The freedom to shop affects other people’s freedom to be with their families on a day of rest, writes David Quinn It is like a blast from the past, or if you prefer, something from a more genteel age; the Croatian government has decided to impose heavy restrictions on Sunday trading. Shops will be allowed…

by Barb Umberger Parishioners at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Minneapolis, about half of whom are deaf, had the chance to attend Mass celebrated by the first deaf man ordained a Roman Catholic priest in the US, Fr Tom Coughlin. About 80 people attended the Mass last month at the small church, a…

by Cindy Wooden While 2022 finally saw the publication of Pope Francis’ constitution reforming the Roman Curia, the biggest news and the biggest changes in his ministry came from Russia’s war on Ukraine and from the Pope’s own problems walking. Knee problems forced the Pope, who celebrated his 86th birthday on December 17, to postpone…

You may or not have seen the movie, Monty Python’s Life of Brian. It’s good in spots, though not every bit of it thrills me. One funny interlude comes when Reg, the leader of the anti-Roman guerilla faction, asks its members: “What have the Romans ever done for us?” The objective of the question was…

People of faith were subject to the harshest restrictions in Europe, we shouldn’t forget this, writes David Quinn It is now three years since the world got its first hint that something bad was brewing in a place in China almost none of us had heard of before, namely the commercial city of Wuhan on…

“Is it true that people in Ireland may no longer have turf fires?” asked my cousin, who has lived in England for some years. Yes, I said, that was how things were going, ever since Eamon Ryan introduced the Solid Fuel Regulations Act in October this year. Peat, we are told, pollutes the atmosphere, and…

The View At the end of November, Pope Francis suggested a two-minute daily practice of examining one’s conscience. This catechesis, delivered at his Wednesday general audience, is part of a series that began on September 7, focusing on Ignatian discernment. The Wednesday audience is often a vehicle for essential themes for Pope Francis, just like…

by Lilia Kovalyk A religious journalist based in Lviv, reflects on her experience of reporting in war time The war has turned Ukrainian journalists into inventors. We all understood Russia would attack, but no one wanted to believe this. Before the war began, in the editorial office of Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU), we…

2022 has been dominated by the dreadful war in Ukraine. Russia and its leaders have isolated themselves in the eyes of the world. As this year draws to a close, I want to share a true story from that part of the world which both highlights a painful reality and also captures something beautiful from…

I’m rather ashamed of an episode of my life that has recently come to mind, but I think it’s instructive. I was in my early twenties, and, in an effort to break into journalism, I was working as a secretary for The Guardian in London, previously called the Manchester Guardian. Society today has more sympathy…