Whether the review of abortion legislation is window-dressing or serious remains to be seen writes David Quinn The operation of Ireland’s abortion law is under review. It was introduced in January 2019, following the referendum of the previous year. In the first two years of its operation, the law resulted in the loss of more…
Carol Glatz Protecting the human rights of people fleeing from or caught up in conflict zones must be as big a priority as providing them with basic material needs, said the leader of an international anti-trafficking network. People facing a humanitarian crisis need material assistance and they need experts committed to protecting their human rights,…
Forty years ago, Philip Rieff wrote a book entitled The Triumph of the Therapeutic. In essence, he argued that today in the Western world so many people need psychological therapy mainly because our family structure has grown weak and many community structures have broken down. He contends that in societies where there are still strong…
It’s nearly 25 years since I spent a year in Chicago, studying liturgy. It was a great opportunity for me, mind-blowing and perspective-enhancing. I got to understand how the US works, but I also learned about what makes Ireland unique, something you can only appreciate from outside it. I stayed at St Bernadette Parish on…
EU diplomats have been told by Sinn Féin that Europe must prepare for the reunification of Ireland – and that the EU must take the same encouraging attitude to Irish unity as it did to the reunification of Germany. “Our European partners must be energetic and proactive in advocating for Irish unity at every opportunity,”…
Shannon Campbell The View It is not uncommon to hear people say, “I’m spiritual, not religious.” The reasons for the trend are many and varied, ranging from disillusionment with organised religion, to boredom – even laziness. According to one pre-coronavirus study, 69% of Irish people identify as Catholic, but only 34% go to church regularly.…
We are called to be more energised Christians with a stronger pastoral and missionary sense, writes David Quinn Most parishes are now holding meetings, or gatherings, to consider the future of the Church ahead of a Synod in Rome next year. In its own words, the purpose of that synod is “not to produce documents,…
Barb Farze Russian President Vladimir Putin did not invade Ukraine out of concern that NATO would encroach on his borders, but concern about “the disease of democracy that could spread like a virus, and that’s deadly for oligarchies and authoritarian rulers,” said the archbishop who serves as a “foreign minister” for the Ukrainian Catholic Church.…
When did we lose it? When did we lose that deeply-engrained, forever-sanctioned sense that however much we might disagree with each other or even dislike each other, we still need to accord each other basic courtesy, respect, and politeness? We’ve lost that, at least for the most part. From the highest levels of government to…
I have been thinking again recently about my friends, Monica Brown and Hilary Musgrave who introduced me to the whole experience of sacred clowning. Hilary and Monica lead retreats all over the world and the sacred clown ‘Naofa’ is an integral part of their unique approach to spirituality. Sacred clowning must be experienced because trying…
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Mary Kenny