The View I have always found the New Year to be a very poignant time. The old year always seems very precious, as I remember wonderful moments and recall again those who have left us to go home to the Father who loves us all. The New Year seems but a moment yet to come, with…
Both conservatives and liberals misunderstand what reform is, Austen Ivereigh tells Chai Brady Respected Papal biographer Dr Austen Ivereigh has discussed criticism in Ireland of Pope Francis regarding his efforts to reform the Church, saying not all profound, positive change is solely doctrinal. Reacting to former Irish president Mary McAleese’s critique of the Pope’s efforts…
It’s unfair to say that all deaths in World War I were futile, writes David Quinn The World War I drama 1917 took away two of the big prizes at the annual Global Globe awards at the weekend, namely Best Picture and Best Director. To judge from the reviews so far, it is a wholly…
The greatest threats to Christianity come not from the right but from the left, writes Dr Tom Finegan A noticeable feature of recent public theological discourse is a readiness to criticise causes of the right. Take two high-profile pronouncements, those of Fr Michael Mullaney and of Anglican Archbishop Michael Jackson. Shortly before Christmas they criticised…
Our politicians should exhibit more grace to one another and also receive grace from the rest of us, writes Fr Martin Magill Grace is perhaps one of the greatest of God’s gifts. It is truly “amazing” as exemplified in John Newton’s famous hymn ‘Amazing Grace’, so loved in all Christian traditions and beyond. Grace is the…
There’s fatigue heading into 2020 in the US, but also cause for a bit of optimism, writes Christopher White One year ago, the US bishops gathered at Chicago’s Mundelein Seminary for a historic retreat initiated by Pope Francis in response to the latest round of the clergy abuse scandals. Some months earlier, the leadership…
Letter from the Vatican Pope Francis, known in his native Argentina for never leaving home, collected more frequent-flyer miles in 2019 than in any of the previous six years of his pontificate, travelling to Panama, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Romania, Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Thailand and Japan. Though each trip…
If anyone has read a tabloid, they’ve probably seen the ‘they’re just like us’ section featuring favourite celebrities doing normal things like taking their kids to the park or walking around in jeans and a t-shirt with a Starbucks in hand. One might think, for example, of the humanising photos of Kate Middleton, Duchess of…
Can anyone prove that God exists? Well, many have tried. Some of the greatest philosophers and intellectuals in history have tried to prove that God exists. One of the most famous of these was Thomas Aquinas who produced five different logical ‘proofs’. For example, this is the algebra of one of his arguments: imagine walking…
Notebook Ever since becoming Pope in 2013, Francis, the son of migrants, has sought to awaken the consciences of people worldwide to the plight of migrants and refugees, which is the result of the biggest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II and now involves, according to the United Nations, some 70.8 million…
Nuala O’Loan
Chai Brady
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser