Irish MEPS’ who this week voted to enshrine Abortion as a ‘right’ in the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights have been slammed and described as ‘going down a path of relentless disregard for preborn human life’. Patrick Murphy, who is Aontu’s candidate for Ireland South said, “The spectre of 12 out of 13 Irish MEP’s…
If we want peace, the UN Security Council needs to go
Michael Sanfey In a lecture delivered last month at the European University Institute in Florence, European Central Bank Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel referenced the importance of ‘creative destruction’, a concept associated with the Austrian political economist Joseph Schumpeter. It means that in a well-functioning system, productivity is boosted by the exit of inefficient…
Abuses plague riot-affected Pakistani Christians
Kamran Chaudhry Arif Masih still remembers the day he was left speechless after finding that tons of radishes on his smallholding had started withering last August. “At first, I thought the radishes were dying due to the August heat. But, I discovered someone had sprayed poisonous chemicals on them. The radishes died one…
Debunking theories that dismiss Christ’s resurrection
Carl E. Olson It is something of a tradition for magazines and newspapers to run articles about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the weeks leading up to Easter. Scholars, pastors, skeptics and ordinary people weigh in with their opinions. Some argue the Resurrection never took place. Down through time there have…
Easter converts ‘fabulous’ for Ireland’s parishes
Ruadhán Jones and Chai Brady Dozens of adults and young people were welcomed into the Church in Ireland over Easter weekend, with parishes praising the “great signs” of hope these conversions bring for local communities. Many of the new converts are young people who have come to Ireland to make their home and through the…
Tug of war between Catholicism and politics
Catholicism and republicanism have long been uncomfortably intertwined, writes Martina Purdy For the Irish, the great Christian feast of Easter is somehow fused with the great rebellion of 1916. Patrick Pearse, who wrote the Proclamation, placed the Irish Republic under the protection of “the most High God.” How many Irish politicians would use…
How to be ‘distinctly Catholic’ in a polarised political world
The current political world can be dispiriting but there are ways in which you can affirm both faith and political beliefs, writes Charlie Camosy Kenneth Craycraft, associate professor of moral theology at Mount St Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati, Ohio, has a new book, Citizens Yet Strangers: Living Authentically Catholic in…
Laity ‘crying out’ for good faith formation
The big philosophical questions about faith can’t be ignored, writes Eoin McCormack Almost two years on from the local synodal gatherings held in parishes across the country it seems appropriate as we celebrate season of Easter – the fundamental basis for our Christian identity – to assess our efforts in responding to one of…
Simon Harris, the ghost of Leo Varadkar and a party in its death throes
Dr Eoin Lenihan It is now a familiar story. A young media darling in a rush to the top is installed as the leader of Fine Gael and the country – without the electorate having a say in the matter. Mirroring Leo Varadkar’s meteoric rise to Taoiseach, Simon Harris is set to become…
Simon Harris, the ghost of Leo Varadkar and a party in its death throes
Dr Eoin Lenihan It is now a familiar story. A young media darling in a rush to the top is installed as the leader of Fine Gael and the country – without the electorate having a say in the matter. Mirroring Leo Varadkar’s meteoric rise to Taoiseach, Simon Harris is set to become Ireland’s youngest…