Vexed: Ethics beyond Political Tribes by James Mumford (Bloomsbury Continuum, £16.99 / €20.50 ) Politics are everywhere. We’ve had the British general election, currently the drama of the United States’ presidential election, and the prospect of our own general election in November. As the tumult, the divisions, the competition fill our screens and the pages of…
Thousands gathered in Galway Cathedral on September 5 to 6 to venerate the relics of St Bernadette of Lourdes. Fr John Gerard Acton of Galway Cathedral said that it was an immense privilege for both the Diocese and the Cathedral parish to host the relics of the young saint, noting how the two-day event of…
The Maori people, the Indigenous population of mainland New Zealand, have crowned a new queen after the death of their king — and she’s Catholic. King Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII died on August 30 at the age of 69. His death came days after his 18th anniversary as king of the Kingitanga, also known as…
I was very conscious that if I said ’yes’ my life would change in a radical way, says Bishop Paul Dempsey At the age of 18, I made the decision to enter the seminary. Some might think, “God, that was a very young time to become a priest.” Of course, I wasn’t becoming a priest…
Part 4 of a new series on Faith in modern Ireland with Eoin McCormack Have you ever found yourself in the often-awkward position in work or in another social setting where you are somehow elected the spokesperson for all things Catholic? Over the next several weeks this column is exploring how we can better prepare…
The historic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer, in the Pas-de-Calais department of northern France, was ravaged by arson on the night of September 2. The suspect, a multi-recidivist who has attempted to set fire to numerous places of worship in the past, was apprehended a few hours after the blaze was brought under…
Last week, Pope Francis embarked on his 45th and most ambitious trip of his papacy, both in terms of distance and duration. It was a 12-day, four-country, two-continent odyssey; with stops in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore. The trip, which enabled Catholics in remote regions to see the Pope in the flesh prompted…
Public meetings are set to take place in Strokestown, Athlone and Castlerea from next week to discuss the amalgamation of two local dioceses, the Diocese of Elphin and the Diocese of Achonry. It was announced in April the Dioceses of Elphin and Achonry would merge, in a major reorganisation of the Catholic Church, spearheaded by…
Whether our hopes for this summer have been fulfilled or not, the season is waning. Most kids have returned to school, and the full force of the fall calendar is poised to kick in. All we can do now is hope that whatever rest and recreation we managed to get will be enough to draw…
What with the Olympic Games followed by the Paralympics, let alone the normal goings on and a clamour of French politics, Paris has been satiated by spectacle these last few months. There had been hopes of another kind of spectacle. It was hoped by many who had followed as well as they could the great…
Renata Milán Morales
Peter Costello