The View In recent times, three friends have all told me about people they know who have not been back to Mass in church. They continue to watch online. My friends were both surprised and worried because the people they mentioned were regular Massgoers before the pandemic. Nor had any of the people health concerns…
The threat posed by radical Islam is often brushed away, writes David Quinn Conservative politician, David Amess, who was stabbed to death last week in what appears to have been a terrorist attack, was one of the most prominent Catholic MPs in the House of Commons where he served for 38 years. He died aged…
Let the preacher say, you have permission to be sad! In a book, When the Bartender Dims the Lights, Ron Evans writes: “There’s a line I came upon in the musings of a preacher: On a Sunday morning many of the people sitting before you are the walking wounded, and you need to give them…
Notebook I have never met him, nor have I ever spoken with him. I have read his words and been aware of his presence in my life for more than a year. Occasionally he sends emails and they are a joy to read. Filled with reflection and acknowledgement, he reminds me that the words we…
Last Sunday, Pope Francis launched a two-year worldwide consultative process that could give a much greater say to lay Catholics and “people on the margins of society” (see pages 8-9). I’m sure this will be rewarding, and yield many valuable responses. But as the Hollywood wag Sam Goldwyn, famous for his malapropisms, once said: “Include…
Pope Francis is banking on an unprecedented consultation of the Faithful revitalising the Church, but discernment remains hard to pin down, writes Michael Kelly from Rome Pope Francis has opened a global consultation process on the future of the Church warning that it is not a parliament or a matter of putting Church dogma up…
France report as horrifying as what was uncovered in Ireland, writes David Quinn Has the Church underestimated the reality of evil in the world for the past 50 years? Jean-Marc Sauvé, a retired senior judge in France, believes so. He headed a commission established by the Church to investigate the scale of child abuse within…
Letter from Rome It’s probably fair to say that over the centuries, the Pope’s criminal justice system hasn’t exactly enjoyed a sterling reputation. Nineteenth century French novelist and journalist Edmond About, whose 1859 book The Roman Question remains arguably the single best treatment of the papal court, wrote that in the unlikely event you were ever to…
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair have all been named in the exposé of the financial secrets and offshore dealings known as the Pandora Papers. However, there’s only one Catholic institution named: The Legionaries of Christ religious order. The downfall of the Legionaries of Christ…
In the summer of 1854, US President Franklin Pierce sent Isaac Stevens to be governor of Washington Territory, a tract of land controlled by the federal government. Governor Stevens called for a meeting of Native chiefs to discuss the tension between the US government and the Natives. One of the tribes, the Yakima, was stubbornly…
Breda O'Brien
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Mary Kenny
Michael Kelly
John L. Allen Jr.