Former President Donald Trump on July 15 named Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, a Catholic, as his running mate on the Republican ticket in November. Trump was widely expected to name his running mate at the Republican National Convention, which began the same day. “After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others,…
‘Conversion’ is a word known in the sphere of religion for many centuries. Christianity is an evangelical religion, and converts are welcome – even sought. But in recent years ‘conversion’ has taken on a new meaning. Framed within the concept of ‘conversion therapy’ it has come to signify trying to change a person’s sexual orientation…
Cristóbal Ascencio García, the bishop of Apatzingán in the Mexican state of Michoacán, said that with the victory of presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum and her left-wing party MORENA in the June 2 elections, the arrival of communism to Mexico is “imminent”. In a Mass celebrated on June 30, a month after the elections, the prelate…
A Mass Pit and the Faith of Our Fathers Dear Editor, I was surprised when I read Mary Kenny’s statement saying that she didn’t know when she last heard the hymn ‘Faith of Our Fathers’ played in an Irish church. In our parish ‘Faith of Our Fathers’ is sung every year at Mass on St…
It was projected that shocks were afoot before Northern Ireland went to the polls last Thursday. Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s hastily announced British General Election allotted just over a month for incumbents and political hopefuls to begin the all too familiar trek around their constituencies and commence disturbing unsuspecting homeowners. Some were quietly…
Some years back, a couple of enterprising figures on the Roman scene, devoted Catholics with backgrounds in business, had the bright idea of trying to help the Vatican build a genuine professional development system for its workforce of roughly 5,000, divided between the Roman Curia and the Vatican City State. Fuelling the effort was the…
I spent the past two weeks on holiday in Assisi, home of saints Francis and Clare and now of Blessed Carlo Acutis – a young Italian boy who died aged 15 from leukaemia and who will become the first millennial saint probably during the Jubilee year of 2025. So, who is Carlo Acutis and why…
The issue of Catholic politicians and the Eucharist is once again in the headlines this week, after Fine Gael TD Colm Burke expressed surprise that he was refused Holy Communion by a priest at a recent funeral Mass in Co. Cork. According to reports, the priest went further and told Mr Burke that he was,…
Men ought to call out one another’s misogyny, according to Taoiseach Simon Harris. Speaking in the Dail last week on the topic of male violence against women, he remarked: “It is incumbent on men to take leadership positions and not allow the worst of us to speak for the rest of us”. He added: “Every…
As I crossed the Boyne Peace Bridge, en route to the pro-life rally in Dublin the other day, an old tale sprang to mind: King Billy, fresh from the battle, was crossing the river, when the boatman asked: “Who won?” And King Billy retorted: “Why do you care? You will still be a boatman”. These…
Mary Kenny
Brandon Scott
John L. Allen Jr.
David Quinn
Martina Purdy