Letter From Rome H.L. Mencken once famously quipped that love is like war, in that it’s easy to begin but very hard to stop. Had Mencken plied his journalistic trade in the internet age, he might well have added rumours to that list, which are notoriously easy these days to put into circulation and virtually…
My colleague Fr Ron Rolheiser writes in this edition about connecting the dots between the crib and the cross. We’re not used to thinking about the cross at Christmas, but in one sense, Calvary always casts a permanent shadow over Bethlehem. Even today, it sometimes surprises pilgrims in the Holy Land that Golgotha and the…
Eduardo Campos Lima With an unprecedented rise in 2023 in the number of immigrants crossing Central America in an effort to reach the United States and Canada, the bishops of the region are urging local governments to establish adequate programs to deal with them and to ensure their safety. The migration crisis was the main…
Dear Editor, Christians in Bethlehem are facing immense challenges amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The uncertainty and fear that has gripped the region has taken a toll on the lives of the residents, especially those who depend on tourism for their livelihoods. Bethlehem is not only a spiritual home but also a…
The proposed amendments to the Constitution – to be made on the question of the family and the ‘woman in the home’ clause – are so bland and ambiguous that it’s possible not many voters will bestir themselves to vote in next March’s referendum. Less than a week after the Government announced the suggested new…
For the first time ever, this year some of my second level students queried whether we should be singing, ‘O Come Emmanuel, the great Advent hymn. The reason? It refers to Israel, and in particular, to ransoming captive Israel. Students politely explained that they do not support Israel’s action in Gaza and as a result,…
We are rapidly moving far beyond the family based on the love of one man and one woman for the good of children, writes David Quinn The Government has announced that two more referendums on the Constitution are to be held. The date of the vote will be March 8. Given that Christmas looms, this…
As the Church begins its Advent and Christmas seasons, the pastor of Gaza’s lone Catholic parish stressed the importance of stepping up one’s spiritual life amid the tragedies of war, and said the Pope’s attention to them has been a major consolation. “It is truly a tough time,” said Fr Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentinian priest…
Gina Christian Russian occupation authorities have banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and other Catholic ministries in occupied areas of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to the Church’s main communications office in Kyiv. The UGCC announced on its website December 7 that it had obtained a copy of an order signed by Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-installed…
On a recent visit to one of my parishioners I noticed a most fascinating centrepiece on the table of her front room. Underneath a protective glass dome was the most perfectly created birds’ nest. The nest was almost so perfect that I thought it had been somehow manufactured by a machine. Breda told me how…
John L. Allen Jr.
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
Breda O'Brien
David Quinn