There were no Easter messages from Ireland’s top politicians this year, with some social media users expressing disappointment that the country’s largest religion wasn’t represented during its most important feast. Only a small number of politicians made mention of Easter, while none of the leaders of the country’s biggest political parties commemorated the occasion. “Wishing…
Good Friday at 25 Reconciliation was not an optional extra in the Gospel message and teaching of Jesus: it was a core value, writes Archbishop Eamon Martin Two commentators on a recent radio interview were discussing our historic peace agreement of April 10, 1998. I found it quite sad that throughout the entire discussion each used…
Pope Francis prayed on Monday for lasting peace in the North, as the island of Ireland marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The Pope included the offering in his Regina Coeli prayer on April 10, saying: “With a grateful spirit, I pray to the God of peace that what was achieved in…
Good Friday at 25 Despite the horrors of the conflict, the witness of countless heroic priests and other clerics reminds us of a Christian hope which stood against hatred, writes Prof. Francis Campbell Over 25 years ago, I heard a senior British official, who was quite closely involved with the Northern Ireland peace process, lament…
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has revealed that over 8,500 women availed of abortion services in Ireland in 2022. Minister Donnelly revealed the figure on April 4 on RTÉ Radio One’s News at One programme, which sees the number of abortions carried out in Ireland since the law became operational rise to around 28,500. Reacting…
Easter is a reminder that Christians are called to be lights in an often dark and weary world, writes David Gibson “This is the night,” the Church sings out again and again in a poetic hymn dating far back in Christian history called the ‘Exsultet’. It is heard each year in Catholic Churches during the Easter Vigil…
Catholic third-level institution Carlow College, St Patrick’s must address its “overall sustainability”, as engagement on integration continues, Minister Simon Harris has said. The college is engaging in talks with South East Technological University (SETU) on potential incorporation, after the Department for Higher Education increased funding to help “stabilising the cash flow position while the college…
British faith leaders – at the time of writing – were still awaiting the decision as to whether all faiths will be included in the Coronation oath of King Charles III on May 6; or if the Church of England will retain its exclusive control over the ceremony. Charles said, back in 1994, that he…
My Father’s House by Joseph O’Connor (Harvill-Seeker/£20.00/€15.99) The tale about the ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’ of the Vatican has been often and well told, and even filmed by Hollywood in 1983, with the chief character being played by Gregory Peck. In this novel, however, Joseph O’Connor provides a fresh version of what is the very remarkable story. It…
Christo Jivkov, the actor who portrayed St John the evangelist in Mel Gibson’s famous The Passion of the Christ, died March 31 age 48 following a struggle with lung cancer. “My dear friend Christo has lost his heroic battle with cancer. Right to the last moment, he was filled with hope and his spirit was…
Ruadhán Jones
Mary Kenny