Rabbi Jonathan Sacks is one of the foremost religious thinkers in the English-speaking world. Yet, he wears his considerable depth lightly. When we meet in his home in the London suburb of Golders Green, he is warm and hospitable. The first thing one notices in the house is the enormous dining table. Meals and table…
“If you’re looking for the real story of St Patrick, you will be able see this film and at the end of it understand this man. What he went through, facing death, his courage and his willingness to follow God to the ends of the Earth.” These are the words executive producer Gordon Robertson uses…
Fr Billy Swan This week marks the seventh anniversary of the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis on March 13, 2013. Though a work of fiction, the recent success of the film The Two Popes has revived public interest in the context of Francis’ election, his cultural background in South America and the…
“In a time where people are very busy in a world where there is persistent noise and commentary from social media, I think it’s very important for people to have the space to get away, be centred and in touch with their own self.” These words from Sr Peggy Collins of Glendalough Hermitage Centre not…
News this week that the Vatican is opening the archives for World War II (1939-45) to historians will bring fresh focus on the Pope Pius XII. Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli – who had been Papal Nuncio in Bavaria and then Secretary of State to Pius XI – was elected Successor of St Peter in 1939 on…
Caoimhe de Barra Over the coming days and weeks, the faces of two women will adorn the walls and tables of homes in parishes all over Ireland. Standing alongside their young children, Angela and Madris are like all other mothers in the world who want to provide futures for their children. But these two mothers…
P. Fintan Lyons O.S.B. Lent is not likely to be anyone’s favourite season. There is enough to contend with in the weather of February and March, even if the days towards the end are brighter and there are signs of growth in an already resurgent nature. The most perceptible positive feature of the passing…
For one West Cork priest, the Church is about people –although a little cement never goes astray, writes Róise McGagh Fr Jeremiah Donovan began his journey when he joined the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1959. His work took him from West Cork to Goiás in central Brazil. Here he…
An unexpected meeting of foreign ministers from China and the Vatican in Germany last week raised hopes of an improvement in relations between the two states sharing no diplomatic ties. Talks between China’s Wang Yi and Archbishop Paul Gallagher at the Munich Security Conference on February 14 were the first held between the sides since…
Campaigner Adi Roche speaks to Chai Brady about nuclear weapons, politically- correct Ireland and ‘inspirational’ St Brigid For the founder of a charity dedicated to those affected by the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, addressing a crowd gathered in the Vatican was the perfect opportunity to tell St Brigid’s story and how the saint has given inspiration…
Michael Kelly
Chai Brady