Pope Francis has united two Welsh dioceses to create the new Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia, the Vatican announced September 12, the feast of the Holy Name of Mary. Archbishop Mark O’Toole, who will lead the newly formed archdiocese, emphasised the significance of this date in a pastoral letter on the unification. “We are immensely grateful to Pope…
The crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth was a historical event occurring in a particular time and place. But the cross casts a long shadow, one that stretches across all of history. As Christians, we believe that the narrative of human destiny is the story of redemption in the cross of Christ. It stands at the…
We live at a time when public scandals appear so ubiquitous that their shock value seems diminished; yet the case of Huw Edwards, the BBC newsreader convicted this week of viewing child pornographic images, has had a huge impact in Britain. It’s the fact that Edwards was such a decent, reassuring, familiar face in every…
Have you ever found yourself in the often-awkward position in work or in another other social setting where you are somehow elected the spokesperson for all things Catholic? Last week we took a look at a question so often asked with bemusement: “Why do you go to Mass. To read more on how we can…
Any discussion of the differences between men and women and their roles in society seem to be particularly charged these days. As the role of wife and mother continues to be embraced and celebrated by the Church, it is often downplayed in an increasingly secularised culture. At the same time, Catholics today grapple with the…
In a line that may once again stir reaction in more traditional Catholic quarters, Pope Francis on Friday wrapped up a three-day visit to Singapore, a country with large pockets of at least five different faiths, that “all religions are a path to God”. “They are like different languages in order to arrive at God,…
John Redmond and Irish Parliamentary Traditions edited by Martin O’Donoghue and Emer Purcell (UCD Press, €30 / £24.90) This volume includes seven papers delivered at a symposium to honour John Redmond held in March 2018 as part of the Decade of Centenaries commemorations. To these two further papers have been added for publication. The aim of…
D-Day: The Oral History by Garrett M. Graff (Monoray / Octopus Publishing, £25.00 / €30.00) D-Day was the turning point in World War II. On that day, June 6 1944, 160,000 troops stormed the Normandy beaches. They set up a battle front of more than sixty miles over five different beaches – their code names forever…
A new poll by Pew Research Centre shows a slim majority of US Catholics intending to cast their ballot for former president Donald Trump in November, with Trump and Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris in a dead heat among the entire electorate as the election contest enters its final weeks. The poll, released last week, found…
Bishop Robert Reed It’s that time of year, again, when the waking air has a chill crispness to it, and the hallways are lined with bookbags full of fresh spiral notebooks, binders still blank of the doodles of midwinter boredom and the good old marble-covered notebooks, as yet unsullied. Pencils have been sharpened, erasers are…
Mary Kenny