US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has penned a new article for the religious journal First Things, arguing that the Vatican’s agreement with China on the appointment of bishops has confused Catholics on the ground and urging the Holy See to be more vocal on China’s violations of human rights. “The Holy See has a unique…

Notebook He knelt, having just received his First Holy Communion. For how long did he kneel? I am not sure, but I imagine the teacher told the boys and girls that they should kneel when they returned to their seats, having said “Amen” to the Body of Christ. When he felt an appropriate length of…

Years ago, the Vintners Association of Ireland were concerned that the Pioneer movement would exert sufficient influence on the Government to restrict the opening hours of public houses. But how gentle and civilised were the advocates of temperance in comparison to the ferocious damage being wrought by the Covid pandemic, and the nostrums of those…

We must count the cost of Covid-19 and invest in the future of end-of-life and bereavement care in Ireland writes Sharon Foley We, as a nation, are still in the grip of a pandemic, unprecedented in recent living memory. Its effect was immediate and apparent. The necessary national response to Covid-19 has been – and…

The View Last week, an item was discussed on RTÉ’s Liveline, prompted by a leaflet published by the HSE advocating that people resort to masturbation and sexual activity online during this time of social distancing. The host, Katie Hannon, took calls from a number of people, many of whom expressed concerns at the HSE’s advice.…

New research which reveals that congregations could fall by as much as a quarter should serve as a wake-up call to all of us writes Michael Kelly It’s more than six months since restrictions were first imposed on the celebration of public Masses in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Many parishes…

Coronavirus has given us a glimpse of the future of the Church, and there are hopeful signs writes Bishop Brendan Leahy One of the good surprises of this Covid-19 period has been the spirit of volunteerism. From the early months of the coronavirus pandemic to today, we have seen people volunteering for activity who otherwise…

The latest push in the culture of death would normalise suicide, writes David Quinn This week a new bill called the ‘Dying with Dignity Bill 2020’ was brought before the Dáil. It has been introduced by left-wing TD, Gino Kenny. Don’t be fooled by the title. All of us want to die with dignity. This…

When we face suffering, it is easy to feel abandoned by God but it is then that we must cling to Faith writes Niall Guinan This year has certainly seen its fair share of bleak moments and one of the bleakest must surely have been the RTÉ Prime Time interview with geriatrician Prof. Rónán Collins…