The first report of the Synod on Synodality makes for very interesting reading. The second session of the synod will be in 2024. Of the 364 voting delegates who attended 50 were women. While one woman for every seven men was a very distinct under-representation, it was a very significant improvement on previous practice and…
Attending Mass in an Italian church shows how European Christianity has collapsed, writes Dualta Roughneen I have a travelled a lot over the last 20 years. My work has taken me to many different and varied countries, for weeks, months and years at a time. The work travel has allowed me to add holidays on…
A Finnish case shows the dangers hate speech laws pose for Irish Christians, Ruadhán Jones hears As Ireland considers introducing controversial hate speech laws, a Finnish case against a prominent Christian politician shows the “chilling effect” these laws could have here. While former MP Päivi Räsänen was cleared on November 14 by the Helsinki Court…
Most countries deem such restrictions to be disproportionate and not to hold rights in balance, writes David Quinn There is every chance you didn’t notice it because it was barely reported, but last week the Dáil voted by an overwhelming majority of 117 to 10 in favour of the so-called ‘Safe Access Zones’ Bill that…
Chris Altieri There was a curious news item carried by Vatican News recently, one which, among other things, reminds us that the Catholic Church has both real enemies and a long memory. It may also, however, serve to illustrate that often enough, the Church’s worst enemy is within – and the enemy isn’t who…
Jonathan Luxmoore The president of the Polish bishops’ conference has bitterly criticised demands for liberal change by the Church in neighbouring Germany and urged the Pope not to allow them to dominate the Rome Synod on Synodality. “Awareness of the power of truth sustains my hope for the ongoing synod – that it won’t be…
November 22, marked the 60th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy who was assassinated in Dallas, Texas in 1963. This Irish American was the first Catholic to be elected president of the United States and his rise to the highest office of American politics represented a moment of pride and triumph of…
The ‘gender pay gap’ – differences in earnings between men and women – must now be monitored by the authorities following the Gender Pay Gap Information Act of 2021. Irish companies with more than 250 employees must report on the differences between male and female average pay. Subsequently, smaller companies, first with 150 employees, and…
With little else in the news aside from wars and rumours of wars (Matthew 24:6), along with murder trials and extreme weather events, I freely admit to seeking escapism when I went with my husband, youngest son and his friend, Jacob, to see The Miracle Club, directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan. The fact that The Miracle…
From Islam to atheism to Christianity, David Quinn tells the story of a modern convert Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia in 1969 and was raised in an extremely strict Muslim environment. Aged five, she underwent female circumcision, otherwise known as female genital mutilation. This is not a requirement of Islam but is tolerated…
Nuala O’Loan
Ruadhán Jones
David Quinn
Mary Kenny
Breda O'Brien