French Catholic nun turns 118 Sister Andre Randon, a French nun, celebrated her 118th birthday on February 11. This milestone makes her the second-oldest living person in the world and the oldest living person in Europe, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people believed to be 110 or older. In anticipation…
Remaking classics to fit in with modern feminist sensibilities violates the spirit of Tolkien, writes David Quinn The first Lord of the Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, was released 20 years ago in December. Directed by Peter Jackson it was a faithful adaptation of the book of the same name by JRR Tolkien…
People are not something less when they are sick or injured and must be given every assistance to live life to their fullest, Chai Brady hears For the 30th World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis highlighted the importance of a pastoral presence for those who are suffering due to sickness, particularly mentioning those whose…
Red wine and berries may improve Parkinson’s life expectancy Recent research from Queen’s University Belfast has found that people with Parkinson’s disease who eat more flavonoids – found in foods like berries, cocoa, tea and red wine – may have improved life expectancy compared to those who don’t. The research followed over 1,200 people who…
Staff reporter The Vatican’s reform of structures in the Church in Ireland took another step forward on Friday with news that Bishop of Clonfert Michael Duignan is to take over the running of the neighbouring Diocese of Galway. It is the first move in reforms that are expected to see a dramatic reduction in the…
The Minster for Foreign Affairs’ visit to Iran was political “window dressing”, as substantive human rights issues such as the persecution of Christians were not discussed, TD Mattie McGrath has said. Deputy McGrath told The Irish Catholic that its “shameful” that the Government won’t address the issue, calling their actions political “window dressing”. “Christian values…
Mindful Living My wife and I celebrated 45 years of marriage in August. I have made many commitments in my life, but two of them stand out as having shaped me, as having been deeply formative influences on the person I am today. Those two factors are marriage and meditation. While we married at a…
The Catholic bishops of Quebec, while registering their opposition to the province’s imposition of Covid-19 vaccine passports as a requirement to attend religious services, said this week that they accept the requirement for now, and continue to petition the government to end it. “[I]t seems reasonable to us in the present circumstances to accept certain…
An old saying has it that “journalism is the first draft of history”. Frankly, I’ve always been a bit dubious about that claim. In my experience, and to paraphrase John Lennon, history often seems to be what happens while journalists are talking about other things. Here’s a quote from historian Arnold J. Toynbee in his…
The Pro-Life Campaign has described Sinn Fein’s exclusion zone bill as a “smear” against the against the pro-life movement. It said that if the bill was enacted, it would set a “very dangerous precedent” for free speech, expression and assembly. The Safe Access to Termination to Pregnancy Services Bill 2021 is currently before the Seanad,…
David Quinn
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones
John L. Allen Jr.