Pope Francis wants Catholics to understand that the Church does not exist to condemn people, writes John L. Allen Jr In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and Americans ever since have pondered what might have been. Fifteen years later, the Catholic Church faced the same question about Pope John Paul I, the ‘Smiling…

Margaret Cartwright There are ambitious plans to put the promotion of vocations centre-stage in 2016, writes Margaret Cartwright Vocations Ireland is excited about receiving a recent grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. This will give us the opportunity to plan and develop new programmes towards helping the development of a growth in the understanding…

‘More Independents and smaller parties than ever before’ leads voters to ‘feel disenfranchised’, writes Breda O’Brien Journalists love elections. They are an endless source of stories, and even in particularly dull elections, opinion polls can be used to drum up interest. The next election promises to be anything but dull. In a recent article Geraldine…

Greg Daly considers some common criticisms of the soon-to-be canonised Blessed Teresa of Kolkata The December 18 announcement that a second miracle had been formally attributed to the intercession of Blessed Teresa of Kolkata has sparked some predictable reactions. With the way to Blessed Teresa’s canonisation being opened and with the Vatican having set September…

Christians must become more politically mobilised in 2016, writes David Quinn The big event of the year to come will undoubtedly be the general election. It is likely to take place very soon. Fine Gael is almost certain to be returned, most likely with Labour and possibly with the support of a few Independents. Fine…

Is the Pope’s jubilee year going to be a flop? Philosophy’s classic head-scratcher asks if a tree falls in the forest but no one’s there to hear it, does it make a sound? In 2016, Pope Francis may face his own personal version of that conundrum: If a Pope calls a jubilee year but no…

The Church teaches that the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life, writes Cathal Barry The Church teaches that Holy Communion “augments” the recipient’s union with Christ. “The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church…

The Belgian spiritual writer, Bieke Vandekerckhove, comes by her wisdom honestly. She didn’t learn what she shares from a book or even primarily from the good example of others. She learned what she shares through the crucible of a unique suffering, being hit at the tender age of 19 with a terminal disease that promised…

Perhaps our New Year’s Resolutions should be to make more time for friends, family and God, writes FR Martin Delaney My father loved clocks and watches. His most treasured possession was a pocket watch bought with his first wage packet as a young man. At the age of 94, when he was dying, he called…