Editor’s Comment “If you ever wonder what the relevance of the Faith might be for people in modern Ireland try a death bed,” a priest once told me. He was speaking about one of the most profound aspects of his ministry – accompanying a departing soul on their final journey and comforting and consoling their…
Editor’s Comment Much focus in recent days has, rightly, been on the role that Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has played in reconciliation. The late queen has been a keen supporter of the Irish peace process and has played no small role in building bridges between both Ireland and Britain and the two communities in the…
Editor’s Comment After the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) great emphasis was placed on the restoration of the ancient order of the permanent diaconate. For many centuries, diaconate had been seen as just one more stop on the road to priesthood. The Church wanted to restore the tradition of the early Church where…
The synod process currently underway in Ireland is being replicated all across the Catholic world. To be sure, it is being met with varying degrees of enthusiasm – but it is a testament to the unity of Catholicism that the Pope is able to announce such an ambitious programme of consultation and within months parishes…
Editor’s Comment Voters in Colombia took to the polls at the weekend and in so doing elected that country’s first left-wing president. Gustavo Petro, the former mayor of the capital Bogota, is also an ex-paramilitary. His background as someone who took up arms against the government is attracting a lot of media attention internationally –…
To say that President Michael D. Higgins has caused dismay among the Irish missionary community would be to put it mildly. Which is ironic given that many of the same missionaries now scratching their heads at Mr Higgins’ ill-judged intervention on the recent massacre in Nigeria would have traditionally greatly admired his work. Mr Higgins…
Editor’s Comment The Irish synodal process is continuing apace. Interest has been patchy; some parish gatherings have attracted only a handful of people – others have seen hundreds of people eager to have their say on the future of their faith community. Priests and even bishops have varying levels of interest in the process, with…
Editor’s Comment Pope Francis has unveiled his latest additions to the Church’s most exclusive club. The College of Cardinals will be exclusively charged with choosing his successor when there is a vacancy. We used to, of course, say that they would elect a new Pope when the old Pope died – but Benedict’s abdication of…
Editor’s Comment Pope Francis is increasingly showing the signs of ageing, at least physically. The 85-year-old Pontiff has been increasingly moved around the Vatican in a wheelchair in recent weeks. He now regularly appears with a walking cane aimed at taking the weight off his knee which has been ailing him in recent months. According…
Editor’s Comment At lunchtime on Tuesday a lengthy 1,019-word statement from the Department for Health landed in my email inbox. It hailed May 17 as a “significant day for women’s health” in Ireland and announced that the Government that morning approved “the legal framework that will underpin the ownership and governance arrangements for the new…
Michael Kelly