There has been so much focus on James Joyce’s Ulysses – published on February 2, 1922 – that some readers and viewers of public media complain they’re being “force fed” Joyce’s famous oeuvre. And some find the depictions of masturbation, to say the least, unedifying. Well, Ulysses certainly was almost universally regarded as a ‘dirty…
We rebelled against the sexual constraints and hypocrisies of the past, but we cannot have it both ways, writes David Quinn In the United States a fellow who goes by the internet name of ‘West Elm Caleb’ has caused a sensation, with his case even being discussed on big talk shows. ‘Caleb’ (as we’ll call…
Last night, 80-year-old Sergio Mattarella was re-elected overwhelmingly as Italy’s President of the Republic, a result that triggered joy both inside parliament and in Italian streets. Mattarella is a widely beloved figure here, perhaps the most popular man in the country, someone who’s demonstrated both keen institutional judgment and also a remarkable ability to capture…
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gestures at a news conference after the first Cabinet meeting at Moncloa Palace in Madrid, 2020. Spain’s ruling coalition wants historic clerical sexual abuses to be investigated in the country, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said he will first meet with abuse victims. “We’re going to talk and…
Pornography is the biggest addiction in the world today, and by a wide margin. Mostly it afflicts men, but is also a growing addiction among women. Much of this of course is driven by its easy and free availability on the internet. Everyone now (not least our own young children) has immediate access to it…
Notebook I wonder how many priests in Ireland contracted Covid-19 during the pandemic? I wonder if this statistic has been recorded anywhere? We were often told that not all heroes wore capes; I wonder if some of them had collars? In each diocese, priests got plenty of advice and many directives about how to keep…
Shock and horror were expressed in high places. Indignant denials were issued. The establishment came forth to state that such a thing, were it to happen, would be outrageous. Such was the general reaction at Westminster to the claim by a former minister, Ms Nusrat Ghani, that she had been reprimanded for her “Muslimness”. Allegation…
Shannon Campbell The View Pope Francis captured headlines recently when, in his annual address to the diplomatic corps, he tackled head-on the growing phenomenon of ‘cancel culture.’ He was uncompromising in condemning it as a form of “ideological colonisation” which leads to “one track thinking”, ill-suited to addressing the challenges of our times. Cancel culture…
Commercial surrogacy is tantamount to baby-buying, writes David Quinn The Government has just announced the establishment of a special Oireachtas committee to examine the issue of international surrogacy. In practice, this means commercial surrogacy, that is, paying a woman to become pregnant with your baby. Originally, Ireland was planning to allow so-called ‘altruistic surrogacy’ only,…
Over the centuries, the Catholic Church often has led the pack in two distinct specialties: Breaking your heart, and then stitching it back together again with a fresh infusion of hope. This past week brought classic examples of both. Out of Munich, we got a report from a law firm commissioned by the archdiocese documenting…
Mary Kenny
David Quinn
John L. Allen Jr.
Fr Ronald Rolheiser