Parishes lament the absence of young people, but most are happy and do not want to be disturbed, writes Gerard Gallagher W hen Pope Francis published Evangelii Gaudium, Laudato Si’ and Amoris Laetitia there was an excessive amount of praise. It has been striking how much quieter the reception of Christus Vivit – his document…
Medical Matters Last month saw the marking of World Alzheimer’s Day as part of an international campaign to raise awareness of a condition that is still stigmatised and often misunderstood. It is estimated that there are about 50 million people in the world with dementia and this figure continues to rise with an ageing population. …
Letter from Rome After 20 years of restoration work and millions in funding from benefactors worldwide, the unveiling of the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs in Rome was supposed to be a grand, celebratory moment slated for this spring, in time for Holy Week and Easter. The public was going to be able to…
The Ontological Argument, a critique from a Thomistic perspective by J. Anthony Gaughan (Kingdom Books, €15.00) Donal Murray In this book, Fr Tony Gaughan has undertaken a careful and thorough reflection on what Patrick Masterson, President Emeritus of UCD, describes in his foreword as “one of philosophy’s perennial and still fascinating preoccupations”. Generations of philosophers, theologians…
The founder of the Knights of Columbus, Fr Michael McGivney, is to be beatified during a special Mass on October 31 at the Cathedral of St Joseph in Connecticut. Born to Irish immigrants to the US Patrick and Mary McGivney, Fr McGivney was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, and was ordained a priest in 1877. Best…
Fr Eckar Rolón does not expect his workload to evaporate October 15 when his small landlocked country, Paraguay, reopens its borders with neighbouring Argentina and Brazil after seven months. Fr Rolón has coordinated a massive food programme in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay’s second-largest city, since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March and borders were closed,…
Personal Profile Canon Patrick Marron’s ministry spans both time and experience, childhood and adulthood, lay and religious, carefree life and stressful life. However, given his time back, he says he would do it all over again. “I love my ministry. I found it very challenging, and I regretted that I wasn’t a better priest. I’ve…
A data analyst has challenged a DUP minister’s claim that there are more Covid-19 hotspots in Catholic communities, saying poverty is the key factor linked to outbreaks not religion. Speaking to The Irish News, Peter Donaghy said it was in socially deprived areas that people won’t have jobs which allow them to work from home.…
The government of the Netherlands has announced it will allow the euthanisation of terminally ill children between the ages of one and 12. “There is a need for active termination of life among doctors and parents of incurably ill children, who are suffering hopelessly and unbearably and will die within the foreseeable future,” Health Minister…
According to an Armenian archbishop, Turkey is perpetrating a “third genocide” against the oldest Christian nation in the world. He claims Turkey is using Azerbaijan to attack the Christian community in Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority-Armenian region of Azerbaijan that has been a de facto independent state since the 1990’s. Recent fighting in the region has seen its churches…
Dr Kevin McCarroll