An artist who stabbed a man to death is having two of his paintings exhibited at the Ulster Museum in Belfast. Although no stranger to brawling and prison, powerful connections enabled his notorious behaviour for years; and his talent for producing psychologically complex, deeply spiritual masterpieces helped sustain him. At present, there is a steady…
Category: Comment & Analysis
Trump names Vance, Ohio’s Catholic senator, as his 2024 running mate
Former President Donald Trump on July 15 named Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, a Catholic, as his running mate on the Republican ticket in November. Trump was widely expected to name his running mate at the Republican National Convention, which began the same day. “After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others,…
An experience of ‘conversion therapy’
‘Conversion’ is a word known in the sphere of religion for many centuries. Christianity is an evangelical religion, and converts are welcome – even sought. But in recent years ‘conversion’ has taken on a new meaning. Framed within the concept of ‘conversion therapy’ it has come to signify trying to change a person’s sexual orientation…
Communism is ‘imminent’ in Mexico, says bishop
Cristóbal Ascencio García, the bishop of Apatzingán in the Mexican state of Michoacán, said that with the victory of presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum and her left-wing party MORENA in the June 2 elections, the arrival of communism to Mexico is “imminent”. In a Mass celebrated on June 30, a month after the elections, the prelate…
The collapse of the House of Paisley
It was projected that shocks were afoot before Northern Ireland went to the polls last Thursday. Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s hastily announced British General Election allotted just over a month for incumbents and political hopefuls to begin the all too familiar trek around their constituencies and commence disturbing unsuspecting homeowners. Some were quietly…
Workers beg the Vatican to face its personnel problem
Some years back, a couple of enterprising figures on the Roman scene, devoted Catholics with backgrounds in business, had the bright idea of trying to help the Vatican build a genuine professional development system for its workforce of roughly 5,000, divided between the Roman Curia and the Vatican City State. Fuelling the effort was the…
Blessed Carlo Acutis: The first millennial saint
I spent the past two weeks on holiday in Assisi, home of saints Francis and Clare and now of Blessed Carlo Acutis – a young Italian boy who died aged 15 from leukaemia and who will become the first millennial saint probably during the Jubilee year of 2025. So, who is Carlo Acutis and why…
Some men are toxic but masculinity in general is not
Men ought to call out one another’s misogyny, according to Taoiseach Simon Harris. Speaking in the Dail last week on the topic of male violence against women, he remarked: “It is incumbent on men to take leadership positions and not allow the worst of us to speak for the rest of us”. He added: “Every…
When God and politics collide
As I crossed the Boyne Peace Bridge, en route to the pro-life rally in Dublin the other day, an old tale sprang to mind: King Billy, fresh from the battle, was crossing the river, when the boatman asked: “Who won?” And King Billy retorted: “Why do you care? You will still be a boatman”. These…
Bishop: ‘Politicians must have the courage to revisit the abortion law in Ireland’
Speaking to The Irish Catholic at the Rally for Life in Dublin, Bishop Phonsie Cullinan said politicians had opened the floodgates to abortion despite promising “repeatedly” that it would be “safe, legal and rare”. “Well I would say two things about that. They are not safe for the baby and they are certainly not…

Martina Purdy

Mary Kenny

Brandon Scott

John L. Allen Jr.

David Quinn

