Letter from Rome With Easter just days away, debate continues to swirl about how accessible churches and pastors should be on the holiest day of the Christian calendar – and whether Easter ought to be celebrated this Sunday at all. Although Italy appears to have flattened the curve of the pandemic with projections currently…
What seems like disaster can turn out to be a gift of Faith, writes Fr Eamonn Conway In 2009, I was diagnosed with a nasty form of eye cancer. Given that there was a likelihood of metastasis, my oncologist said that from now on my life would be a kind of high-wire act. He…
Medical Matters As we wade deeper into the coronavirus pandemic our healthcare system is feeling the surge in cases of Covid-19. A virus that may have emerged out of a market in Wuhan, China a little over three months ago has infected over one million people in over 170 countries, in what has been…
Personal Profile “What keeps me going is just a strong faith and belief that this is what Christianity is about,” says Sally Roddy, long-time member and current President of Viatores Christi (VC). She has spent years working on staff and volunteering with VC, the lay missionary group who this year are celebrating their 60th.…
China continues to place restrictions on religious sites in Hubei despite easing curbs on the province where the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak started. Authorities lifted curbs on the region at the end of March, with its capital Wuhan, the original epicenter of the virus, being eased on April 8. However, the Chinese government has not permitted…
Laois-based priest Fr Paddy Byrne has said that priests must continue to give a message of hope in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. “This will pass,” he said of the Covid-19 crisis. “It’s about getting the message out that there is hope and I am very proud and encouraged by how communities are connecting,…
The new director of World Missions Ireland speaks to Chai Brady about the need for dialogue with Islam and dangers of coronavirus for the developing world Dialogue between Christians and Muslims is more important than ever, not only in the Middle East but across Europe according to the new director of World Missions Ireland…
The World of Books by the Books Editor This year we are celebrating Easter in a time of trial. With so many of us being isolated, or rather ‘cocooned’ we have to celebrate much as the very early Christians did, just within the family circle – and indeed as Jews today still celebrate the…
Experts say the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) across Africa, Middle East and Latin America could lead to a collapse of already strained economies and healthcare systems in those regions. According to Dr Peter Hotez, professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, a major crisis could be…
Pope asks faithful to follow Mother Teresa’s lead in crisis Mother Teresa’s example should inspire us to seek out those whose suffering is hidden during the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, according to Pope Francis. At the start of his daily Mass, the Pope said he had seen a photo in a newspaper of homeless people sleeping…
John L. Allen Jr.
Dr Kevin McCarroll
Chai Brady
Peter Costello