Q: Did Pope Benedict XVI validly resign even though he did not renounce the munus? A: As many of us will recall, on February 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI surprised the world when, after noting his advancing age and declining health, he announced: “ … For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of…
Month: February 2024
Finding belief in God in a time of war
Brendan O’Regan
Last weekend saw the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and it’s depressing to see that peace doesn’t seem to be anywhere close. On Witness (RTÉ Radio 1, Friday) Ksenia Trofymchuk from a Protestant theological college in Ukraine pointed out that Ukrainians were somewhat used to war since earlier Russian incursions in 2014.…
Don’t wait too long to baptise your baby
I just celebrated my birthday. Twenty days after I entered the world, I was carried by my godparents to Immaculate Conception Parish in Maplewood, Missouri, to be baptised by the pastor, Fr John Ryan. Mom told me she and dad were nervous because they had waited almost three weeks instead of the expected two, and…
A composer with profound sense of the sacred
Two recent performances at the NCH gave me considerable satisfaction. The first, with the NSO conducted by Dubliner Killian Farrell, currently general music director of the state theatre in Meiningen, had Finghin Collins as the brilliant interpreter of Stanford’s 2nd Piano Concerto – a piece demanding verve and virtuosity supplied with breathtaking dash by Mr…
Sr de Pazzi Finn – eight decades preparing children for life
At 80 years of age, having left school over 62 years ago, it’s fair to assume that most of my teachers have, by now, passed on. There is one, however, who is still hale and hearty, whom I feel so privileged to have been taught by and whom I still speak with regularly. And the…
Over a dozen killed in attack on Catholics at Mass in Burkina Faso
At least 15 Catholics were killed in an attack during Mass on Sunday in the Burkina Faso village of Essakane in the country’s Oudalan province in the northeastern region, a jurisdiction of the Diocese of Dori. In a statement, Fr Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, the vicar general of the Dori Diocese, called the February 25 incident a…
Angela Merkel and the mystery of national unity
Peter Costello
In the politics of recent times the German Chancellor stands out for her major efforts to sustain the unity of Europe. This may well be because her own life grew out of an experience of what happens when nations are divided. When, in the aftermath of World War II, Germany – an historical unity only…
The Confession Box – Episode 14
In this episode of The Confession Box, Brandon Scott and Ruadhan Jones discuss the accusations that Government is not doing enough for people with disabilities, a cathedral being exposed to drug use and the unlikely relationship between the Vatican and the film reel.
Govt ‘forgetting’ people with disabilities charity head warns
Ruadhán Jones
The Government has “forgotten” people with disabilities, the head of a Christian charity has warned, after a report laid bare the lack of progress on “substantive issues” for disability inclusion. People with disabilities continue to be treated as “secondary” in Ireland, according to the CEO of a charity dedicated to improving the lives of people…
This referendum may make us value mothers at home more
Mary Kenny
The Hollywood mogul, Sam Goldwyn, coined many amusing quotations still in currency – his way of declining an invitation was “Include me out!” He most famously set a maxim for our age when he suggested that public attention is always helpful – “Any publicity is good publicity.” It doesn’t turn out to be true in…