Politicians need to address issues around our ageing society, writes Finola Kennedy Finola Kennedy The final comment of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry went largely unreported. He referred to the difficulty of providing resources for “the ageing of Irish society”. He went on to say: “I hope the issue isn’t lost.”…

Luca Attanasio It was 1984. In the aftermath of the terrible news report by the BBC on the effects of famine in Ethiopia, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure quickly brought together the top bands of the time and recorded the famous song Do They Know it’s Christmas.  They raised a lot of money and international…

The Latin American Pope faces a testing visit, writes Paul Keenan There could hardly have been a more diabolical challenge to the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to Mexico than the January 29 murder of baby Marcos Miguel Pano Colón. In a single violent incident among the many thousands perpetrated by the country’s drugs cartels…

The Church teaches that Confession to a priest is an essential part of the Sacrament of Penance, writes Cathal Barry The Church teaches that penance requires the sinner to “endure all things willingly, be contrite of heart, confess with the lips, and practice complete humility and fruitful satisfaction” Among the penitent’s acts contrition occupies first…

A colleague of mine shares this story: recently, after presiding a Eucharist, a woman from the congregation came up to him with this comment: “What a horrible scripture reading today! If that’s the kind of God we’re worshipping, then I don’t want to go to Heaven!” The reading for that day’s liturgy was taken from…

“the God who calls is the God who loves, who forgives, the God who sees into our hearts and gently but very definitely coaxes us to be the very best person we can be”, writes Fr Martin Delaney Recently I returned to my home parish for the funeral of one of my neighbours, a Kiltegan…

In spite of the sometimes overwhelming challenges, it is important for religious to retain joy and confidence, writes Andrew O’Connell I’m writing this week’s Notebook from St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford where a hundred or so religious from across the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois have gathered for a conference hosted by Bishop Francis Duffy…

“A healthy society is one where different views can be held and the right to hold those views, subject to the common good, is cherished rather than resisted”, writes, Editor Michael Kelly The McArthur family, who run the Ashers Bakery Company in the North, are back in court this week to appeal an earlier finding…

Unfortunately it is the turn of the Catholics to be portrayed as the ‘creepy…smarmy’ baddies, writes Mary Kenny I remember some years ago seeing a cartoon depicting a Native American father and son, both wearing the head-dress of the Navajo (or Sioux) people. They were sitting in front of a cinema showing a movie depicting…

Separating faith from politics, suggests Christianity has nothing to say on social justice, writes David Quinn Many Catholics entirely separate their faith from their politics. It is a very strange move. It’s as if they believe the Gospel has nothing to say about the just ordering of society, which is ultimately what politics is about,…