During the visit of Pope Francis in 2018 the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar gave a first-rate speech to the Pontiff in Dublin Castle. In contrast, Francis’ input was weak and he was let down by his speechwriters on such an important topic as Church-State relations in contemporary Ireland. Mr Varadkar’s speech was something of a lap…
So, do many people celebrate St Patrick’s day in Northern Ireland?” I asked the cabbie on the drive into town from Belfast Airport. “It depends,” he answered carefully. “It depends on what sections of the community you’re talking about, so it does.” It’s usually a mistake to get into a conversation with a taxi-driver on…
At Sunday Mass celebrated at Argentina’s largest Marian shrine the head of the national bishops’ conference said it was necessary to “discern priorities” and that abortion cannot be one of them. The comments from Bishop Oscar Ojea of San Isidro came on a day recognised by the United Nations (UN) as being dedicated to women…
We all fear judgement. We fear being seen with all that’s inside us, some of which we don’t want exposed to the light. Conversely, we fear being misunderstood, of not being seen in the full light, of not being seen for who we are. And what we fear most perhaps is final judgement, the ultimate…
Revelations of psychological and sexual abuse of a number of women by Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche, have sent shockwaves across the world. Thoughts quickly turned first to the victims who experienced his manipulation and abuse, and who had been preyed upon when they were at their most vulnerable, seeking spiritual counsel; then to all…
It’s almost 1,600 years since St Patrick set foot on Irish soil and transformed the world with the life-giving message of the Gospel. This year, his feastday on March 17 will be noticeable more for the absence of commemoration than any celebrations. Fears around the coronavirus have forced the cancellation of the secular celebrations that…
Dear Editor, I refer to the letter entitled ‘Concern about the future of Accord’ (IC 27/02/2020), which discusses “the decline in the amount of people availing of its marriage and counselling services”. We live in an age where the TV, cinema, and the printed/social media at large frequently portray marriage as a form of mere…
Eoin Wrenn My recent visit to Ethiopia reinforced just how vulnerable some countries in Africa are to climate change but also gave me hope that communities can, and indeed are, adapting to the challenges posed by this crisis. I was privileged to spend a few days close to the border of Eritrea where Trócaire has…
In business as in life, one of the killer phrases is “we’ve never done it that way before”. In the Church context we might well add: “We tried that before and it didn’t work.” Those who seek to calibrate our lives and actions by the light of the Gospel would do well to be wary…
The View With one election over, we await another: the Seanad election. Of the 60 seats in the senate, six are allocated to the university panel. The other 54 are filled by the Taoiseach’s nominees and those nominated by the Vocational Panels. The university panel electorate is small, at only 175,000 between Trinity and NUI.…
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Maria Steen