The State can’t protect families if we can’t even agree on the definition, writes David Quinn   The Government’s liberal push shows no sign of abating. On the contrary, its victories in the likes of the abortion and same-sex marriage referenda have only spurred them on. It now has in mind for us referenda on divorce,…

Some arguments for removing Ireland’s blasphemy law are dubious at best, writes Greg Daly   The Constitution’s provisions concerning blasphemy are an embarrassment to Irish diplomats and would-be statesmen. Such, at least, seems to be the import of comments last month from Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan on plans to hold a referendum in October on…

Inés San Martín   An already noticeable edge to Argentina’s mounting abortion debate turned even nastier in mid-July with the release of a ‘Doom’-inspired video game called ‘Doom Fetito’ in which players scramble to procure an abortion-inducing drug by battling Catholic priests, Nazi-like police and pro-life women, and then ultimately kill ‘the boss’, meaning an…

Recently, reading Commonweal magazine, I was struck by this line by Jerry Ryan, a Little Brother of Jesus: “I have lost contact with so many people who meant a lot to me at different stages of my life, people I loved dearly and really cared for and who had given me so much and made…

The Notebook   Before I was ordained, pastoral priests gave us retreats. They helped alert us to future pastoral dilemmas, or potential ones. One retreat giver asked that on ordination day, each of us should decide whether we wanted to be a priest or a bishop. (Who in their right mind would want to be…

I’ve been invited to participate in an American television programme on Pope Francis’s forthcoming visit, which will focus on “how the evolution of the women’s movement in Ireland changed aspects of society and culture”. To be sure, the development of women’s rights and the women’s movement did contribute to changed aspects of Irish society and…

The View   July 25th is the 50th Anniversary of the publication of Humane Vitae – meaning “Of Human Life” – the papal encyclical known for its teaching on the regulation of birth. What many fail to appreciate is that it is about so much more than that. For all the controversy it generated at…

The willingness to take great physical risks is inspirational, writes David Quinn   People love their heroes. Heroes are always the best in their field. During the World Cup, countries looked to the heroes in their squads. For Portugal it was Cristiano Ronaldo. For Argentina it was Lionel Messi. For Croatia it was Luka Modric.…

He’s a loser! You’re a loser! Among all the hurtful slurs we mindlessly utter, this particular one is perhaps the most hurtful and damaging. It needs to be forbidden in our public discourse and stricken from our vocabulary. We’ve come a long way today in forbidding certain language in our public discourse. Mostly the terms…

The Notebook   Megan McKenna tells the story of a man who decided to clean out his fish tank. The problem was where to put the fish while he did the cleaning. He decided on the bathtub. He transported the fish, dumped them in their luxurious temporary quarters, and went to work cleaning the tank.…