The View It was reported last week that the HSE is to begin vaccinations in religious orders’ congregated settings. The pandemic has taken a terrible toll on nursing homes in general, as pointed out by The Irish Catholic since very early in the first lockdown. However, news about religious orders’ nursing homes and other settings…

Dublin’s new shepherd must continue to acknowledge the negative side of the Church’s recent legacy, while reminding us of the great good the Church has done and still does, writes David Quinn Ireland is one of the most anti-Catholic countries in the Western world. The often authoritarian behaviour of the Church in the past, in…

Many are struggling to process their grief without the rituals of death, writes Ruadhán Jones The funeral is a ubiquitous ritual in Irish society, envisioned in popular culture as a social gathering and a celebration of the deceased’s life. But under the conditions of a pandemic, we have come to recognise its primary importance as…

Letter from Rome In what’s being hailed as a demonstration that Pope Francis is in earnest about empowering women within ecclesiastical structures, last Friday, for the first time ever, the pontiff named a woman as the Promoter of Justice for the Appeals Court of the Vatican City State. In effect, the Promoter of Justice functions…

Once again praying from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St Peter’s Square, despite rain and the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis on Sunday ticked off many of his core social concerns: Peace, life, migration, and the fight against modern-day slavery, all in a matter of minutes. Peace and democracy for Myanmar Francis said he…

Notebook Now there is a question. If Lent is about self-sacrifice, deprivation and slowing things down, then we have had the longest 40 days ever, in the wilderness that is called Covid. So much of what we enjoy, take for granted and rely on for normality in life has been taken away and personal sacrifice…

There’s been a campaign afoot to make St Brigid’s Day, on February 1, a national holiday on a par with St Patrick’s Day. Gender balance among Irish saints! And why not? St Brigid has a strong devotional tradition, and the St Brigid’s cross is a symbol cherished in so many Irish households. Brigid, who died…

The View In addition to dedicating this year to St Joseph, Pope Francis has announced a special year dedicated to the family, beginning on St Joseph’s feast day, March 19. A year dedicated to the family is wonderful news: but how should it be approached and celebrated? Despite what the world tells us, it is…

We look to our own Government to protect us, and if they fail, then we understandably turn on them, writes David Quinn It is not at all clear at this stage when those who want to receive a Covid-19 vaccination will get their wish. It is to be hoped that everyone over the age of…