The Vatican has hosted many massive and moving canonisation ceremonies over the centuries, but a rite held in 1622 continues to be commemorated by devotees and studied by scholars. At a ceremony in St Peter’s Basilica on March 12, 1622, Pope Gregory XV formally recognised the holiness of Sts Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola,…

Wars always have wildly unforeseen consequences, eviscerating a status quo and violently shaping new realities. While most pundits are pondering the geopolitical, diplomatic and military fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s war also seems destined to have important consequences on the religious scene. Right now what those consequences may be seems impossible to descry,…

Notebook This summer will mark my 10th anniversary as the priest in Newcestown. This longevity in the parish is a gift. Now, when I celebrate a funeral Mass, more likely than not I will know the person whose funeral I am celebrating. It’s not that I eulogise the dead, but it helps to have known…

I thought that the “handshake of peace”, which we used to exchange in pre-Covid times, was a lovely gesture during Mass. It was friendly, linking people together, and an expression of community. It was also egalitarian. You shook hands with whoever happened to be next to you in the pew, and, in busy city churches,…

Shannon Campbell The View The scrapping of the television licence fee is a threat that looms ever large over the BBC. Those in favour of the public defunding argue that it is a cold house for a diversity of views and opinions, often not reflective of the mood of the general populous. To be fair,…

The soaring cost of living is pushing a home and a family out of reach for many young couples, writes Jason Osborne Ireland’s soaring cost of living has been at the centre of the nation’s attention for the past few weeks now, with the Government seeing fit to unveil a €300 million support package in…

Organised religion is a net force for good in the world, writes David Quinn The Oxford Union is regarded as the most prestigious university debating society in the world. Last week, the proposition for debate was, ‘This House would move beyond organised religion’. One of the speakers opposed to the motion was the Catholic archbishop…

As the dust began to settle last year on the Vatican’s troubled $400 million dollar land deal in London, and as the colossal dimensions of the failure it represents became clear, Pope Francis was determined to put someone on trial, including his former chief of staff, Italian Cardinal Becciu, along with nine other defendants. Yet,…