These days, Catholics are reduced to voting for the lesser of two evils in elections. It is the case in Ireland, for the most part, and certainly in the United States. Here in Ireland, there are small parties and individual candidates you can vote for with a clear conscience, but is there any plausible government…
Vanity Fair recently published an article by Kathryn Joyce with a headline designed to stir controversy: ‘Behind the Catholic Right’s Celebrity Conversion Industrial Complex.’ A bit like Kamala Harris, the article is all about the vibes and is short on details. Or rather, it is drowning in details but it does not add up to…
Reflecting on the last decade in this country as a Catholic presents itself as somewhat of a painful task. Our country, now liberated from the oppressive and cruel past inflicted by the Church according to many given prominence in both media and politics, is now in a transitional period away from these austere times, rejoicing…
“Has the Pope ever read the Bible?” This was a serious question from a serious person on social media this week. It follows yet another controversy about remarks made by Pope Francis, this time during a visit to Indonesia, when he spoke about faith to an inter-religious meeting of young people in Singapore. To critics,…
We live at a time when public scandals appear so ubiquitous that their shock value seems diminished; yet the case of Huw Edwards, the BBC newsreader convicted this week of viewing child pornographic images, has had a huge impact in Britain. It’s the fact that Edwards was such a decent, reassuring, familiar face in every…
Have you ever found yourself in the often-awkward position in work or in another other social setting where you are somehow elected the spokesperson for all things Catholic? Last week we took a look at a question so often asked with bemusement: “Why do you go to Mass. To read more on how we can…
In a line that may once again stir reaction in more traditional Catholic quarters, Pope Francis on Friday wrapped up a three-day visit to Singapore, a country with large pockets of at least five different faiths, that “all religions are a path to God”. “They are like different languages in order to arrive at God,…
Jonah McKeown Letter from Rome Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, OP, archbishop of Vienna, said in a recent interview with a French Catholic magazine that in the face of rising secularisation and the growth of Islam in many historically Christian nations, Catholics should “trust in the work of grace” and remember that the Church is “an expert…
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article here exploring the role of Co-PPs. Some readers questioned its relevance; perhaps they still had a resident priest in their parish but weren’t going to question him on his role or title. Or perhaps they found the new arrangement of being served by a team of priests…
There has been something of a hue and cry about a textbook for use in Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) class in secondary schools. The textbook in question shows an extremely unflattering caricature of an Irish family and then compares it with a much nicer, more diverse and open-minded family and it is no…
David Quinn
Breda O'Brien
Brandon Scott
Martina Purdy
Mary Kenny