Jeffrey Donaldson can expect a tough time in prison for his crimes – paedophiles and rapists are lowest in the penitentiary caste system. But there’s one English priest who is willing to reach out to him, to offer redemption and healing. However, the Rev. Jonathan Aitken is no ordinary Anglican pastor. He’s been an MP,…
We cannot forget the ecumenical dimension of our synodal dialogue, says Cardinal Mario Grech For almost five years we have reflected on and worked on synodality. Much has been accomplished, and much has matured in the heart of the Church. Indeed, never before has a synodal process generated such momentum, such gravitas. One need only…
Recently, the people of Cork celebrated the centenary of their annual Eucharistic Procession. The Cork Eucharistic Procession began in 1926, only a few years after the end of the Irish Civil War, and the social and political context of the time is essential to understanding its significance. After the struggle for independence and the bitterness…
In one sense, parishes in every country on earth are much the same; they consist mainly of ordinary Catholics, whose joys and sorrows are similar no matter how different their circumstances. These Catholics want to attend Mass, have their children baptised, arrange Catholic marriages and funerals and depend on the support of a praying community…
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is often lauded as the world’s most successful ever military alliance, and I for one am not about to ‘diss’ the role it played in providing protection for Western Europe against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Supposedly, NATO is not just a military alliance, it is also…
In the way to lead scores of teenagers in an end-of-term retreat last week, my fellow faith leader and I stopped for a break. On mission in Co. Antrim – a long way from Antioch – the words of Venerable Fulton Sheen were ringing in our ears: “There’s God – and coffee!” As we turned…
Opponents of the three-day wait before an abortion may have won the first vote, but they haven’t won the argument, writes Eilís Mulroy Last week was a disappointing one for anyone who supports the life-saving three-day reflection period before an abortion. The Dáil voted by 86 votes to 70 to advance Sinn Féin’s…
Pope Leo is one of the most popular and well-respected public figures in the world today, and his humanity and holiness have earned him that popularity. When the President of Peru announced that Leo will be visiting in November, there were wonderful pictures of the Holy Father previously travelling by mule in that country. It…
The Holy See has declared that, if the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) proceeds with the ordination of bishops in July without a papal mandate, those involved in these illicit ordinations are automatically (latae sententiae) excommunicated — that is, excommunicated by their own acts. One may, indeed one should, hope that it does not…
Nobody understands the frantic search for a pen and scrap of paper quite like those of us who write. Whether you’re a poet, an author, or a student – we all experience the priceless feeling of being randomly gifted a tank of inspiration out of nowhere, ideas telepathically floating into your brain from an unknown…
Mary Kenny
Martina Purdy
Eilis Mulroy
George Weigel