Just hours after the publication of a controversial open letter, one of the signatories – the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and Sacraments – said he did not sign it. Cardinal Robert Sarah denied signing the letter, titled ‘Appeal for the Church and the World’, which says the coronavirus has been exaggerated…
Month: May 2020
The bishops need to publish a plan for a safe return to Mass
The Church should be lobbying for a swifter return to public worship, writes David Quinn For the first time in the history of Christianity, churches have been closed across much of Europe to public Masses and other religious ceremonies. But the picture varies, and the speed at which public worship is being restored from…
‘Faith is a great strength in life’, says Dana
Forty years on from her historic Eurovision win, Dana Rosemary Scallon has spoken about her Catholic Faith has helped her throughout life particularly during the period in the North known as ‘the Troubles’. During the RTÉ programme Dana – The Original Derry Girl broadcast this week, Mrs Scallon recalled how she felt inspired by her…
A corona of thorns
Eastertide is the perfect time to contemplate the knowledge that each dawn Christ rises again with us and with us dies each evening, writes John F. Deane I have been and am in lockdown in Leitrim. With my wife Ursula, we are classified as vulnerable. Without WiFi it has been difficult for me to write poetry…
The problem with cheap food that won’t go away
How should the principle of a fair days pay apply to those who nurture, grow, and produce the very food we eat asks David Mullins ‘Social solidarity’ is apparently experiencing something of a renaissance of late. Acts of reciprocal kindness are increasing. Our hard-nosed individualism is being destabilised through a reawakening of a sense…
Myanmar bishops call on Catholics for day of prayer
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar (CBCM) has urged the Faithful across the country to join a day of prayer to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic. Pope Francis accepted a proposal from the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity for May 14 to be a day of prayer, fasting and works of charity to call for divine…
Most would rather pray than go for a pint
More Irish people are anxious to see a return to public Masses than pubs and restaurants with almost a quarter ranking churches in their top five. Amárach research asked people to rate which ventures or destinations they would like to open first, and whether they would feel comfortable or safe in them in terms of…
Catholic official warns lifting Pakistan lockdown is ‘risky’
A Pakistan Catholic figure says the easing of coronavirus restrictions by the country’s leader is a “risky move”. Despite a record spike of new cases in a single day (1,523), Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan last week announced the lifting of the nationwide lockdown. Fr Saleh Diego, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Karachi, hopes…
In dark times we still have to think of those who have it worse than us
The View As we face another week in lockdown it would be easy to become discouraged, to wonder how on earth we can survive all this: these are difficult days. However, it is sometimes important to put things into context and reflect on where we are from a wider perspective. Yes, there are profoundly…
‘Trust in God’ Primate asks pupils facing cancelled exams
Reaching out to school students the Primate of All-Ireland drew from Gospel asking them not to be troubled and “trust in God”. Both A-Levels and the Leaving Cert have been cancelled north and south of the border due to the coronavirus pandemic. Over the weekend, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh in his homily for the…


David Quinn






Nuala O’Loan
