The Notebook Fr Vincent Sherlock It must have been a strange day. Early morning finds women on their way to the tomb. The Friday rush did not allow time for the decencies around burial to be observed and, in haste, Jesus was laid to rest. The stone was rolled into place and people moved…
Archbishop ‘humbled’ over papal appointment Archbishop Eamon Martin has said he is “humbled” that Pope Francis has appointed him as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Dromore, which took immediate effect on April 15. “I am humbled by Pope Francis’ request and grateful for his confidence in me. It will be an honour for me to serve the people,…
Sometimes when you hear about an upcoming programme, it’s so predictable you could nearly write the script in advance. That was largely the case with Rome vs The Republic on RTÉ1 last Thursday. In this documentary on relations between the Vatican and the Irish State we got the usual litany – Mother and Child Scheme,…
Family fun, bluebells and forest trails Getting out into nature is always a welcome activity for the children, particularly in an age where being glued to smartphones or Netflix is becoming all the more common. The whole family could go to Moore Abbey in Kildare for Easter Monday to enjoy a walk, stroll or run…
The commission investigating the historic treatment of unmarried mothers and their children in religious-run care homes has dismissed claims that an underground burial plot was in fact a sewage tank. When news of the common grave on the grounds of the former State-regulated home run by the Sisters of Bon Secours in Tuam, Co. Galway,…
After the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris April 15, Romans and tourists could not help looking at St Peter’s Basilica and wondering, “what if?” But Maj. Paolo De Angelis, head of the Vatican fire department, told the Italian news agency ANSA on April 16 that the structural differences between Notre Dame and…
Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul reiterated the Church’s stance on abortion after South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled that the country’s abortion ban is unconstitutional. The country’s top court called on April 11 for a legislative change to partially allow a mother to choose to terminate a pregnancy in its early stages. While some women’s…
As the flames engulfed the historic cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris last night, firefighters fought to make a passage for one special mission of mercy – the rescue of the Blessed Sacrament and relics from the historic church. It has emerged that the priest who administered the last rites to the victims of the Bataclan…
Many relics saved as fire devastates cathedral France has vowed that the spire of Notre-Dame cathedral will rise again after fire ripped through the iconic symbol of Europe’s Christian identity. Firefighters have been praised for entering the burning building to save some of the most important relics in Christendom including the crown of thorns…
At the end of a highly unusual spiritual retreat for the political leaders of warring factions, Pope Francis knelt at the feet of the leaders of South Sudan, begging them to give peace a chance and to be worthy “fathers of the nation.” “As a brother, I ask you to remain in peace. I ask…
Brendan O’Regan