As a Catholic, you’d want to be sure your Faith was primarily in God and not in individual Catholic clergy. Too often, in striving for perfection, we assumed that those in the clerical state had already succeeded. Did we not really believe it when, at Mass, we heard them confessing their sins along with ourselves?…

While looking forward to the World Meeting of Families (WMOF) and the papal visit later this month, I’ve long had a fear that we could easily mess  it up, or have it messed up for us. Mainstream media coverage often reduces the event to issues of child abuse and the Church’s attitude to homosexuality, with…

Last week I was writing about some new TV dramas and this week I’ll have a look at some reruns and revivals. Anne With an E (based on the children’s novel Anne of Green Gables) is back on Netflix for a second series and judging by the first few episodes it’s still maintaining the high…

Last week saw the beginning of several new TV drama series – maybe a coincidence or maybe to offer alternatives, both during and after the World Cup and Wimbledon. S.W.A.T. (Sky One, Sunday nights) was the least promising of the lot, a stereotypical US cop show with too much macho posturing, clichéd characters, stilted acting…

With the papal visit imminent we can expect some related documentaries, and on Tuesday of last week RTÉ1 was first in line. Rebel Pope was a docudrama from National Geographic, and while it was worth watching I wasn’t that impressed. The most interesting aspects dealt with revolutionary times in Argentina when Jorge Bergoglio, later Pope…

While the à la carte variety of Catholicism is thoroughly accepted and even lauded in mainstream media there are inherent inconsistencies. If, say, a vile racist people trafficker was claiming to be a Catholic in good standing, would the usual suspects be as tolerant as they are when the Church’s teachings on sexuality are dismissed?…

With the increased popularity of podcasts, it’s worth noting the extensive archive of RTÉ Radio 1’s Documentary on One series. Last Saturday’s episode, ‘Sisters’, was Emma Decker’s engaging exploration of the lives of her grand aunts Sr Joe and Sr Gabrielle, who went to the US as teens to become nuns. They worked primarily with…

Last weekend saw the welcome return of Sunday Morning Live on BBC One. It’s more magazine style than its alter ego The Big Questions but still features some weighty debates on topical religious, social or ethical issues. First up was timely discussion on youth mental health, especially in the context of exam stress and social…

I find it useful to tune in to Catholic news sources from abroad to get a broader view on the Catholic world, and to avoid being confined to the prevailing narrative of the secular media at home. EWTN News Nightly is particularly useful. Last Friday’s episode, for example, covered a wide range of issues. First up…

I was in the need of some good news stories last week, something to lift the spirits and restore some pride in the country. Nationwide (RTÉ1) provided the goods as it often does, in its own low key way, and with unfailing respect for its subjects. On Monday night they had a special show on the…