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…
Dear Editor, I was getting a little bit concerned about our former president Mary McAleese. It had been several weeks since I had heard her quoted predicting the demise of the Catholic Church. She was clearly keeping her powder dry for a few weeks to maximise publicity for a new book. Her training as a…
We all grow a little more forgetful with the passing of the years, and it is well-established that the ageing brain experiences some cognitive deterioration. But there are ways to mitigate this process, namely: activity, nutrition, and social and intellectual stimulation. And, I regret to say that over the past six months of the Covid…
The View As I write this we are facing into what looks like a fairly bleak autumn and limited Christmas celebrations. Governments are struggling to reconcile the duty to deliver services to save lives and protect health with the needs to protect the economy, for without the healthiest possible economy there will be major problems.…
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
Nuala O’Loan