The election of Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, following the unprecedented retirement of the scholarly, gentle, spiritual Pope Benedict came as a huge surprise to many of us. In my lifetime there have been seven popes: Pius XII, St John XXIII, St Paul VI, St John Paul I, St John Paul II, Benedict XVI…
The families of people who were murdered during the Troubles face new horrors too regularly, writes Nuala O’Loan Last Sunday I attended the annual Remembrance Mass for the Disappeared at Armagh Cathedral. As I listened to St Luke’s account of the seizing, interrogation, torture and crucifixion of Jesus, I contemplated the horror and terror of…
Each time we leave Mass we are told to “go in peace” Our mission is “to love and serve the Lord”. What does this mean for each of us? The recent final document of the Synod last November tells us what it is to be a Catholic “each according to their diverse roles – within…
The former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has called on the Irish Government to establish its own inquiry into the Omagh bombing to create a clear picture of the tragedy. Baroness Nuala O’Loan investigated the August 15, 1998 incident in which 29 people and two unborn children died, describing it as the “single worst terrorist…
Saturday August 15, 1998 was a glorious summer day. Like thousands of others, I will never forget it. At approximately 3.05pm that afternoon a massive terrorist bomb exploded in Omagh. Three telephone calls were made, the first at 2.29pm warning that a bomb was going to detonate in the town. Police were clearing the streets…
Last Sunday the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus marked the end of the Christmas period. Jesus moved from his private life – the carpenter son of Mary and Joseph – into his brief public life: the three short years of his ministry. We are told, “while Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer,…
Fundamental to our faith is our belief in the sanctity of human life, from conception to natural end, because all life comes from God. This eternal truth informs all we do. In the secular world there is no belief in God, and, for many, little belief in the sanctity of human life. Those who have…
Irish politicians may well be looking warily on the US election results as they move into the race for power. There can be no doubt that Donald Trump won the election because he was listening to what mattered to the people of the United States, and planning to address their very real concerns which echo…
In his recent comments Leo Varadkar moved the debate on Irish unity forward. Free of the responsibilities of government, he is now encouraging all Irish political parties to move from aspiration for a united Ireland, to a stated objective. He also recommends two referendums, one to enable the people to express their views in principle,…
The suffering of the victims and survivors of Northern Ireland’s conflict was very much compounded by the passing last year of the NI Legacy (Troubles and Reconciliation) Act, which was forced through parliament despite the united opposition of all the political parties in Northern Ireland, the vast majority of Troubles victims throughout the UK, most UK…