A friendly English Catholic I know whizzed by me on her bike, and then drew up. We exchanged greetings and pleasantries, and then she said: “By the way, one of my sisters is going to Dublin to throw eggs at the Pope at the weekend!” Oh, why? She shrugged. “It’s a bit vague. It’s to do…
The View In just a few days Pope Francis will come to Ireland for the World Meeting of the Families. It will be a brief visit and its primary focus will be the family, not the whole Church in Ireland, nor its future nor its past. So what can we realistically expect will happen…
Failures to take hard choices continue to haunt the Church, writes David Quinn The issue of abuse of children by priests has loomed large over the visit of Pope Francis to Ireland this week, and over the World Meeting of Families, the reason for him being here. The scandals have re-erupted in Chile, Australia…
There’s a rich literature being written today by some highly intelligent, sensitive men and women who might best be described as agnostic stoics. Unlike some of their atheistic counterparts whose one-sided attacks on religion suggest that they “doth protest too much”, this group doesn’t protest at all. They don’t attack faith in God; indeed they…
Dear Editor, I’m sure most people by now have heard about the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report which details the widespread sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The content of the document is horrific and shows just how deep the Church is entrenched in this crisis. This wasn’t the action of fringe or isolated clerics, but…
The Notebook This weekend’s visit by Pope Francis will inevitably rekindle many memories of the only previous papal visit to our shores. In September 1979 when Pope John Paul arrived I had been a seminarian for just one month. As you can imagine I was already full of idealism and religious zeal and to…
Ask practising Catholics to tell you about their Church and their faith, and on the whole, you get glowing reports. There will be complaints, and stories of inadequacies, and reservations about this or that teaching, and no one knows the faults of the Church — collectively, and in this or that place — better than…
A wise old bird – wise in the ways of public communication – once said to me: “You can’t be against everything – or be seen to be against everything. Pick your targets. Prioritise what’s important to you.” I would now, with respect, pass on that advice to Mary McAleese. You can’t be against everything in…
The View I attended the funeral of a dear family friend last week. The lady in question was a cherished mother, sister and friend. But above all, she was a beloved wife. Over more than half a century, she and her husband were truly united in marriage. They were and remain an inspirational example of…
That most Irish people believe the Church should ordain women, as a new poll suggests, shouldn’t surprise anyone. Only two years ago 58% agreed with the proposal when Ireland’s farming community was polled on the issue, while in 2012, according to an Amárach Research poll for the Association of Catholic Priests, a massive 77% of…
Mary Kenny
Nuala O’Loan
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly
Maria Steen
Greg Daly