Telling the truth is dangerous: how Robert Dudley Edwards changed Irish history forever Neasa MacErlean (Tartaruga Books, £11.99 / €14.00) By Ciaran Brady Biographies and (worse) autobiographies of historians have become so common that one might imagine they were immensely interesting which, given the generally unexciting lives of scholars, they are not. There are,…
If you have heard of Madagascar, you likely know the cartoon version better than the reality. King Julian is quite the character, bringing the uniqueness of the lemur to life. Last week I had the good fortune of meeting a lemur in the flesh in Madagascar and they have as much personality as Julian. Unique…
The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. That is a grand vision for life, not just something the Vatican says, writes Fr Chris Hayden. There’s nothing new about the phrase, ‘The Vatican says…’ There are, of course, many versions, such as ‘According to the Vatican,’…
Does every age get the Pope it needs and deserves writes theologian Fr Eamonn Conway A year into the pontificate of Pope Francis, Charles Chaput, then Archbishop of Philadelphia, commented, “G.K. Chesterton said that every age gets the saint it needs. Not the saint people want, but the saint they need; the saint who’s the…
By László Molnárfi A group of more than 50 people have registered to take part in a five-day hunger strike demanding justice for Gaza, organisers say. At the launch, held in Béguinage Church in the heart of Brussels on Monday, speakers highlighted the European Union’s “hypocrisy” on the Israel-Palestine war, the necessity of…
Being an active Catholic is not about membership of parish groupings, but living out the faith in the world, says Fr Chris Hayden What is an ‘active’ Catholic? What is an ‘involved’ one? In Church circles, words like ‘active’ and ‘involved’ are so familiar we can easily take their meaning for granted. Let us, for…
Hope is a funny thing. Everybody choses to be hopeful in different ways, says Rachel Garde In today’s world it is more difficult to have hope, we tend to fall into a trap of despair. Despair of the future and what will happen next, despair for our climate and as youth despair for what our…
Each school’s characteristic spirit should be clearly articulated and the rights of parents as primary educators reinforced, Miriam Clune writes. Being a mother in today’s world is challenging, particularly when it comes to navigating the ever-evolving landscape of education. Parents are increasingly finding themselves on the periphery of discussions surrounding centralised school policies and curricula, with NGOs stepping…
Meeting this hunger for God requires youth leaders who are themselves nourished, connected, and renewed in their mission, writes Paula Mckeown In recent weeks there has been a sense of hope within the Church – the large numbers of adults coming forward for Baptism at Easter, a new Pope who amasses a 13 million following…
The more we intercede, the more we are shaped by the love that desires unity, not uniformity, says Peter Kasko Pray for one another’ is a phrase we Christians often use to encourage and support each other. Expressions like ‘Please pray for me’ or ‘I’ll keep you in my prayers’ remind us that we belong…