In this series some of our literary collaborators will be giving suggestions for lockdown reading, books of all kinds to amuse and raise our spirits. This week, Felix M. Larkin writes of that ‘study of provincial life’ which deals with normal people and their hidden lives, George Eliot’s Middlemarch (1871-72). At a public lecture in…
The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. “The bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world.” Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Sadly, our churches are still closed but the good news is that they will soon be open again.…
The President of the Pontifical Academy for Life has condemned racism as a “cultural virus” which has spread throughout the world and must be eradicated. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia was commenting on the death of George Floyd, while in police custody in Minneapolis and the subsequent protests throughout the US. “I would compare [racism] to Covid-19,”…
Cardinal Joseph Zen says changes to Hong Kong’s status in China could threaten the religious freedom of Catholics in the region. The legislature of China approved a resolution to impose new “security laws” on its formerly autonomous region Hong Kong on May 28. Cardinal Zen, Bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, worries that the new laws…
A state in Mexico has passed legislation which requires students to receive education supportive of respect for all human life. The new education reform bill of the northern state of Nuevo Leon is meant to foster a “respect for life from conception to natural death” in students. Nuevo Leon’s constitution “recognises, protects and defends the…
The Jakarta Archdiocese has extended its Covid-19 emergency period for a second and indefinite time as the Indonesian government prepares to introduce new measures. The extension from June 1 was taken by the archdiocese a few days after Jakarta authorities decided to extend lockdowns in the capital until June 4 to curb rising Covid-19 cases.…
Living Laudato Si’ During Laudato Si’ Week, May 17-24 this year, we were treated to a huge online celebration of Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for our common home. Many international speakers, musicians, poets, theologians, activists and families came together to reflect on Laudato Si’ five years on. One of the highlights of Laudato…
Letter from America Donald Trump is the best president in the history of the United States…or at least that’s what he told Catholic leaders on a conference call recently… Twice during the month of April, the US President held conference calls with faith leaders – the first was a mix of Christians, Jews, and…
An 81-year old priest in Co. Down has taken his love for music to Facebook on Saturday nights to boost morale in these difficult times. Fr Seán Rogan of Carryduff, known as the ‘piano player’, told The Irish Catholic what prompted him to go on social media. “While we were in this lockdown, it struck me that…
The Church in the Philippines has opened its doors to help thousands of refugees who fled clashes that erupted in Mindanao during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr. More than 6,000 people fled their homes when armed militants launched concerted attacks on army units, hitting three villages in Maguindanao province with mortar fire. According to…