Notebook Some weeks ago I watched a short American documentary about a remote part of the West of Ireland, filmed some time in the 80s. A packed church was shown, and an interview with the priest followed. The interviewer asked him some questions about his spiritual role, but he strikingly downplayed that aspect of his…
I had a conversation with an old rake the other day about past times and past sins, and their inclination to surface in the present. It occurred after a rather public accusation made by the Tory MP, Caroline Noakes, that she had been “groped” by Stanley Johnson – father of British prime minister Boris –…
The View As stated here before, there is an imbalance in public discourse between civil rights and civic responsibility, with not enough emphasis on the latter. Not just religion but community is about coming together and showing mutual support and consideration. St Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews (10: 24-5) speaks about spurring one another to…
It is time to breathe new life into the traditional concept of the common good, writes David Quinn During the abortion debate we all became familiar with the slogan, ‘my body, my choice’. It is the ultimate expression of personal autonomy. Pro-lifers have always responded that the slogan is misapplied to the abortion debate because…
Ireland’s recent appearance before the UN Human Rights Council should prompt questions about how serious a body it is, writes Jason Osborne The relevance of Ireland’s recent appearance before the United Nations’ Human Rights Council can be summed up by the fact that Iceland asked us to “repeal the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Act”.…
If the data is correct the post-coronavirus Church in Ireland will be a depleted force, but creative thinking can arrest decline, writes Michael Kelly The First Sunday of Advent at the weekend brought more potentially worrying news about the new variant of Covid-19 that has been discovered in South Africa. It’s a concern, health officials…
Framing the synodal process is taking away opportunities to sit and listen first, and let people talk, writes Garry O’Sullivan Speaking at the beginning of the diocesan phase of the worldwide synod, Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick said that the synod is taking place at a critical time for the Church and must not be…
Ruadhán Jones weighs up the pros and cons of diocesan priest gatherings For the week of November 15-19, there were no weekday Masses in parishes of Cork and Ross diocese. This was not a Covid-19 measure, it was a self-enforced pause in the celebration of the Eucharist. The priests of the diocese had travelled west…
Letter from Iraq Dale Gavlak Walking through this mainly Christian town outside of Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, it’s easy to see many changes since the victims of Islamic State militants fled here for safety seven years ago. Gone are the tents and caravans that dotted church yards and open fields to house those…
Why are so many people leaving their Churches? There is no one answer to that question. People are complex. Faith is complex. The issues are complex. Looking at the question, it can be helpful to distinguish among a number of groups. The ‘Nones’, the ‘Dones’, the ‘Spiritual-but-not-Religious’, the ‘Indifferent’, the ‘Angry’, and the ‘Marginalised’. While…
Mary Kenny
David Quinn
Michael Kelly
Ruadhán Jones
Fr Ronald Rolheiser