State Papers Echoes of the past from the archives This year interesting files were in very short supply. One file, in a delivery remarkable short of literary items, was certain to catch the attention of a books editor. A file on Anthony Cronin was devoid of interest so few were the items in it.…
State Papers Echoes of the past from the archives Over April 19-23, 1989 President Hillery and his wife made a state visit to the Holy See. This went off very well, as is the usual case with state visits. But in the papers dealing with the invitation, an official in the department of Foreign…
State Papers Secrets of the powers that be During the late 1980s there was great concern about the role of sport in society and the creation of a National Sports Centre. The government commissioned a special report on the possibilities of developing sport in one of the released files, dealing with the role of…
Five people were stabbed in a rabbi’s house on Saturday night in Monsey when a knife-wielding intruder entered the home during Hanukkah celebrations. The suspect was later arrested by New York police. Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said the suspected attacker entered the residence around 10pm armed with a knife. It is understood those in…
Philosopher of the Heart: The Restless Life of Søren Kierkegaard by Clare Carlisle (Allen Lane, £25.00) Patrick Claffey This exploration of the tortured mind and faith of Kierkegaard is a challenging title with which to begin a fresh year of reading. Clare Carlisle opens her preface to this book on the philosopher with a reference…
State Papers Secrets of the powers that be Capital punishment in Ireland passed into history in 1990 – having already been largely made redundant. However, in tidying up the related files in the Department of the Taoiseach two files were revealed, which are now released and which cast an interesting perspective, not only on…
Chilean Church leaders have called for Catholics to respond with prayer and solidarity to aid about 1,000 people who lost their homes in fires that swept through hillside neighbourhoods around the southern port city of Valparaiso on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Bishop Pedro Ossandon Buljevic, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Valparaiso, urged Catholics to…
As India continues to experience violent protests against a controversial citizenship law, Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai has said citizenship should never be based on a person’s religion. “The ongoing controversy and demonstrations and counterdemonstrations concerning the Citizenship Amendment Act (are) a cause of great anxiety for all citizens and could harm the country,” Cardinal…
The Catholic Faith is anything but in decline in Ireland, writes Amy McCann The annual Youth 2000 Christmas retreat is, for many of its veterans, the highlight of a year filled with prayer groups, regional retreats and a vibrant summer festival. This was my first Christmas retreat, and it was not hard to see…
The founder of a pioneering pilgrimage to Lourdes for people living with disabilities has died. Bro. Michael Strode died on December 27. He was 96. Dr Michael Strode, or Bro. Michael as he was called after he became a Cistercian monk in later life, was born in Surrey in 1923 and trained to be a…