The rights to freedom of thought, expression and belief were accepted by countries as part of their international legal obligations under the UN Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago. It was followed in 1957 by the European Convention on Human Rights. In the 50 years before the universal declaration, there had been two world…
Facing the unpleasant realities after the GFA
Good Friday at 25 The View There has been much coverage in the last weeks of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. I have not wanted to watch much of it. My abiding memory of the signing of the agreement is that it induced in me a sense of great sorrow and distress…
Women: be the change you want to see in the Church
I wonder how women really feel, deep down, about their membership of the Church in Ireland. The synodal pathway process has challenged us all to discern how we live as Church in the future. The Pope was very clear that this was not intended to be a comprehensive review of doctrine, rather it is about how we…
We must pursue the truth about Omagh bombing
August 15 this year will be the 25th anniversary of the day on which the Omagh bomb exploded killing 29 people and two unborn babies. It was the single biggest incident of the Troubles. It was planted by the Real IRA in the little market town of Omagh as people, including visitors from Ireland and…
Cardinal Pell’s views on the synod deserve deep analysis and discussion
The death of Pope Benedict on New Year’s Eve gives rise to many possible consequences for the Church. There were stark differences between the papacy of Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, though both based their foundations very solidly on love – the love of God for his people, and both focused on the need for…
Women and men still flee terror as Mary and Joseph did with Jesus
The View Two thousand years ago a young man and a young woman made a long journey on foot to Bethlehem. She was pregnant – nearing her time. They must have been very concerned as they plodded on, the woman riding on a donkey, wondering whether they would be able to get accommodation. Would it be warm and…
Britain determined to let victims down…again
The View Last Saturday night I went with the Families of the Disappeared to Oristown, Co. Meath for a Mass commemorating all those who had been abducted and murdered by the IRA and who are known as ‘the Disappeared’. This is where the bodies of three of those who were abducted and murdered by the…
Giving in to eco-extremists would mean ordinary people could not afford fuel
The View We live in a world which can seem almost as if it is imploding. On the global front we see developments in China which are a cause of great concern as Xi Jinping cements his power; we are watching the systematic destruction of much of Ukraine by Russia; war is being waged in…
Dominant minority voices can lead society down destructive paths
The View Growing up can be very hard. Young people in their early teens and even younger have always faced serious questions of identity. Who am I? What am I here for? Who do I want to be? Why am I different from my friends? Why do I not fit in the way others do? Children can feel…
Elizabeth II was determined to mend UK-Ireland relations
We have lost a model for peace and reconciliation, writes Baroness Nuala O’Loan These have been sad days for so many people in Britain and across the world. In her 70 year reign and her 96 years of life, Queen Elizabeth II seems to have become ‘the queen’ for so many countries – even leaders of…