The View Over 50 years, the work of peace and reconciliation in counteracting the ugly and protracted outbreak of violence has been facilitated by patient outreach and genuine effort at mutual understanding engaged in by Christians of different backgrounds. This has often involved painful and self-critical examination of the causes of conflict, where conflict itself…
Skibbereen convent fire is a tragic reminder of what we have to lose, writes Ruadhán Jones After the penal laws were lifted in the early 19th Century, there was an explosion in the number of convents being built in Ireland. So many were built, that they became a common sight across the country, and to…
The vocations crisis is rooted in a social, cultural and ecclesial landscape that has changed radically in the last 20 years, writes Fr Tomás Surlis The return to seminary this year was particularly challenging, given the current pandemic. However, we approached the challenge with vigour, since the experience of a common life is central to…
The Pope’s new encyclical is a blueprint for a better and more just post-Covid world, writes Caoimhe de Barra Fratelli Tutti, a letter addressed to all people, is an encyclical on human connectedness and follows a series of teachings given by the Pope during his general audiences in August and September which have focused on…
The Pope is asking the world to tap into the wellspring of the Faith, writes David Quinn Francis’ latest encyclical is a call to universal brotherhood and sisterhood, or fraternity. Its title is Fratelli Tutti – brothers all, a phrase associated with St Francis of Assisi, after whom the Pope named himself. The idea of…
Letter from America Where are the Fr Peytons, Fr Kiesers and Bishop Sheens of today? There were three men of the cloth who didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘quit’ – at least when it came to media. First, there was Archbishop Fulton Sheen, whose planned beatification last December was postponed by the Vatican.…
The Vatican’s financial situation must be “a glass house” that displays transparency and honesty, letting Catholics know where its revenues come from and go, said the head of the Secretariat for the Economy. Presenting a detailed budget report of the Roman Curia for 2019, Jesuit Fr Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves said Catholics “have the right…
One size doesn’t fit everyone. This isn’t just true for clothing, it’s also true for spirituality. Our challenges in life change as we age. Spirituality hasn’t always been fully sensitive to this. True, we’ve always had tailored instruction and activities for children, young people and for people who are raising children, carrying a job, and…
In the passage that recounts the disciples’ encounter with the Risen Lord on the road to Emmaus, one of the most evocative lines is where Cleopas says plainly “our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free”. The despondency is palpable. It’s a feeling I am sure that many…
Notebook Recently I was reading about a little remote uninhabited island off the coast of Scotland. It is one of the Orkney Islands called Lamb Holm. It was there that Italian prisoners of World War II were kept from 1942 to 1945. They left something behind – a tiny chapel. Among the prisoners was a…
Ruadhán Jones
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly