Some people of my generation (born in the 1940s) refer to young folk as “snowflakes”: fragile and likely to dissolve under stress. This is unkind and mostly untrue. Most young people I meet are very nice, thoughtful and idealistic. But, certainly, they have been raised in a gentler and more protective way, and adulthood has…
The View Martin Mansergh While some Christmas carols emphasise the coldness of the season ‘in the bleak mid-winter’, others emphasise the mildness of the infant Jesus. It is difficult to remember 12 days of Christmas that have been so mild and in most parts mainly dry. The first snowdrops were out even before…
Despite setbacks at the ballot box, the Church must not lose its nerve, writes David Quinn Back in the 1990s, Ruairi Quinn, then Finance Minister, declared Ireland was now ‘post-Catholic’. He said it in the aftermath of the 1995 divorce referendum. He knew that many people still went to Mass. What he meant was…
The creation of a new lay body within the Church is an attempt to live out Vatican II, writes Greg Daly The transfer this January 1 of services run by the Brothers of St John of God to a Church lay body has been a long time coming, according to the provincial of the…
Letter from Rome Elise Harris With 2019 already off to a running start, Vatican-watchers can expect a packed year of surprises, updates and new twists and turns. The to-do list includes the papal reform agenda, the clerical abuse crisis, international travel and possible new appointments to key dioceses and curial offices. This spring alone will…
Only the Irish political system makes 100% agreement on everything a condition of full membership, writes Larry Donnelly Last month, the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill was passed by the Dáil by a margin of 90 votes in favour and 15 against. Twelve TDs abstained. The bill has also passed in the Seanad…
In a landmark eight-page letter to US bishops who are on retreat in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis that has engulfed the American Church, Pope Francis called for a “new ecclesial season” led by bishops who are more than administrators interested in “pointing fingers” and instead, leadership marked by “collegial spiritual fatherhood”, rooted…
We all struggle to not give in to coldness and hatred. This was even a struggle for Jesus. Like the rest of us he had to struggle, mightily at times, to remain warm and loving. It’s interesting to trace this out in the Gospel of Luke. This is the gospel of prayer. Luke shows Jesus…
The Notebook The following is an extract from a well-known Irishman’s published account of his fairly recent experience of going to Mass. “I went up to Communion and ate the bread. I couldn’t manage the Apostles’ Creed — it must be for hardcore fans only — but the Our Father and Hail Mary were…
Ireland’s welcome to immigrants – from the EU and elsewhere – is admirable, and, at an anecdotal level, I have heard plenty of praise around the country about such young people who come to Ireland to work. The catering and hotel trade, I’ve often heard it said, just couldn’t function without them. I even asked…
Mary Kenny
David Quinn
Greg Daly
Fr Ronald Rolheiser