Pope Francis should appoint more cardinals from areas where Catholicism is growing rapidly, writes David Quinn Ireland has no cardinal of voting age, and given that Pope Francis is now 86 and in visibly declining health, it will probably mean that the Church in Ireland won’t have a representative at the conclave that will one…
Far from being oppressive, understanding sin and its effects points the way to liberation and freedom, writes Jason Osborne An old clip of a prominent Irish priest recently went viral online, in which he lamented the fact that young priests talk about sin. Far from being an isolated sentiment, I’ve encountered a number of Catholics…
Pope Francis August 27 created 20 new cardinals, including 16 under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote for the next pope. It was Francis’s eighth consistory, and whenever we get a new crop of Princes of the Church, several chronic misconceptions tend to head once more unto the breach. Herewith, three conceptual…
A wise old Augustinian priest once shared this in class. There are days in my life when everything from the pressures of my work, to tiredness, to depression, to distraction, to flat-out laziness make it difficult for me to pray. But, no matter what, I always try to pray at least one sincere, focused Our…
I write these lines in advance of a class reunion in St Nathy’s College, Ballaghaderreen. It will see former pupils and classmates, who sat the leaving cert in 1981, gather to mark the 40 years that have passed since those June days The intention was to have this gathering in 2021 but, like lots of…
When my son Ed visited Hungary recently, the first thing that greeted him at the airport was a large billboard with a picture of two parents with three children, bearing the slogan “Hungary Welcomes Families”. Indeed, that is the policy of Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Prime Minister. Orban is much criticised in western Europe, but his…
The View Last month, the British National Health Service said that it was closing the Tavistock Clinic in London because it was unsafe. The centre was also attended by Irish children with gender dysphoria who wanted to change their sex. At Tavistock, children were prescribed puberty blockers, even though the long-term effects of this medication…
Whenever the next papal election occurs, in the run-up to the big vote airwaves and column inches will be full of traditional wisdom about conclaves, often expressed in familiar soundbites destined to be recycled almost endlessly. One such classic is, “He who enters a conclave as a pope exits as a cardinal,” usually taken to…
The signs of the times can sometimes directly contradict the Church, writes David Quinn Throughout the history of Christianity there have been battles over what is true and false, right and wrong. These battles have often been fierce, and sometimes violent. In the early Church there were tremendous disputes over the doctrine of the Holy…
David Agren Nicaraguan police burst into Matagalpa diocesan headquarters and removed an outspoken bishop who had been under house arrest for more than two weeks. Police raided the curia in the predawn hours of August 19 and took Bishop Rolando Álvarez, according to a social media statement from the Diocese of Matagalpa. The bishop’s arrest…
David Quinn
John L. Allen Jr.
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Mary Kenny