“No man is an island.” John Donne wrote those words four centuries ago and they are as true now as they were then, except we don’t believe them anymore. Today more and more of us are beginning to define our nuclear families and our carefully chosen circle of friends precisely as a self-sufficient island, and…
Notebook Probably the best-loved poem written in the Irish language begins with the words ‘Messe ocus Pangur Bán’. In Robin Flower’s translation, the first stanza reads: “I and Pangur Bán my cat,/‘Tis a like task we are at:/Hunting mice is his delight,/Hunting words I sit all night.” It was probably written at some point in…
Are older people kinder and more considerate of others than the younger generations? Yes, they are, according to a global study carried out by the University of Birmingham – involving more than 46,000 people in 67 countries. During the Covid-19 pandemic, older people were more likely to maintain social distancing for the benefit of others,…
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…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Mary Kenny
Breda O'Brien
David Quinn
Michael Kelly