The View Here is a peculiar thing that is becoming more and more apparent in what passes for public discourse these days – Irish feminists don’t seem to like strong, opinionated women. That might seem counter-intuitive: after all, the whole point of feminism, one imagines, is to encourage women to be whatever they want to be. We certainly hear lots…
I can understand Leo Varadkar being pleased and relieved that Marine Le Pen was defeated as French presidential candidate. There is a track record of racist ideas with her party – and besides, the Euro would have plunged in value if she had succeeded. So, even on practical grounds, we are spared yet another financial…
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán came calling on Pope Francis April 21, and, according to the official chronology, the encounter lasted a robust 40 minutes. From one point of view, the headline could well be that the two leaders could spend that much time together without coming to blows. They disagree on almost everything, from…
The term ‘far-right’ obscures more than it reveals writes David Quinn Politics has probably become confusing for a lot of people. I follow politics obsessively, and I find it hard to keep track of the rise of new parties across Europe. The breakdown of the traditional left/right divide has made it more difficult to work…
David Agren Local crime bosses were the first to greet Bishop Salvador Rangel Mendoza when he arrived in the oft-violent Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa for his 2015 installation. They insisted on immediately breaking bread with the bishop. “It was an accidental thing,” Bishop Rangel said of the inauspicious arrival. “They told me ‘not to worry about…
It’s hard for a child to have to go to bed in the middle of an evening when the rest of the family is still celebrating. Nobody wants to go to bed while everyone else is still up. No one wants to miss out on life. Remember how as a child, tired and unable to…
Easter 2022 has come and gone, trailing both satisfaction and disappointment in its wake. Some were convinced the crowds would return this Easter, given that this year provided the first set of Holy Week ceremonies permitted in Irish parishes since Easter 2019. Some reported more people than expected, many more parishes reported fewer. I was…
Dear Editor, Thanks to you and the team for the brilliant coverage of the Ukraine crisis from the border in Poland [The Irish Catholic – April 21, 2022]. It really highlights the wonderful efforts Catholic religious orders and charities are doing to help the millions of refugees escaping the war, most of which have gone…
The very mixed emotions experienced by priests in pastoral ministry as they deal with the ups and downs of their parishioners often leads to a wry, even black humour. Behind it often lies a deeper message. I remember a priest saying to me once of another cleric: “oh, he doesn’t suffer from depression – but…
Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1992, and especially since Russia’s recent brutal invasion of Ukraine, there has been a queue of European nations applying to join NATO – the western military alliance led by the United States. Fourteen new states joined between 1999 and 2020, and the most recent applicants are…
Mary Kenny
John L. Allen Jr.
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly