by Cindy Wooden Saying it is committed to “respectful dialogue” with China’s communist government and to “fostering the mission of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people,” the Vatican announced it has renewed its agreement with China on the appointment of bishops. In the past four years only six bishops have been…
by Jonah McKeown A study that claims to be the largest national survey of Catholic priests conducted in more than 50 years has found that despite relatively high levels of personal well-being and fulfilment among priests as a whole, a significant percentage of priests have issues with burnout, distrust in their bishop, and fears of…
Shortly after ordination, doing replacement work in a parish, I found myself in a rectory with a saintly old priest. He was over 80, nearly blind, but widely sought out and respected, especially as a confessor. One night, alone with him, I asked him this question: “If you had your priesthood to live over again,…
Over the past two weekends, I had the opportunity to celebrate Vigil Masses. Hardly unusual or particularly newsworthy, were it not for the fact the Masses were in Spain! I left Tubbercurry at 3.20am and celebrated evening Mass at 5pm, in a hotel function room in Torremolinos. I returned home, in both cases, the following…
It’s an old saying that ‘England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity’ – and an entirely understandable one given our mutual history. Too often Britain ignored the woes of Ireland and their responsibilities towards those woes: Ireland often had to take whatever opportunities were available. But in these days, I rather wonder if the phrase should be…
The View It’s the media’s job to report bad news about the Church. For decades, they were too deferential. They should continue to highlight the truth about the Church, particularly the unpleasant truths. Yet it is not unreasonable to wish for some balance. It would be pleasant to occasionally see a good news story about people…
Moral choiches are not always as clear-cut as we might like them to be, writes David Quinn I remember it very well. I was in junior school at the time and our teacher, Mrs O’Leary, was very excited when she told us the news that victims of a plane crash in the Andes had been found…
Recent cases have seen more questions asked about Belgium’s permissive euthanasia laws than ever before, writes Jason Osborne As the Irish bishops warn in their ‘Day for Life’ message that Ireland’s elderly feel “worried” when they hear talk of legislation for assisted suicide and euthanasia, Belgium is making its way through its 20th year since…
by Cindy Wooden The Second Vatican Council was the universal Catholic Church’s response to God’s love and to Jesus’ command to feed his sheep, Pope Francis said, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the council’s opening. The council reminded the Church of what is “essential,” the Pope said: “a Church madly in love with its Lord…
Fifty years ago, on an overcast, cold, Autumn day in the gymnasium of the local public high school, I was ordained to the priesthood. Beyond the grey sky, another thing marked the event. This was a tender season for my family and me. Both our parents had died (and died young) within a year and…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Mary Kenny
Breda O'Brien
David Quinn