Letter from Rome Just when you think that the Vatican’s “trial of the century” against a cardinal and nine other defendants for various alleged financial crimes can’t get any more surreal, two developments pop out of the woodwork to prove you wrong. A hearing November 24 produced both a previously unknown, and unauthorised, recording of…

by AC Wimmer The Vatican November 24 published the full wording of its latest warnings over another schism coming out of Germany, raising fundamental concerns and objections against the Synodal Way. Two leading cardinals delivered their theologically argued reservations in direct meetings with the German bishops last Friday, warning the process “hurts the communion of…

November humbles me as I witness the outpouring of love and remembrance of parishioners for their dead. During the month, people gather to share prayers at Mass, pray the rosary in cemeteries and to attend remembrance services. I have come to see the remembrance service or remembrance Mass as one of the most important gatherings…

There’s a new musical group who are expected to sweep to success in 2023 bearing the name of ‘The Mary Wallopers’. They are a trio of guys from Dundalk, and are already being compared, in the folk music tradition, to The Pogues and the Clancy Brothers. And they’re not just about music. They also have…

The polarising effect of social media has heightened anti-Catholic sentiment, writes David Quinn Is anti-Catholicism a thing, and does it exist in Ireland? The answer to both questions is an emphatic yes. Just as it is possible to be anti-communist or anti-EU or anti-American, it is also possible to be anti-Catholic. How do you know…

Christians in parts of Asia and Africa are at risk of genocide, writes Ruadhán Jones The latest report on Christian persecution from Aid to the Church in Need makes for grim reading. Persecution and oppression in 75% of the 24 countries surveyed is on the rise. Christians face threats from Islamist terrorism, from state-authoritarianism and…

The Government betrays an alarming lack of the sophistication needed to oversee hate crime legislation, writes Fr Andrew McMahon “Nobody talks about sin anymore” is a comment still heard in parish life in Ireland – though typically from those of advanced years. One senses that the area of sexuality and relationships is uppermost in the…

Just a week after the Vatican’s first auditor general and his deputy filed a $9.6 million lawsuit for wrongful dismissal, the Vatican’s legal system has seemingly sought to hamstring the claim by refusing to certify the plaintiffs’ chosen lawyer. Speaking to journalists November 17, Libero Milone, the Vatican’s first auditor general, who appointed in 2015…

by Cindy Wooden The German bishops’ meeting with officials of the Roman Curia was not a “showdown,” but it did make clear the Vatican’s strong concerns about Germany’s Synodal Path, especially regarding its support for official ministries for women and for a change in Church teaching about homosexuality, said the president of the bishops’ conference.…

Another Advent season is upon us and another Christmas is just around the corner. The season of Advent has two halves – the first period focuses on hope for the coming of Christ in the future and second part (from December 16) concentrates on the coming of Christ in the past with his incarnation and…