The long Irish tradition of monasticism relished simple and austere living, and that’s probably part of the collective DNA, writes Mary Kenny

Some of our priest-cynics are disappointed and shattered idealists, writes Breda O’Brien

God who wrote the original Christmas with crooked lines also writes the sequence with crooked lines, and some of those lines are our own lives, writes Fr Ron Rolheiser

Nelson Mandela encapsulated ‘forgiveness’, writes Andrew O’Connell

We need regular spiritual rituals, writes Fr Ronald Rolheiser

The great liberator’s achievements must now be built on, writes Nuala O’Loan

The absent backlash over Government actions against the Church is remarkable, writes David Quinn

The celebrity cook Nigella Lawson attracted much general sympathy – as well as widespread media reportage – during accusations in court by her ex-husband that she had used cocaine and behaved badly to her daughter. Iíve met Nigella and she is a nice person: her brother Dominic Lawson, for whom I have worked, is one…