The Pope wants the Church to fulfil the Christian mission to be a peacemaker, writes David Quinn Recently Ukraine’s Foreign Minister summoned the Holy See’s ambassador to Ukraine to appear before him after Pope Francis had angered the Ukrainian authorities by expressing sympathy for Darya Dugina, a political commentator in Russia who had been blown…
Category: Comment & Analysis
Finding renewed meaning for religious life in a new world
Brian McKee Last month saw the Passionist Congregation celebrate the final profession of South Armagh native, Conor Quinn, in the beautiful surroundings of Holy Cross Church, Ardoyne in Belfast. It was in this historic church that Conor first entered the congregation in 2016 following a three-year period of prayer and reflection. Conor’s road to final…
Keep up the pressure’ at the Dublin March for Life
There’s been no focus on supports for women in unplanned pregnancies, writes Eilís Mulroy On Saturday September 17, pro-life advocates will gather at St Stephen’s Green for the Dublin March for Life. This important event takes place during two major turning points in the campaign for the dignity of unborn children, both at home and…
Handling celebrity conversions gracefully
Catholics sometimes lose their minds when a famous figure embraces Christ and that’s neither good for them nor for us, writes Jason Osborne Hollywood actor Shia LaBeouf’s recent interview with Word on Fire’s Bishop Robert Barron, in which he revealed his conversion to Catholicism and embrace of its traditional expression, caused quite a stir both…
Michelle O’Neill and ‘that’ interview
We should have a serious debate about the consequences of teenage pregnancy rather than indulging in Catholic bashing, writes Fr Andrew McMahon Sinn Féin’s vice-president Michelle O’Neill gave a lengthy interview to BBC Radio Ulster recently, focusing on her background, personal history and motivation for entering politics. Two aspects of the interview were highlighted in…
Gorbachev’s legacy inevitably bound to that of Pope John Paul II
The death of former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev at the age of 91 has triggered an avalanche of commentary and tribute around the world, mostly focusing on Gorbachev’s role in the peaceful dissolution of the Soviet system for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. A sidebar to the story that probably deserves…
Wisdom of centuries: Swedish cardinal says much to learn from Church’s past
Junno Arocho Esteves The prophecies and revelations of St Bridget of Sweden, who lived in Rome for nearly 20 years until her death in 1373, were known for their direct reprimands to popes and princes alike, calling for an end to corruption and the start of reform within the Catholic Church. “She was not afraid…
A biblical formula for forgiveness
Nothing is as important as forgiveness. It is the key to happiness and the most important spiritual imperative in our lives. We need to forgive, to make peace with the hurts and injustices we have suffered so as not to die angry and bitter. Before we die, we need to forgive – others, ourselves, and…
Church gatekeepers did not suppress fresh synod voices
For almost 60 years a British journalist, Alistair Cooke had a weekly show on BBC Radio 4 called Letter from America looking at various topics from an American perspective. I feel a little like that this month as I’m writing this piece while sitting in a café just across the street from the White House.…
A lesson in marriage mismatch…
It’s just gone 25 years since the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and it was interesting to see, in one of the television documentaries shown about her life, a statuette of Jesus on her desk: she had draped a set rosary beads around the figurine. Marking the anniversary, her biographer Andrew Morton has…

David Quinn





John L. Allen Jr.

Fr Ronald Rolheiser

Mary Kenny