Editor’s Comment We’re not even in Advent yet, and already it is Christmas time in the marketplace. But, what exactly does Christmas mean to us? Or, what does it mean to our political leaders. That is not a question as simple as it might appear at first glance. Every year we are treated to stunning…
The BBC is celebrating its centenary this year – it was founded in 1922 (Radio Éireann, the ancestor of RTÉ, came along in 1926) – and has certainly become an institution with a global outreach. Those who have worked for the Beeb, as it’s sometimes known (which included my late sister, in New York City),…
The View We live in a world which can seem almost as if it is imploding. On the global front we see developments in China which are a cause of great concern as Xi Jinping cements his power; we are watching the systematic destruction of much of Ukraine by Russia; war is being waged in…
The death of Savita Halappanavar did not justify repeal of the Eighth Amendment, writes David Quinn The road to the repeal of the Eighth Amendment was paved by hard cases, often know by letters like ‘X’ or ‘C’ or ‘D’. The most famous was that of Savita Halappanavar who died in tragic circumstances in Galway…
Martin McDonagh’s new film confronts us with the ultimate reality that each and every one of us will die, writes Michael Kelly It’s hard not to be touched by the marvellous beauty on display in The Banshees of Inisherin, which opened at cinemas at the weekend to critical acclaim. This article is not intended to…
Polish society has been transformed forever by the number of refugees it’s accepted from neighbouring Ukraine, writes Jason Osborne A stroll around the streets of most Polish cities now will see your ears pick up nearly as much Ukrainian as they do Polish. In my case, the city of Szczecin in Poland’s north-west, a walk…
by Cindy Wooden Saying it is committed to “respectful dialogue” with China’s communist government and to “fostering the mission of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people,” the Vatican announced it has renewed its agreement with China on the appointment of bishops. In the past four years only six bishops have been…
by Jonah McKeown A study that claims to be the largest national survey of Catholic priests conducted in more than 50 years has found that despite relatively high levels of personal well-being and fulfilment among priests as a whole, a significant percentage of priests have issues with burnout, distrust in their bishop, and fears of…
Shortly after ordination, doing replacement work in a parish, I found myself in a rectory with a saintly old priest. He was over 80, nearly blind, but widely sought out and respected, especially as a confessor. One night, alone with him, I asked him this question: “If you had your priesthood to live over again,…
Over the past two weekends, I had the opportunity to celebrate Vigil Masses. Hardly unusual or particularly newsworthy, were it not for the fact the Masses were in Spain! I left Tubbercurry at 3.20am and celebrated evening Mass at 5pm, in a hotel function room in Torremolinos. I returned home, in both cases, the following…
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
Nuala O’Loan
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser