St Patrick’s Day, as we all know, has in recent years become an occasion for “marketing” Ireland in various corners of the globe. The shiny new liberal Ireland is merchandised in such a way that it will attract many more investors, customers and traders. I’m all for investment, trade and opportunities for jobs – who…

The View   The Pope’s recent visit to the United Arab Emirates highlighted the issue of relations with Islam. It has been a recurring theme of this pontificate. It was also a major concern of Pope Benedict, although he was unfairly caricatured as anti-Islamic after his much mis-quoted Regensberg Address in 2006. Far from attacking…

Letter from Rome   Inés San Martín   Though reaction to Pope Francis’s recent joint declaration with the leader of Al-Azhar, arguably the most important figure in the Sunni Muslim world, received a mixed verdict – from being hailed as historic, to being dismissed as another feel-good statement without teeth – few men have more…

Elise 
Harris   Speaking at a secular conference on child pornography and online threats to youth last week, a Catholic priest said the fight against child abuse isn’t merely a cause for the Church, but for the entire human family and for civilization itself. During the February 7 panel titled ‘Pornography, Minors and Safety on the…

As a vowed, religious celibate I’m very conscious that today celibacy, whether lived out in a religious commitment or in other circumstances, is suspect, under siege, and is offering too little by way of a helpful apologia to its critics. Do I believe in the value of consecrated celibacy? The only real answer I can…

Questions of Faith   There’s an old saying, usually attributed to Benjamin Franklin, which points out that there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes. While Franklin’s economic predictions may not hold water in some distant society of the future, his first point about our mortality certainly rings true. We all die.…

The Notebook   On Wednesday morning, January 30, Fr John Cummins [pictured] looked forward to another busy day among his flock in the parish of Abbeyleix. One of the highlights of his day would surely be the celebration in the local primary school for Grandparents Day. His first public event on that morning was Mass…