The Vatican has received explosive mail from the Goldenstein convent: the rebellious nuns are demanding the dismissal of their superior and are making serious accusations against the provost. In the dispute over the Goldenstein monastery near Salzburg, the three nuns who live there have now turned to the Vatican. In a letter dated Tuesday, obtained…

60 years ago, the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the Catholic Church initiated a comprehensive renewal. These are the most important contents of the 16 Council texts: Understanding of the Church: the constitution Lumen gentium (1964) sets out the new self-understanding of the Roman Catholic Church. It defines the Church as a community of believers, as…

In January 17, 1991, the world witnessed the beginning of a devastating bombardment of Iraq with the start of the combat phase of the Gulf War. A NATO-led coalition launched its attack in response to Saddam Hussein’s annexation and invasion of Kuwait. Just twenty-four hours earlier, however, a new pair of lungs had drawn in…

I recently read in an article that for young people today, “faith is often less an inherited identity, rather an informed choice”. This statement really struck a chord with me, especially in relation to the young people that I am fortunate to encounter and accompany in the course of my ministry in the Archdiocese of…

Years ago, sandwiched between work and a commute, in the ambient silence of the Newman University Church, I learned about John Henry Newman for the first time. I was stirred by his motto “Heart speaks (un)to Heart”. Recently, two things propelled me to prioritise learning more about his contribution to the faith. First, he is…

When picturing a cathedral, you may imagine the skyscraping towers of Notre-Dame or the grandiose dome of St Paul’s. Although these buildings are synonymous with resplendent architecture, jaw-dropping scale and profound histories, somewhat unassuming churches, such as St Mary’s Pro Cathedral in the heart of Dublin, can still hold deep-seated influences in their respective communities.…

Patrick Pearse once declared, “Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam,” meaning “A country without a language is a country without a soul.” Ireland could therefore be described as a nation without a soul. While most European countries enjoy their native tongue, Ireland has adopted English as its dominant language. Irish remains a vital part of…

Last week, the two branches of Venerable Mary Ward’s work were merged into one. On November 4, the Congregation of Jesus (CJ) and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), known as the Loreto Sisters, have merged into one congregation during Mass in Loyola, Spain. The merger brought together around 1,880 sisters worldwide under…

The images that continue to arrive from El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, Sudan, are horrific. Mass killings and indiscriminate violence against everyone, women, men and children alike, are the order of the day. For more than two and a half years now, amid deafening silence from the media and the international community, terrible news…