Europe’s top court has ruled that employers can bar workers from wearing religious symbols in the workplace. The judgement handed down by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) states that internal company rules can be shaped so as to require ‘neutral dress’ on the part of employees. The case was centred on the experiences of…
A Caritas director in one Catholic diocese in South Sudan has warned that “the humanitarian situation…is getting to a catastrophic stage”. Writing after the official announcement of famine in the country, William Okot de Toby, who oversees the work of the Church’s development agency in the Diocese of Torit in the far south-east, said: “Hunger…
The Church in Egypt has lauded the efforts of Muslims to assist Christians fleeing Sinai. Spokesman Fr Rafiq Greiche said: “Ordinary Muslims are kind and try to help however they can. They’re often first on the scene, rescuing the injured.” Fr Greiche spoke as so-called Islamic State (ISIS), which is behind the drive to oust…
A new request for a hearing in the case of Asia Bibi is to be presented to Pakistan’s Supreme Court at the end of March, supporters of the imprisoned Christian woman have revealed. The announcement came following an update on Mrs Bibi’s condition as she continues to languish in Multan prison, Punjab, where she has…
Dear Editor, In this era where rights overshadow responsibilities and when personal preferences shout louder than Christian doctrine, it may seem churlish to point out that sacred music offered at Mass and especially during Communion should be (a) sacred and (b) appropriate. Indeed, at the beginning of March, Pope Francis, speaking at a gathering organised…
In a Landscape Redrawn by Bishop Donal Murray (Veritas, €10.99/£9.35) Though it is not presented as a Lenten book, Donal Murray’s latest book is very much the sort of book which will provide readers with many insights in the way things are. He is writing very much for those who find the ‘redrawn landscape’ of…
Monody for a Much Loved Bookshop by Louis Hemmings, illustrated by Dora Kazmierak Carraig Books, a long-established bookshop in Blackrock village, is to close soon, certainly before the end of the year. It is one of the few second-hand bookshops that carry a large stock of philosophical and religious books, but as the owner explained…
Fr Conor McDonough OP As part of their 2017 celebrations, Dublin’s St Patrick’s Day Festival commissioned a poem, ‘My Ireland’, by Stephen James Smith, available now on YouTube. It’s a kaleidoscope of incongruous impressions of contemporary Ireland and its various mythologies, with some very moving parts and powerfully complemented by the accompanying music and images.…
Darragh McGann Like any audience, a priest has to know his congregation when delivering a homily, writes Darragh McGann For as long as I can remember I have heard people saying that Mass is boring, as an explanation or an excuse for not attending. I was an altar server for eight years and would often…
Felix M. Larkin Ireland’s Allies: America and the 1916 Rising edited by Miriam Nyhan Gray (UCD Press, €40.00) In August 1886, speaking at a gathering of Irish-Americans in Chicago, Michael Davitt said: “It is very easy to establish an Irish republic by patriotic speeches delivered three thousand miles away, but we could not do it…