Is a Vatican commission set to oblige Pope Francis to restore the female diaconate, asks Greg Daly It seemed somehow appropriate that hardly had Minister Josepha Madigan sought to frame her impromptu leading of an ad hoc Communion service as a story about women being denied a role in the Church’s ministry that the…
Colm Fitzpatrick examines if lay-led services are the future of Irish Catholicism In light of a prominent politician taking the lead at a Saturday night Eucharistic service after the parish priest failed to show up to offer Mass, questions have been raised as to what parishioners should do in such situations, and how they…
International Analysis Letter from Rome For all those concerned with a rising tide of anti-Christian persecution around the world, certain things about the nation of Pakistan may seem blindingly obvious: that Shahbaz Bhatti, for instance, should be declared a martyr and saint, and that a death sentence for Asia Bibi should elicit outrage and…
International Analysis Inés San Martín If ever there’s doubt about where the Church stands on an issue, having the Pope and the majority of a local Catholic hierarchy speaking in unison pretty much resolves it. This is presently the case for Nicaragua, where, once again, Church-backed anti-government protests have ended in bloodshed. “Renewing my…
Ralph Waldo Emerson calls the stars in the night sky “envoys of beauty, lighting the universe with their astonishing smile” and submits that if they appeared for a single night only every thousand years, we’d be on our knees in worship and would cherish the memory for the rest of our lives. But since they…
Fr Conor McDonough “Where are all the married saints?” It’s a question we might find ourselves asking as we prepare for the upcoming World Meeting of Families. Of course, countless unknown saints have been raised up by God in the heart of family life, but very few of them are officially canonised or beatified.…
Dear Editor, The national airwaves and dailies have been full of late with references to how, fresh from her victory in the abortion referendum, Minister Josepha Madigan led a Communion service for those gathered for Mass. One aspect of this we must surely grapple with honestly is whether people who flout Church teaching should be…
Some people are stroppy and rebellious when they are young. They proclaim themselves red-hot socialists and challenge the inherited traditions of their society. Then, as time goes by and they gain experience in life, they begin to revise or modify some of their youthful opinions. Shouting “property is theft” – the famous anti-capitalist slogan coined…
The View Martin Mansergh An Irish Independent headline earlier this month on an article about Pope Francis’ forthcoming visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families declared: ‘Pope will find no tales of princes of the Church in his choice of venues’. The focus would be on the poor, the homeless, and the…
Even the right to baptise your child is now being questioned, writes David Quinn We are definitely in a radically new cultural moment when even the practice of infant baptism is called into question and by no less a person than our former president, Mary McAleese. If the right of Catholics to baptise their…
Greg Daly
Colm Fitzpatrick
John L. Allen Jr.
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Mary Kenny
David Quinn