Paulina Guzik He may be one of the figures closest to the Pope and a soon-to-be Prince of the Church, but Cardinal-designate Konrad Krajewski hardly spends his time moving in circles of wealth and power. Instead, his milieu is among those that don’t have anything: the poor, the homeless and migrants. Krajewski, 54, invites…
Recently a student I’d taught decades ago made this comment to me: “It’s been more than 20 years since I took your class and I’ve forgotten most everything you taught. What I do remember from your class is that we’re supposed to always try not to make God look stupid.” I hope that’s true. I…
Dear Editor, Bishop Kevin Doran has been roundly criticised for saying that it was a sin to vote for abortion. Many will agree with him, but it’s worth re-stating exactly what the bishop said because it is more nuanced than the headlines suggest. Dr Doran said that if a practicing Catholic “voted ‘Yes’, knowing and…
Fr Conor McDonough I’ve been dreading the writing of this column for weeks, and hoping beyond hope that I would be able to write on the basis of a different result. For those convinced that unborn humans deserve legal safeguarding, a group which includes people of all religions and none, the result is a…
In the Bible, the whole of salvation history is one crisis after another: expulsion from Paradise, the destruction of Babel, the Flood, exiles, and the obliteration of the monarchy. The history of the Israelites in the Old Testament – God’s Chosen People – is a story of being stripped of everything that they believed gave them…
If I were asked to preside over, or contribute to, a humanist funeral, or a “naming ceremony” for the children of non-believers, I would have to respond that I was not the appropriate person, since I am a Catholic Christian. Yet it seems that some atheists or agnostics, when asked to sponsor a child for…
Controversy around John Halligan being barred as a Confirmation sponsor has revealed serious confusion in Church practice, writes Greg Daly Minister of State John Halligan TD may not be a hypocrite but his comments last weekend about the supposed pettiness of a Church refusal to allow him act as a Confirmation sponsor point to…
Late prelate’s care for poor and marginalised will be greatly missed, writes Chai Brady The Primate of All-Ireland has honoured the late bishop of Elphin saying he lived a life of “commitment, fidelity, service and love for the people”. Archbishop Eamon Martin said he was saddened to hear about the death of Bishop Christopher…
One of the richest experiences of grace that we can have this side of eternity is the experience of friendship. Dictionaries define friendship as a relationship of mutual affection, a bond richer than mere association. They then go on to link friendship to a number of words: kindness, love, sympathy, empathy, honesty, altruism, loyalty, understanding,…
Fr Bernard Healy This Easter, as the deacon read St Luke’s account of how the women brought spices to Our Lord’s tomb on the first Easter morning, something popped into my mind. I was reminded of a radio documentary from the RTÉ website called ‘Con Carey and the Twelve Apostles’. Con was a 69-year…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
Greg Daly
Chai Brady