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…
Letter from Rome Watch Catholics at most parishes when it comes time for the homily at Sunday Mass, and you’ll see body language and facial expressions not unlike the waiting rooms of dentists’ offices and traffic court. It’s a sense of anticipation, sure, but not the good kind. Catholics actually love to gripe about boring…
Calling it “necessary and urgent” to return to public Masses as soon as Covid-19 measures permit, the Vatican’s top official for liturgy has urged Catholic bishops around the world not to let religious worship be relegated to a priority level below “recreational activities” or treated as just another public gathering. Signed by Cardinal Robert Sarah…
The excusable doesn’t need to be excused and the inexcusable cannot be excused. Michael Buckley wrote those words and they contain an important challenge. We’re forever trying to make excuses for things we need not make excuses for and are forever trying to excuse the inexcusable. Neither is necessary. Or helpful. We can learn a…
Notebook My summer holidays in Ireland included a visit to a rural pub/restaurant, where a family function was taking place. This event, maybe a christening or possibly a quiet second marriage, was attended by a large number of children, running all over the premises and annoying hoary old celibates like me. Sensing my annoyance, one…
Thursday of this week – September 10 – was marked as World Suicide Prevention Day, and a very good cause this is. The prevention of suicide is heart-breakingly necessary, as anyone who has lost someone they loved in this way knows. The fact that families often cling to the view that a tragic death was…
The View Ireland is approaching the final phase of the decade of centenaries, commemorating events which led to a separate Irish state in parallel with the creation of Northern Ireland and partition and the fighting of a civil war over terms of the Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland. The decade of centenaries, which in…
There appears to be no evidence that priests are more likely to abuse children than other clergy from other religious traditions which permit marriage, writes David Quinn The Vatican has just made a comprehensive response to an abuse commission in Australia. A bit of background is useful. In 2017, a Commission of Inquiry produced a…
David Quinn
John L. Allen Jr.
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Mary Kenny