Paul Keenan reports on a Christian charity helping those in need to help themselves If there is an illustration that best serves the guiding principles of the Tearfund charity, it is offered from the personal experience of their CEO, Reuben Coulter. Just returned from Malawi, where he was overseeing ongoing Tearfund projects, Reuben…
Are there not more important issues than the Embassy to the Holy See, asks Margaret Hickey I find it strange that the first public re-grouping of the Catholic faithful in the aftermath of the Dublin, Ferns and Cloyne Reports should be centered on a campaign to restore Ireland’s embassy to the Holy See.…
Spain: Spain to reverse abortion legislation The new Spanish government of Mariano Rajoy has pledged to reverse abortion legislation introduced by the previous administration. In an announcement by Minister of Justice Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, the ruling Spanish People’s Party looks set to enact greater restrictions on the availability of abortion. The move would specifically target current…
Ahead of the Pope’s official visit to Mexico, Paul Keenan examines the country’s ongoing struggle against drug violence. Whether Archbishop Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago’s appeal for a period of peace during Pope Benedict’s March visit to Mexico (see Page 19) will be acknowledged by the violent criminal fraternity there remains to be seen. The…
The Second Vatican Council remains a living issue, writes Francis X. Rocca Fifty years ago this October, Blessed John XXIII and more than 2,500 bishops and heads of religious orders from around the world gathered in St Peter’s Basilica for the opening session of the Second Vatican Council. Over the following three years, Vatican…
By ignoring the potential of co-operatives we are missing out on an opportunity for economic growth, writes FrDermot McKenna SJ Regrettably, co-operative enterprise is not held in high esteem by our Government, by our professionals, by our teachers, or even by our Churches. It would be interesting to know if any of our third-level…
In the run up to the Eucharistic Congress, David Cleary discusses his personal experience of the Eucharist Eucharist is very important to me. I decided years ago as a teenager learning about the Reformation that I really needed to resolve the question of transubstantiation! Does Christ become really present or just symbolically so? I…
Family activities Anne O’Connell If a grandparent has a skill which they can pass on to their grandchild, February is a good month to do so: there are still many long, dark evenings ahead. It can be any skill from tying shoelaces to whistling, to skimming a flat stone across the water! Think of…
Health Matters Dr Andrea Fitzgerald Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurological disabilities that start in early childhood and are life-long. ASD encompasses a range of disorders, the commonest of which are Autism and Asperger’s syndrome. Symptoms are characterised by difficulties in communication, social interaction, and behaviour. ASD seems to be on…
While the early years can be the most taxing for parents, they are also the most critical for child development. A major American study has found that the effects of good childcare on infants can be seen even at the age of 30. The study found that children who received a quality programme of extensive…
Paul Keenan
Rory Fitzgerald