Ireland’s newest bishop has said that for Christians in Ireland there can be a temptation to “retreat into a holy huddle”, but they must draw strength from Christ to tackle the challenges of our time. The episcopal ordination of Donegal native Bishop Niall Coll for the Diocese of Ossory took place on Sunday in St…
Buddhists visit Vatican to meet with Pope Interreligious dialogue can combat climate change by tapping into the “profound richness” of faith traditions to promote a sense of “ecological responsibility” and conversion, Pope Francis said. Welcoming a delegation of Cambodian Buddhists to the Vatican January 19, the Pope called for “dialogue at all levels” to seek…
Cindy Wooden Pope Francis’ fifth trip to the African continent will highlight gestures of peace and reconciliation, consoling the victims of violence but also emphasising the importance of each person sowing peace in the family, the neighbourhood and the nation. The Pope is scheduled to travel to Kinshasa, Congo, January 31-February 3 before making an…
My late father, Denis Cotter, was a teacher all his life. As a national teacher, he taught in the classroom for over 40 years, the first 13 years in what was then the new Dublin suburb of Crumlin, and the remainder in a small two-teacher school in Ballinacarriga near Dunmanway in West Cork. He retired…
Babylon (18) isn’t just a film, it’s an experience. The first great release of 2023, it’s a simultaneous celebration and denunciation of a wild and wacky era in film-making. Everything Damien Chazelle does has the word ‘Big’ written all over it. If he isn’t careful, he’ll become our era’s answer to Cecil B. De Mille.…
Ghandi’s favourite reading was the Sermon on the Mount, especially the Beatitudes. He was deeply impressed by the life of Jesus Christ but not by the lives of Christians. Last week our Gospel was about the mission of Jesus to restore the world to the reign of God. Today we start the Sermon on the…
It’s pro-life season in the USA, with the Marches for Life in Washington and on the East Coast. The EWTN channel is broadcasting a range of pro-life programmes for the occasion. One of the best was Fearfully and Wonderfully Made (EWTN, Saturday), a new documentary from Canadian Kevin Dunn. Comprised of four personal story vignettes…
We need to re-present the faith again and be a renewed Church that goes out to meet people Bishop Niall Coll tells Michael Kelly When Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope in 1978 taking the name John Paul II, he famously told the pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square that the cardinals had chosen him da…
Dear Editor, It is clear the narrative around the demand for secular or multidenominational schools is completely overstated by the Government, media and lobby groups. This was highlighted by some schools, in areas earmarked for changes in patronage, finding that a huge majority of parents wanted their school to remain under Catholic patronage. It’s important…
Local Matters: Parish, Local Government and Community in Ireland, by Dr Finola Kennedy (Institute of Public Administration, €25.00) Frank Litton The philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre traced his early commitment to Marxism to his experience growing up in London’s East End where his parents worked as doctors. It was the communists’ contributions to the neighbourhood that drew…
Chai Brady
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan
Michael Kelly