State Papers: Secrets of the powers that be Cultural goods from colonised countries whether secular or sacred, are becoming of increasing concern to colonising nations like Ireland (albeit as a part of the United Kingdom). The National Museum, for instance, has rich collections of African, Asian and American artefacts of all kinds, which are…
The Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, will meet survivors of clerical abuse before the highly anticipated Vatican meeting on the Protection of Minors from February 21-24, 2019. “As a priest and bishop, I have already met many survivors and have always found it a humbling yet important and worthwhile experience,” he told CatholicIreland.net,…
Bishop Silvio Jose Baez has reiterated his calls for dialogue and respecting human dignity in Nicaragua, where the president has crushed protests, closed critical media outlets and persecuted anyone – including priests – publicly opposing his administration. “Dialogue is not a fad or simple political strategy,” Bishop Baez said in his Christmas homily. “When we…
Personal Profile There’s more to our beliefs than meets the eye, writes Colm Fitzpatrick Renowned Doctor of the Church, St Thomas Aquinas once opined: “Beware the man of a single book” – but for Fr Conor McDonough OP, this is a warning that he needs not fear. The 32-year-old Dominican friar who hails from…
Amid Lebanon’s political and economic strife and uncertainty in the Middle East, Catholic patriarchs urged their faithful to forge ahead in hope at Christmastime. At least two patriarchs expressed concern about Lebanon’s failure to form a new government since parliamentary elections in May. In his Christmas message, Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai, patriarch of Maronite Catholics,…
The lorry groaned as the enormous skip landed with a metallic thud on my driveway. This was going to be spring-cleaning on an industrial scale. Five years ago, a sudden job offer precipitated a hasty move to Dublin from our old farmhouse in West Cork. We had far too much stuff to take with us,…
The World of Books by the books editor When I was a child the Christmas season and after was ‘the world of books’; books as gifts to give, books as presents to receive, books to own, to read with the family, books to read in bed at night. Books were an essential part of…
Green Fingers At this time of year when your garden shows the bare bones of its skeleton, you can see things that you normally don’t and it’s much easier to reach the bits that need attention. Fix or replace broken fence posts or panels, if left to blow over and back in the wind…
State Papers: Echoes of the past from the archives Controversy over the Irish National Anthem is a continuing matter. It was certainly so in the late 1980s To some, ‘The Soldier’s Song’ seemed inappropriate for today. A nun from Bessbrook wrote to the Taoiseach that she had attended an event at which the audience…
In Christmas message, Pope prays for peace Delivering his formal Christmas message and blessing, Pope Francis prayed for a world where all people would recognise that they are brothers and sisters and would work for justice and for peace. The birth of Jesus proclaims that “God is a good father and we are all brothers and sisters. This truth is the…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Rory Fitzgerald
Peter Costello
Paul Gargan