Letter from Rome A  little more than four years after Pope Francis published one of his most provocative documents, not to mention perhaps his most political, in the form of his eco-encyclical Laudato Si’, the Pontiff appears increasingly disappointed in the way the environmental manifesto been received. In two separate messages published this week, Francis appeared…

Catholic theology lost a giant last Monday with the death of German Fr Johann Baptist Metz, a disciple of famed Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner and the father of what was known as “new political theology”, at the age of 91. I first encountered Metz more years ago than I care to remember, when I was…

Fr Bernard Healy Notebook Christ tells us, “nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be made known and brought to light” (Luke 8:17). That’s not a bad meditation for Advent when we reflect both on the Word of God making himself visible to us in the stable in…

Who do you believe – Prince Andrew or Virginia Roberts? In the midst of a general election in Britain, as many people were discussing this as the state of the political parties. Virginia Roberts – now using her married name of Guiffre – appeared on a special BBC Panorama programme on Monday night, which made…

The View While at Mass on the first Sunday in Advent, I was momentarily struck by the beauty of the sanctuary, and the vestments worn by the priest and deacons. The chasuble, a heavy silk damask with a background of indigo, was exquisitely embroidered with clouds of gold and silver thread. All around, my eyes…

There are few more hotly-debated issues in Church circles than what to do about getting children ready for First Holy Communion, writes Chai Brady   That Ireland is becoming less religious – at least in terms of the regular practice of the Faith – is self-evident. What is less clear is how to handle sacramental…

The only appropriate response to refugees and asylum seekers is one of charity, writes David Quinn In his new book, Dominion, historian Tom Holland discusses the radical and transformative effect Christianity had upon the ancient world, seeding it with new ideas that shape our thinking to this day in ways we barely even acknowledge. It’s…

While media commentators are trying to ignore the relative success of Peadar Tóibín’s movement, he deserves much credit for what he has achieved so far, writes Michael Kelly   To describe the campaign for the Dáil byelections as underwhelming would be kind. In reality, the whole thing was painfully dull and the only interesting moments…

The spectacle of a senior politician only noticing the crisis in hospitals because her own child got sick is hard to stomach, writes John McGuirk The old American adage that there are only two things certain in life: death, and taxes, is only partially true. There is, of course, another certainty, and that is that…