The woman in the pew just behind me smiled pleasantly at the “sign of peace” and I returned her friendly greeting. I didn’t know her well, but had occasionally encountered her locally. Later, after Mass, she spoke to me some more. An attractive lady in her 60s, she had recently been widowed, after many decades…

The rights to freedom of thought, expression and belief were accepted by countries as part of their international legal obligations under the UN Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago. It was followed in 1957 by the European Convention on Human Rights. In the 50 years before the universal declaration, there had been two world…

Fr Kevin Mullan lived out his priesthood in the service of others writes Michael Kelly Like many people across the island of Ireland, I was sad to awake on Saturday morning to the news that Fr Kevin Mullan had died during the night. It brought to mind the words from the Second Book of Samuel:…

Parents should demand to see the content of education on porn, writes Fr Chris Hayden A couple of months ago, an episode of RTÉ’s ‘Upfront’ programme with Katie Hannon caused consternation, with many viewers expressing surprise at how widespread pornography has become, and at how many children are viewing it. The facts are indeed troubling,…

Anyone who falls foul of present orthodoxies is at risk under new laws to prosecute people accused of undefined ‘hate’, writes David Quinn One of the most overused words in politics today is ‘hate’. When someone disagrees with you, it isn’t enough to simply say you are wrong. You must also be condemned as a…

A co-responsible Church will only thrive if priests facilitate, nurture and encourage it, writes Bishop Niall Coll The line from Scripture which I chose recently as my episcopal motto springs readily to mind – ‘Christ Jesus our hope’. It is in our shared hope, in our faith as it looks to the future, that we…

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, president of the powerful Italian bishops’ conference, comes off as a very modern figure. His roots are in the Community of Sant’Egidio, a new movement in Catholicism that dates just to 1968, and he’s a key ally of Pope Francis in his effort to promote a 21st century global Church. Yet…

John Lavenburg A US-government commission tasked with monitoring religious freedom abroad has recommended the State Department designate five new countries as “Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs)” because of their engagement in, or toleration of, “particularly severe” religious freedom violations, including against Christians. In its 2023 report released on May 1, the United States Commission on…