The trial of Lindsay Clancy in Massachusetts for strangling her three small children in 2023 ended two weeks ago with a hung jury and a verdict of mistrial. The case attracted a high level of media interest and a very polarised debate between those who see Lindsay herself as a victim and those who, in the…
The sad story of Jason Arday has at this point been recast over and over to denounce either racism or DEI. The story has, however, a wider, less contentious angle. It centres on the question of how outlier cultures, whether based on religion or race, can thrive within a society that finds at least some…
Recently, Pope Leo welcomed the new female Archbishop of Canterbury to the Vatican. The optics of the meeting bring the Catholic Church’s male-only priesthood into focus though it can never really be said to be out of focus among progressive Catholics. It is difficult to make a case for the theological rationale behind the Church’s…
It’s over two years since Pope Francis launched the Synod on Synodality and to many it seems at this point to be all about assemblies, working groups and reports that float high above the lives of the man and woman in the pew. The publicity and the posters are a rapidly fading memory. The idea…
Fr Brian Lennon SJ takes issue with the Catholic position on the ordination of women to the priesthood (The Irish Catholic, 12/2/2026). In making his case, Fr Lennon begins with an emotional appeal. A female chaplain can comfort a dying patient only to the point of giving them the Sacrament of the Sick. Then she…