There’s a chap in our neighbourhood who, on having to take early retirement, began baking bread as a hobby. And now he delivers a delicious loaf to me every Monday morning for a modest fee. There’s a mighty difference between a home-baked loaf and a supermarket product, and I’ve come to appreciate the taste of…
The View The complex problem of how best to deal with the legacy of the ‘Troubles’ has been under discussion for over 24 years. The current Conservative government in London had made very clear commitments to produce legislation and had issued a consultation paper listing its proposals in May 2018, four years ago. Those proposals included…
There are lessons to be learned as one of America’s biggest denominations grapples with major abuse revelations, writes Jason Osborne The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has been shaken by a report revealing that survivors of sexual abuse within the Church were systematically ignored or silenced by Church leaders. Even as abuse survivors were being disparaged…
Countries like Ireland will look very different from now in a 100 years’ time writes David Quinn If you feel unsettled about the times we are living through, then you are right, because they are unsettling. Tectonic plates seem to be shifting beneath our feet and it is uncertain where and how they will reassemble…
For many people in Rome, Pope Francis’ decision to schedule a consistory to create new cardinals in August was more surprising than the men he chose to receive the red hat. Traditionally, Rome empties of everyone but tourists in sweltering August. And Pope Francis’ choices for inclusion in the College of Cardinals are, by now,…
Senior Catholics see the beatification of 10 Polish nuns murdered by Russian soldiers at the end of World War II as highlighting the need for radical Christian witness while offering a prophetic reminder of current sufferings in Ukraine. “Every beatification or canonisation of any nun is a cause of joy, while every example of radical…
If we genuinely trust scripture, our own experience, and our own sanity, we can only conclude that God has a sense of humour, and a robust and sneaky one at that. Where’s the evidence? A generation ago, Peter Berger wrote a remarkable little book entitled, A Rumor of Angels. Unlike Aquinas, Anselm, Descartes, and a…
Notebook In recent days, I attended a class reunion of my Maynooth ordination class (1987). We have managed to meet every year since we left Maynooth. Like everything else, Covid had its say, so we have not met since 2019. In earlier years, we moved around the country, with a different classmate arranging the reunion…
Editor’s Comment The Irish synodal process is continuing apace. Interest has been patchy; some parish gatherings have attracted only a handful of people – others have seen hundreds of people eager to have their say on the future of their faith community. Priests and even bishops have varying levels of interest in the process, with…
Dear Editor, Anyone who has been following the live streaming of Masses during the pandemic and after, could not fail to have noticed that not only are many of the priests elderly, but almost without exception, regular congregations are made up of elderly men and women. Pope Francis is challenging us to look to the…
Mary Kenny
Nuala O’Loan
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly