The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given to those who are seriously ill, writes Cathal Barry The Church teaches that Christ invites his disciples to follow him by taking up their cross in their turn (Mt 10:38). “By following him they acquire a new outlook on illness and the sick,” according to the…

Fear is the heartbeat of the powerless. So writes Cor de Jonge. That’s true. We can deal with most everything, except fear. The late, Belgian, spiritual writer, Bieke Vandekerckhove, in a very fine book, The Taste of Silence, shared very honestly about the demons that beset her as she faced a terminal illness at age…

“A rough calculation, based on this exit poll, would put weekly Mass attendance among Catholic voters at about 40%”, analyses Andrew O’Connell The recent exit poll, conducted by Behaviour and Attitudes for RTÉ on election day, included questions on religious affiliation and church attendance. Voters were quizzed as they left their polling stations across the…

Addressing thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s Square at the weekend, Pope Francis told them: “God does not nail us to our sin.” The Pope went on: “He does not identify us with the evil we have done. We have a name, and God does not identify this name with the sin we have committed.”…

“time heals all wounds between nations, and history puts everything into a constantly changing perspective”, writes Mary Kenny The history of St Patrick’s Day in Britain is interesting. Up until 1916 – significantly – it was well-marked and well-observed in London, particularly, as a great day for the Irish. The tradition of a royal family…

“The commission has recognised its duty to create policies with global application, which send very clear messages about what must be done everywhere in the world. We have seen that it is capable of this”, writes Nuala O’Loan Pope Francis established the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, because, he said, “Many painful actions…

“It takes courage to stand up and be counted against someone like Mr Trump”, writes Editor Michael Kelly I spent some time last month in the United States where election fever has already gripped the country. Voters don’t actually go to the polls to elect a new president until November 8, but eight months out,…

It can be a source of comfort to know that while their child could not sustain life, the baby could give life to others, writes Mary Kenny Recently, the TV comedy writer Graham Linehan wrote a poignant article in the Sunday Independent magazine about the termination of a pregnancy. He and his wife Helen found…

Most of the loud voices pushing for more abortion were rejected by voters, writes Niamh Uí Bhriain Niamh Uí Bhriain Long before the general election was ever called, Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin insisted that if voters wanted abortion-on-demand legalised in Ireland, his was the party that would deliver. Mr Ó Ríordáin and his colleagues then…