Leave well alone,” a senior Government minister told me not too long ago. It was not advice for me, but hitherto unspoken advice to his colleagues who were very gung-ho on “getting the Church out of schools,” as he put it. Over recent years, he had diagnosed that – despite a vocal minority – there…
Notebook Fr John Harris Greetings from Assisi. I am here with a group of priests from different parts of the world on a spiritual retreat. Assisi is a place like very few in the world. The spirit of the person of St Francis permeates the medieval streets and it allows a person while walking in…
Dear Editor, I agree with Mary Kenny’s views that opting for simple guidelines for fasting and abstinence for Lent are the best way to respond to the challenges of Lent. In my youth, fasting and abstinence and making our Easter duty seemed to be essential for doing a good Lent. However, some clergy have since…
Ten years ago, bookmakers Paddy Power asked me to compile their papal election guide ahead of the conclave that would replace Pope Benedict XVI. It was mostly a bit of fun, but punters were in fact betting on who would become the next Bishop of Rome and the bookies naturally wanted some insight. As I…
Ivana Moral, aged 48, is a Spanish housewife who, earlier this month, made history in the Spanish courts. During the course of her divorce, Judge Laura Ruiz Alamino, awarded Senora Moral the sum of €204,624 in recognition of her having been a dutiful housewife for 25 years, and a mother of two who took care…
I wonder how women really feel, deep down, about their membership of the Church in Ireland. The synodal pathway process has challenged us all to discern how we live as Church in the future. The Pope was very clear that this was not intended to be a comprehensive review of doctrine, rather it is about how we…
When Pope Francis came to celebrate Mass in the Phoenix park, myself and my family were among the thousands who braved the elements to see him. I remember the Pope’s visit as being quite contentious. I was in college at the time and some of my classmates were sharing posts on social media threatening to…
In my mind, Pope Francis’s 2018 visit is inextricably connected to the then recent referendum defeat. I had only come into active engagement with the Faith as the vote drew near, and while it didn’t go our way and ushered in a dark new era, it brought Christians of all stripes together as little has…
Almost 40 years since he was a Jesuit priest studying in Ireland, Pope Francis’ return visit for the World Meeting of Families on August 25, 2018 was highly anticipated. Being in the small crowd of journalists waiting on the airstrip for the arrival of the Pope’s plane – affectionately dubbed by the media ‘Shepherd One’…
Justin McLellan Many of the 40 international trips Pope Francis has made over the past 10 years have been to countries where Christians are a minority or where he can draw close to people on the fringes of the world’s attention. The Pope always “chooses the peripheries”, said Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Vatican…
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
Nuala O’Loan
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady