Month: July 2021

Kindness: Christian virtue or health advice?

I’m fascinated by the way that old ideas often return wearing new livery. The latest health advice against Covid-19, and other ailments is – ventilation. That is, a dose of fresh air which Florence Nightingale was advocating back in the 1850s, and which every convent school practiced, before the era of the (less healthy) air…

Dublin archbishop appoints key lieutenant

Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell has tapped Fr Gareth Byrne to take over the key position overseeing the day-to-day running of diocesan administration. As Moderator of the Curia, Fr Byrne will be a key adviser to Dr Farrell and supervise diocesan offices and agencies on behalf of the archbishop. He replaced Msgr Paul Callan, a…

Politicians cannot pick and choose Church teachings and then expect to be considered good Catholics

The View A midst the ongoing controversy about whether US President Joe Biden should be excommunicated for his stance on abortion, important points are being missed. There needs to be sustained teaching on the nature of the Eucharist before people will understand excommunication. (This is not to suggest a moratorium on excommunication until all Catholics…