While fighting Covid-19 might save lives, it can also cost lives, livelihoods and future prospects, writes David Quinn At the time of writing, Dublin appears to be the only place in the whole of Europe that does not permit public worship, including public Masses. Places with much higher infection rates than Dublin are permitting public…

The report comes as criticisms of Disney bring Chinese cruelties to the fore again, writes Ruadhán Jones Near the end of a long list of credits is an obscure, seemingly inconsequential thank-you from Disney to the “Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region Committee”. Already alarm bells should be ringing. Xinjiang…

Letter from Rome Catholic bishops and diocesan tribunals are making steady progress in implementing Pope Francis’ reforms to make the annulment process quicker, but it is taking longer to achieve the Pope’s goal of making the process less expensive for couples. The proof is in the Statistical Yearbook of the Church, a 512-page tome of…

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…