Egypt has waged bitter wars against Israel and suffered devastating defeats. In 1978, Cairo dared to take the path to peace. Today, the Arab country is indispensable as a mediator in the Middle East conflict. “No war against Israel without Egypt, no peace without Syria” – for a long time this was the geostrategic rule…
It was a breathless night in Tel Aviv: Hundreds gathered in the evening to eagerly await the release of the hostages. After hours of waiting, a first sigh of relief – the first ones are free! The clock is ticking. Shortly after midnight, the digital red digits on the square in front of the museum…
Dr Robert McNamara, lecturer in philosophy and head of department at St Patrick’s Pontifical University in Maynooth, first encountered St Edith Stein’s book On the Problem of Empathy while passing it daily on a library shelf. “There was an alluring character to her presence,” he remembers. “I tried to read it but found it impossible…
I attended a priestly ordination recently. The first reading told the story of the young Samuel, under the tutelage of Eli, learning how to discern God’s word. We are told that: “In those days it was rare for the Lord to speak: visions were uncommon” (1 Sam. 2, 1-20). More of this later. This remarkable…
As the Troubles swept across Northern Ireland in the 1970s, entire communities were engulfed in the flames of sectarian conflict. Families were torn apart by death and destruction, as oppression and division sowed seeds of hatred that would span generations. Armagh was among the worst counties affected. The infamous IRA stronghold of South Armagh, where…
For decades Soline Humbert’s name has been associated in Ireland with the debate over women’s ordination. Her recently released memoir, A Divine Calling, is as she says, “the story of a call that will not let me go.” Born in France and later making her home in Ireland, Ms Humbert lost her mother at 12…
Is a call to a car crash a priest’s worst nightmare? This September brought the kind of call most priests dread: “There’s been a terrible crash, can you come?” When details are sparse, the imagination goes into overdrive. Will it be a scene of absolute carnage? Will I know the people involved? What kind of…
On the second Thursday in October every year, World Sight Day is celebrated. Or at least it should be celebrated because sight is hugely important. Everyone has an eyesight story that is close to their heart. If you don’t, then you are very, very lucky. Almost everyone will be affected by an eye health or…
When he addressed an international congress on the pastoral care of the elderly yesterday, Pope Leo laid out the demographic premises for an honest assessment of Catholic life these days, but he didn’t quite draw out the logical pastoral consequences. Leo clearly acknowledged that rapid aging of societies is one of the key hallmarks of…
Childhood trauma impacts people’s lives in different ways and overcoming it differs from person to person. Sean Loone, a deacon of the Archdiocese of Birmingham writes in his new memoir A Million Reasons to Be Angry – Only One to Love: A book about Mental Health, Childhood Trauma, and Faith how his Irish mother’s faith…
John L. Allen Jr.
Renata Steffens