There have been over 50 major battles between Scotland and England in the last thousand years, including the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, Bannockburn in 1314, Flodden in 1513, the much-lamented Culloden in 1746 and the Battle of the Braes in 1882, over the cruel Highland Clearances (when people were evicted to make way for…
Forgiveness on this island can only be progressed if we bring to light the truths about our troubled past, says Archbishop Eamon Martin Although I was only eleven years old in September 1973, somewhere lodged in my boyhood memory are news images of Church leaders gathering for an historic meeting – while others marched in…
In combating authoritarianism we have dismantled true authority, writes David Quinn Violent attacks on Gardaí are becoming more common. A few weeks ago, a Garda car was rammed in Cherry Orchard in Dublin, while two members of the force were seriously assaulted around the same time in Ballyfermot. In an incident last weekend, a Garda…
Elise Ann Allen In a scene reminiscent of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 cinematic sensation The Godfather, Italy’s most notorious mob boss was arrested January 16 after 30 years on the run, a development celebrated by civil and ecclesial authorities alike. A fugitive for the past 30 years, infamous Italian mobster Matteo Messina Denaro – tied…
Cindy Wooden Pope Francis’ fifth trip to the African continent will highlight gestures of peace and reconciliation, consoling the victims of violence but also emphasising the importance of each person sowing peace in the family, the neighbourhood and the nation. The Pope is scheduled to travel to Kinshasa, Congo, January 31-February 3 before making an…
My late father, Denis Cotter, was a teacher all his life. As a national teacher, he taught in the classroom for over 40 years, the first 13 years in what was then the new Dublin suburb of Crumlin, and the remainder in a small two-teacher school in Ballinacarriga near Dunmanway in West Cork. He retired…
Dear Editor, It is clear the narrative around the demand for secular or multidenominational schools is completely overstated by the Government, media and lobby groups. This was highlighted by some schools, in areas earmarked for changes in patronage, finding that a huge majority of parents wanted their school to remain under Catholic patronage. It’s important…
The death of Pope Benedict on New Year’s Eve gives rise to many possible consequences for the Church. There were stark differences between the papacy of Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, though both based their foundations very solidly on love – the love of God for his people, and both focused on the need for…
To judge by sensationalist newspaper headlines and breathless social media posts, one might assume that the open conflict in Catholicism unleashed by the death of Pope Benedict XVI and fanned by a series of tell-all revelations from his longtime aide, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, would be the talk of the town in Rome — which, after…
Discernment, listening attentively for the voice of God, is not a new concept in our tradition. But it has come in to sharp focus given the synodal journey that Pope Francis has called Catholics to embark upon. It’s no easy task, and part of the challenge is discerning spirits. That is to say, whether what…
Mary Kenny
David Quinn
Nuala O’Loan
John L. Allen Jr.
Michael Kelly
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