In the four short weeks since Pope Francis died, we have seen the gathering of the Cardinals from all the corners of the earth, the papal election, the inauguration on Sunday of Cardinal Robert Prevost as the new Pope, Leo XIV, and his first public Mass as Pope. It is quite extraordinary that the Catholic…
As people try to get the measure of Pope Leo XIV, it is natural to look to Leo XIII, who was pope from 1878 to 1903. Unsurprisingly, the focus has been primarily on Rerum Novarum, his groundbreaking encyclical on the rights of workers, the right to private property, and gospel values as opposed to the…
Reams of paperless columns have already been written about our new Pope, Leo XIV, analysing every little look or utterance, every handshake, his dress, his repossession of the Papal Apartments. It seems to me that, among Catholics, there is a change in sentiment – a ‘vibe shift’, if you will – and a sense of…
What does the Irish public think of the Catholic Church after all the scandals and all the reports about those same scandals down to the present day? It will probably not surprise you to discover that public attitudes are deeply split. Amarach Research has carried out a major poll on the matter which was commissioned…
“Soon the sun will set” — said Benjamin. “Is that prophecy? No, it’s merely an assertion of faith in the consistency of events.” In A Canticle for Leibowitz, the post-apocalyptic novel by Walter M. Miller Jr, such grim ‘consistency’ refers to humanity’s habit of circling back to self-destruction. Knowledge, once rediscovered after nuclear holocaust, is…
He invites us to accept him as our friend and be his disciple who will imitate his unselfish dedication to do good for others, oppose evil, free the destitute and the downtrodden from their hardships, and support victims of child abuse. He calls on sinners to repent and do penance. He saved the world from…
“I would like that our first great desire be for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world,” said Pope Leo XIV formally beginning his tenure as the successor to St Peter. “In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused…
It was a small, almost hidden message that captured the essence of Aoife Shelly’s life. In the hospital, while her family kept vigil at her bedside, an alarm went off on her phone. When they reached for it to silence the alarm, they found a note in her notifications: “10pm: Time for Prayer.” In the…
Fr Micheal Toomey was born of Irish parents and lived in London until 1994. His ordination in 2009 was the first in eight years for the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore. His mother had returned to live in her native Clonmel and Fr Toomey was appointed there, to what was his home parish, in 2015.…
No second thoughts were needed before signing up for Dr Giulio Pugliese’s seminar on Taiwan and the Risk of World War III which took place at Villa Schifanoia, Florence on May 7. The ‘credit’ for the eye-catching title went to Dublin resident Bill Emmott, formerly editor-in-chief of The Economist magazine and now Chairman of the…
Nuala O’Loan
Breda O'Brien
Maria Steen
David Quinn
Chai Brady