by Lilia Kovalyk A religious journalist based in Lviv, reflects on her experience of reporting in war time The war has turned Ukrainian journalists into inventors. We all understood Russia would attack, but no one wanted to believe this. Before the war began, in the editorial office of Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU), we…
Category: Opinion
World Cup should not be used as political platform
Dear Editor, I have been watching the World Cup, I dare say. Whenever the time comes around every four years, I become quite invested. It is a time when the world’s best footballers come together and millions of people from multiple nations get behind their country’s finest sportsmen. Admittedly it was a terrible decision by…
The orphan who knew Jesus would not abandon him
2022 has been dominated by the dreadful war in Ukraine. Russia and its leaders have isolated themselves in the eyes of the world. As this year draws to a close, I want to share a true story from that part of the world which both highlights a painful reality and also captures something beautiful from…
Wither the freedom even to speak?
Editor’s Comment The pre-Enlightenment era is often viewed as a time of rigid conformism and a lack of liberty compared to our own day. People point to the traditional formula error non habet ius (error has no rights) and shake their head confidently assuring themselves that we live in a better time when people are…
A reprimand that had an impact…
I’m rather ashamed of an episode of my life that has recently come to mind, but I think it’s instructive. I was in my early twenties, and, in an effort to break into journalism, I was working as a secretary for The Guardian in London, previously called the Manchester Guardian. Society today has more sympathy…
Deep down most people feel a strong pull towards the message of Bethlehem
The View It’s become a recurring theme, as inevitable now as the manufactured row about the Angelus on the radio or a Crucifix being displayed in a hospital. Every year, along with the resurrection of the dreary fuss about Christmas songs, we are subjected to an annual dose of whinging about ditching the word Christmas because…
Suicide continues to be a major killer in North
On the cusp of celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the number of people taking their own life is on the rise, writes Michael Kelly It’s a startling and sobering fact that since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, more people in the North have died at…
Newly independent Ireland needed the Catholic Church
Criticisms of the over-dominance of the Church are valid, but they are also simplistic, writes David Quinn What was to become the Irish Republic marked its 100th birthday on Tuesday, but it has not been marked by big celebrations and perhaps that is partly because it wasn’t at the time either. The nascent Free State…
Russia blocks roads to the Vatican, both literally and diplomatically
Letter from Rome Just a stone’s throw from St Peter’s Square lies the Via delle Fornaci, a major Roman artery that leads from the Vatican all the way up the Janiculum hill. Much of the traffic that flows in and out of the Pope’s domain travels the street, and businesses in the vicinity of the…
USCCB committee decries rising antisemitism in US
by Dennis Sadowski Saying they are outraged by growing “antisemitic rhetoric” across the country, members of the US bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs urged Christians to decry hate-filled statements and violence aimed at Jewish individuals, homes and institutions. Committee members also denounced “any rhetoric which seeks to demonise or dehumanise the Jewish people…





Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny


David Quinn
John L. Allen Jr.
