Can markets ever be ‘moral’ and can they act ‘morally’? The banking and debt crises which are reaching into every corner of Europe are prompting this question with ever more urgency. Recently, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron called for a ‘moralised’ form of capitalism, and the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have long…

John Waters   By any normal intuitive or rational criteria, I think you would have to observe that the prospect of a papal visit to coincide with the International Eucharistic Congress in June is, at this stage, unlikely. The question is: should we be thinking about such a matter on the basis of normal intuitive…

Niamh Harley describes her experience of Medjugorje     At the start of last year, I was picked to go on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje as part of a school group. We decided to go as we had heard very good reports. Medjugorje was described as ”a place like nowhere else”; not sure what this…

  Henri Nouwen used to publish some of his diaries under the title, On Mourning and Dancing. The title was wholly appropriate since those diaries chronicled much of his own struggle to give public expression to what was bubbling up inside of him and, at the same time, respect a highly sensitive self-consciousness and reticence…

Some of us are to blame for the crash, some are not, writes David Quinn   When was Enda Kenny correct? Was it when he told us during his State of the Nation address last year that we were not to blame for our current economic woes, or was he correct when he said last…

  Are there not more important issues than the Embassy to the Holy See, asks Margaret Hickey   I find it strange that the first public re-grouping of the Catholic faithful in the aftermath of the Dublin, Ferns and Cloyne Reports should be centered on a campaign to restore Ireland’s embassy to the Holy See.…

In the run up to the Eucharistic Congress, David Cleary discusses his personal experience of the Eucharist   Eucharist is very important to me. I decided years ago as a teenager learning about the Reformation that I really needed to resolve the question of transubstantiation! Does Christ become really present or just symbolically so? I…

It’s ironic that a secularist is seeking to use the criminal law to prevent free speech, writes Rory Fitzgerald A remarkable story emerged this week: The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is considering prosecuting Bishop Philip Boyce of Raphoe for inciting hatred against secularists. This offence can carry a penalty of up to two years…

  Minister Alan Shatter has justifiably called attention to the horrible historical phenomenon known as The Holocaust – the cruel genocide by Nazi Germany against Jews as well so many other minorities – when he was opening an exhibition at the Department of Justice. Minister Shatter took the opportunity to criticise Irish neutrality during World…

The Dean of St Patrick’s Anglican Cathedral, Rev. Robert MacCarthy has criticised the Catholic Church for its ”lack of ecumenism” in his final sermon before retiring. Oh, yes, see how these Christians love one another! Lack of ecumenism is often something of a hazard. Consider the Armenian and Greek priests who came to blows over…