Category: Opinion

Every effort needed to keep churches open

The View November was the month the skies began to lift. In a year that for most people has been an endurance test there was some limited compensation in the fact that on average, despite incidents of flooding and high winds that brought trees down, the weather has been distinctly better than average, though not…

It is the Faith that sustains us in times of trial

To many secular eyes, the very idea that anyone would seek participation in public worship of God is alien, writes Declan Ganley On Wednesday of last week, just before America relaxed for its annual Thanksgiving holiday, the US Supreme Court ruled against the Governor of New York’s Covid-19 related ban on public worship. The full…

How the sexual revolution ruined everything

The relaxed moral norms of today come at a much greater cost than advertised, writes Oisín Walsh We’ve landed in a paradoxical place in terms of sexuality. In the bad old days, it was scandalous to deviate from the Catholic norms surrounding relationships. Nowadays, to be seen to adhere in any way to such norms…

The temptation to re-shape the Church to suit ourselves

Ellen’s Coyne journey through faith could have been gripping – unfortunately it ended up confirming her pre-existing beliefs writes Michael Kelly I was 17-years-old in 1996 when then finance minister Ruairi Quinn referred to Ireland as what he described as a “post-Catholic, pluralist republic”. The comments provoked controversy at the time with many people asking whether…

Our wounds and our power to heal others

Nearly 50 years ago Henri Nouwen wrote a book entitled, The Wounded Healer. Its reception established his reputation as unique spiritual mentor and he went on to become one of the most influential spiritual writers of the past half-century. What made his writings so powerful? His brilliance? His gift for expression? He was gifted, yes,…

Prelates must raise voices about suicide

Dear Editor,I write this email with great frustration, sadness, and disappointment, yet I feel compelled to express my feelings publicly in the hope that those in positions of authority, the media, politicians, bishops, and doctors, will act. I am living in Dundrum, County Dublin, a suburb of the capital. In recent days our community has…