Colombia’s bishops have said “weapons and violence only generate destruction”, after leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced “a new stage of fighting”. The announcement came three years after a peace agreement was signed by the government of Juan Manuel Santos and Colombia’s main rebel group. The members of the Marxist guerrilla…
For the first time in over 40 years, Ireland will not have a vote at a forthcoming conclave following the omission of an Irish prelate from Pope Francis’ new batch of cardinals. At the weekend, the Pontiff announced that he would create 13 new cardinals on October 5. Ireland lost the right to vote for…
The Archbishop of Canterbury has said all religions and their leaders must own up to extremist activities within their faith and examine which of their traditional teachings enable extremists to commit evil. Archbishop Justin Welby, the figurehead of the worldwide Anglican Church, told interfaith leaders in Sri Lanka that accepting responsibility is key rather than…
The Glory and the Burden: the American Presidency from FDR to Trump by Robert Schmuhl (University of Notre Dame Press, $25 /£20.35) Felix M. Larkin Robert Schmuhl, professor emeritus of American Studies and Journalism at the University of Notre Dame, is well known in Ireland for his contributions to Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1.…
The Archdiocese of Xalapa in Mexico has called for peace after a massacre at a night club in the town of Coatzacoalcos claimed 26 lives last Tuesday. It has been reported that 10 women and 16 men died in the attack, and 11 more people were injured. The local press said that a group of…
Catholic bishops in South Sudan have praised the recent peace agreement for neighbouring Sudan, which has experienced political turmoil since April, when the military ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. “Our hearts went out for Sudan during the period under which the country was facing the turmoil. Actually we are still Sudanese; we share the common…
World Meeting of Families mascot Éirinn the lamb has helped World Missions Ireland (WMI) launch its Extraordinary Month of Mission campaign. Working with its international offices to highlight the month and to urge people to put their faith in action, WMI are embarking on a social media campaign inviting individuals and groups to share their…
A School on a Mission: 140 years of the CBC on Wakefield Street by Lingard Goulding (Christian Brothers’ College, Adelaide SA, Aus$80.00/€40.00; copies through Veritas and Books Upstairs) Charles Edward Lysaght The author of this book, Lingard Goulding, was headmaster of Headfort School in Kells, a preparatory school founded around 1950 to prepare boys for…
Fr Tony Coote has been remembered as a man of both humility and generosity. Fr Coote [pictured] – who when was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2018 embarked on an enormous ‘Walk While You Can’ fundraising campaign – died on August 28. He was 55. Speaking at his funeral Mass in the Church of…
Italian cardinal and diplomat dies age 95 Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, former prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches and a long-time Vatican diplomat, died at his home in the Vatican on August 29 at the age of 95. Cardinal Silvestrini served in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See in Rome and abroad for nearly…