Synod asks for lived experiences without listening to the answers Dear Editor, After twenty years within the Irish Catholic Church — and the equivalent time within the German Catholic Church — I have lost hope in many ways. The further I can move away from institutional Church life, the happier I think I am. After…
Month: June 2026
When to say ‘no’ to AI in the classroom and at home: a key warning of Magnifica Humanitas
Pope Leo XIV devotes a substantial portion of his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, to the impact of the digital revolution on education and family life. The pontiff acknowledges that “rapid technological transformations reveal just how unprepared we are on the educational level.” He warns that “the pervasiveness of digital media fosters a culture of immediacy…
Christians arrested in Uttar Pradesh for holding prayer meeting
Police in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh arrested two Pentecostal pastors and one other man late last week after hearing they were involved in efforts to convert people to Christianity, another incident highlighting the plight of India’s minority Christians. The Press Trust of India reported Pentecostal pastors Vivek Kumar, Mohit Chaudhary and another man…
Christians in Sri Lanka protest against abuse by monks
Christians in Sri Lanka are taking to the streets to protest against abuse by Buddhist clergy. During demonstrations in the country’s major cities on May 28 and 29, they called for those responsible to be held accountable without political or religious interference, as reported by Ucanews. The protests follow allegations against a high-ranking Buddhist monk.…
God is love and the urgent call to love our neighbour
The deepest structure of reality is not domination or fear, but self-giving love, writes Alan Martin God created mankind in his own image. This does not mean that humans physically resemble God, but rather that humans uniquely reflect something of God’s ultimate nature and character. Specifically, God is rational and loving and humans can reflect…
St Columba and being a missionary away from home
There are many examples in Scripture of people elected by God to fulfil a special mission that involved them moving away from home. Abraham was asked by God to trust Him, to leave his homeland and travel towards a destiny known as ‘the promised land’ (cf. Gen 12:1ff). Moses was chosen by God to lead…
Bread for the journey: Corpus Christi in a forgetful age
Fr Dominik Domagala
There are truths in Christianity so familiar that we risk no longer being astonished by them. The feast of Corpus Christi confronts us with one of them. We hear again words that Catholics have repeated for centuries: “This is my Body… This is my Blood.” Yet if we truly allowed those words to enter our…
Rosary rallies and the importance of public prayer
If you spend any time in Catholic circles online, you may have seen the images: small groups gathered across Ireland, Rosary beads in hand, kneeling in prayer in the public square. The images came from the recent Rosary Rallies organised by the Irish Society for Christian Civilisation and its Ireland Needs Fatima campaign. According to…
Hearers of the Word Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a; Ps 147; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever The Gospel John 6:51 [Jesus said:] “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world…
Priesthood and the Sacred Heart: called to love as Jesus loved
The month of June is dedicated in a special way to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 2002, Pope St John Paul II established the solemnity of the Sacred Heart as the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests. The solemnity is a fitting day for this prayer because it highlights the importance…