The View As I write this, I am wondering what will happen next at Westminster. Parliament will be prorogued within about ten days. Prorogation means the end of a parliament. When we come back by October 14, we will have a speech by Queen Elizabeth II which will contain the governmentâs proposals for the coming…
The Popeâs appointees to the College of Cardinals reflect the diminished role of Ireland in an increasingly globalised Church, â¨writes Michael Kelly For the first time in more than 40 years, Ireland will not have a vote in a Papal conclave if there were to be a vacancy of the Holy See. Since he…
Marie Cummins The mission of 40 Days for Life is to bring together the body of Christ in a spirit of unity during a focused 40 day campaign of prayer, fasting and peaceful witness, with the purpose of repentance, to seek God’s favour to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to…
We must not allow legislation that would be used to target only one side, writes John McGuirk It was a bit of a mad week across the water, with Boris Johnson deciding as he did to suspend parliament so that it cannot vote to thwart his Brexit plan. The response to this decision was…
Recent events donât support the notion, writes David Quinn The constant refrain is that Ireland is becoming a more âcompassionateâ place. This notion needs to be robustly challenged. The best that can be said is that we have become more compassionate in some ways and worse in others. Last week, Co Louth was witness…
It is often said that the bias against ‘mixed marriages’ – between partners of different religions – was cruel, and that the Ne Temere decree of 1908 was destructive of community and familial relationships. Yet it would be illusionary to pretend that no conflicts arise when a couple have different religious backgrounds or convictions, and…
There is a growing risk that the health service may begin to consider cost-saving measures that free up urgently needed beds, writes Dr Norella Broderick Support for euthanasia in Western Europe is growing. The UK-based Guardian reported last month that 93% of the British public now support physician-assisted suicide in the case of terminal…
Some recently-ordained priests see Holy Orders as a kind of elite caste, but the Pope is determined to change this, writes Fr Declan Marmion SM The dramatic fall-off in vocations in recent decades has led many, including Church authorities themselves, to ask if the current model of priestly formation is fit for purpose. How…
The current model of seminary formation is neither as old or as monolithic as is often believed, writes Prof. Salvador Ryan It has often been said that the seminary model of priestly formation, which was first introduced by order of the Council of Trent in the 16th Century, is a monolithic and outdated system…
Questions of Faith Modern conceptions of the Devil often depict him as an evil, red-tinged, horned fiend, relishing in the torture of lost souls as he malevolently impales the damned with his pitchfork. This, however, is not how Satan has always been perceived; the Church provides us with a much richer account of who the…
Nuala O’Loan
Michael Kelly
David Quinn
Mary Kenny
Colm Fitzpatrick