Editor’s Comment The last year has been another bloody one for Christians around the world. Persecution continues to be a feature of the life of many Christians in the 21st Century – we hardly need reminding of the sober fact that the last 100 years has seen more Christians die for the Faith than in…
Charles Dickens is sometimes described as having ‘invented’ our modern Christmas with his story A Christmas Carol. His compelling tale of the money –grubbing Ebenezer Scrooge – Dickens was a genius at his characters’ names – and his loathing for Christmas, pitted against the poor but loving family, the Cratchits, merrily celebrating the Saviour’s birth…
The View Two thousand years ago a young man and a young woman made a long journey on foot to Bethlehem. She was pregnant – nearing her time. They must have been very concerned as they plodded on, the woman riding on a donkey, wondering whether they would be able to get accommodation. Would it be warm and…
The freedom to shop affects other people’s freedom to be with their families on a day of rest, writes David Quinn It is like a blast from the past, or if you prefer, something from a more genteel age; the Croatian government has decided to impose heavy restrictions on Sunday trading. Shops will be allowed…
by Barb Umberger Parishioners at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Minneapolis, about half of whom are deaf, had the chance to attend Mass celebrated by the first deaf man ordained a Roman Catholic priest in the US, Fr Tom Coughlin. About 80 people attended the Mass last month at the small church, a…
by Cindy Wooden While 2022 finally saw the publication of Pope Francis’ constitution reforming the Roman Curia, the biggest news and the biggest changes in his ministry came from Russia’s war on Ukraine and from the Pope’s own problems walking. Knee problems forced the Pope, who celebrated his 86th birthday on December 17, to postpone…
Dear Editor, Westminster has continuously proven to disregard the wishes of the people of Northern Ireland by pushing ahead with plans to bring in abortion ‘services’. Fuel prices soar and people are cold in their houses, yet for some reason the biggest priority for them is abortion. Once again, due to the inability of the…
Editor’s Comment There are a few books that I read and re-read almost every year. Amongst them is the Jesus of Nazareth trilogy written by Pope Benedict XVI. If you haven’t come across them, Christmas might provide some free time to pick them up and have a read. In the pages, the former Pontiff presents…
You may or not have seen the movie, Monty Python’s Life of Brian. It’s good in spots, though not every bit of it thrills me. One funny interlude comes when Reg, the leader of the anti-Roman guerilla faction, asks its members: “What have the Romans ever done for us?” The objective of the question was…
People of faith were subject to the harshest restrictions in Europe, we shouldn’t forget this, writes David Quinn It is now three years since the world got its first hint that something bad was brewing in a place in China almost none of us had heard of before, namely the commercial city of Wuhan on…
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
Nuala O’Loan
David Quinn