Religious families in the North could be disproportionately affected by the two-child policy, writes Chai Brady A decision to deny child welfare supports for the third or subsequent children born into families struggling financially may have gone unnoticed in the south of the island, but it is causing “deeper poverty” in the North, according to…
Another church in Kayah state, a Catholic stronghold in eastern Myanmar, was damaged by indiscriminate shelling by the military. Military fire hit Our Lady, Queen of Peace Church in the village of Doungankha the morning of June 6. Church leaders said there were no casualties as people had fled to relatives’ homes and into the…
Letter from Rome Every kid knows that bringing a report card home to the parents is, to a large extent, a challenge in framing things your way. A disappointing C in English? “Everybody knows Mrs Smith is the toughest grader in school … that’s like an A from anybody else.” A surprising B+ in math?…
Kristin Swenson aims to show that Scripture’s strangeness is one of its greatest strengths, writes Jason Osborne A talking snake convincing the first humans to eat some fruit; God wrestling with one of his earliest followers before touching his hip and putting it out of joint; angels appearing as wheels with eyes: these are but…
Revolutionary: Who Was Jesus? Why Does He Still Matter? edited by Tom Holland (SPCK Publishing), £19.99 / €23.99 It is a very popular question today to ask ‘who is X’? The answer expected is one that must, in a few short sentences, sum-up exactly who X is. That is an ambitious target, so to add on a second…
A Parent’s Perspective I found an old book on the bookshelf recently that had been a present from my mother to my two eldest sons. In the inside of the publication, Yes! The Life of Blessed Josemaría for Young Readers, I discovered a lovely inscription. It said “To Adam and David, with love from Grandma…
A leading German bishop says Pope Francis made the right decision when he refused the resignation of German Cardinal Gerhard Marx, who had asked the Pope to release him from his role as archbishop of Munich in an attempt to assume collective responsibility for the clerical sexual abuse scandals. “It creates security for the others:…
Personal Profile When David Mullins was 18, he spent a year in the Franciscan postulancy. After the year finished, he decided to take a break, intending to return at a later date. “But things changed,” Mr Mullins tells The Irish Catholic, “and I got married and now I have five kids!” He maintains a great…
A June 7 US Supreme Court decision ruled that hundreds of thousands of immigrants with a temporary immigration status cannot apply for a more permanent way to remain in the country if they first entered without authority to do so. The unanimous ruling applies to those with Temporary Permanent Status, popularly known as TPS –…
Some friends kindly left us look after their cottage on an island off west Cork during the past month. Each Friday, we packed the kids into the car straight after school and rushed westward to catch the ferry. As soon as we stepped ashore on the island, we entered into another world, where time goes…
Chai Brady
John L. Allen Jr.
Ruadhán Jones
Maria Byrne