France is facing arguably its most unpredictable election in decades. The hugely-unpopular Socialist President François Hollande has declined to run for a second term after his approval rating with the electorate slumped to just 4%. France, it seems, is eager for change. And in the turbulent world that gave us Britain’s exit from the European…
There is “pressure from those who no longer go to Mass regularly but want the consolation of the Church when it comes to a death”, writes Michael Kelly Few things attract more controversy in a parish that a decision to cancel a Sunday Mass or reconfigure the weekend liturgical timetable. There’s often an undercurrent from…
“Fr Flannery is clearly not even remotely on the same page as Pope Francis”, writes Michael Kelly Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar rebuked the Taoiseach at the weekend after Enda Kenny hinted that Fine Gael might be prepared to enter government with Sinn Féin. “In politics,” Mr Varadkar said, “you have to make compromises to…
“a crisis is also often an opportunity, and a chance to re-focus on the roots and reasons of a custom and a tradition”, writes Mary Kenny Considering that so many Irish people vehemently object to the policies of President Donald Trump – especially towards migrants – should Taoiseach Enda Kenny cancel the usual trip to…
“It is hard at this point to know what an election will change”, writes Martin Mansergh The history of the independent Ireland that originated 100 years ago last year has hitherto fallen into two main periods. The first 40 years were guided by Sinn Féin ideals of self-sufficiency and the notion that Ireland was as…
Pope cannot offer carte blanche for priests to dissent, writes David Quinn It has now been confirmed that Enda Kenny did indeed intervene with Pope Francis when he visited him recently on behalf of a number of priests disciplined by the Vatican, including Fr Tony Flannery. This raises an obvious question: why did the Taoiseach…
The French novelist and essayist, Leon Bloy, once made this comment about God’s power in our world: “God seems to have condemned himself until the end of time not to exercise any immediate right of a master over a servant or a king over a subject. We can do what we want. He will defend…
“Governments and great political movements have tried to take away the sins of the world and have often ended up becoming more corrupt and destructive themselves”, writes Fr Martin Delaney A recent Sunday gospel proclaimed the familiar words: “Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” With those…
As Trump takes office, he and Francis share a Russia problem As Donald Trump takes office, he enters that vaguely defined set of “major world leaders”. Though we could debate who else belongs, it would include the Prime Minister of Britain, the Chancellor of Germany, the Secretary General of the UN, the President of Russia,…
The fate of was all too inevitable. Immediately after the priest went missing from his home in the state of Coahuila on January 3, authorities of his Diocese of Saltillo issued appeals for the security forces to do all in finding him and for his captors to release him unharmed. But this is Mexico. Thus,…
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
Dr Martin Mansergh
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
John L. Allen Jr.
Paul Keenan