass on Sunday I found my eye drawn towards a father and his small child, aware of the gentleness and tenderness of the father towards his son. That involved keeping the little adventurer in his seat but in a way that encouraged the boy to keep close to his daddy. The father was a…
The Secret of Marrowbone (15A) There’s a scene in this where a girl puts her hand into a hole in the ceiling with a morsel of food to feed a skunk that’s living in her attic. When she does so, a human hand fondles her. I don’t know about you, but if that happened to me I’d be…
With the papal visit imminent we can expect some related documentaries, and on Tuesday of last week RTÉ1 was first in line. Rebel Pope was a docudrama from National Geographic, and while it was worth watching I wasn’t that impressed. The most interesting aspects dealt with revolutionary times in Argentina when Jorge Bergoglio, later Pope…
The Notebook I remember the night Pope Francis walked out on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s. My heart sank. He looked old to me and a little lost in his new clothes. I don’t know what I expected but somewhere, in the back of my mind, I had an image of a younger man…
A documentary which falsely accused an Irish missionary of child sexual abuse and fathering a child while in Kenya was the sole instance of irresponsible journalism by RTÉ cited by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at a New York event, Mr Varadkar has said. Speaking in the Dáil about his controversial comments, the Taoiseach said: “My only…
Personal Profile Matthew Carlson speaks with environmental activist Orla Farrell Most people on the street don’t think much when they pass a tree. They walk past it without any thought or regard to it. Orla Farrell is not one of those people. In fact, she is one of the directors for an organisation called…
Those planning to drive to Dublin for the Papal Mass on August 26 in the Phoenix Park should be aware there will be some major diversions and road closures in place. The Government has advised travellers to leave “plenty of time” for any journeys to and across Dublin City from 6am to 11pm on the…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Chai Brady
Bairbre Cahill
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan