The security of Christians in Northern Iraq remains “tenuous” and will require close attention in the future, the US State Department’s religious freedom ambassador has told members of Congress. While the situation is “far better in Northern Iraq right now” for Yazidis and Christians, who in 2016 were recognised by the State Department as genocide…
French campsites remain for me the archetypal holiday destination. It’s hard to describe the utter excitement we felt at arriving in France as children. The first time I left Ireland, in the early 1980s, was aboard a ferry which departed from just near my home in Cork. The ferry port was so close that we…
Francis permits seafarers to grant absolution for sins Pope Francis has given priests who minister to seafarers special permission to grant absolution for sins that usually would require the intervention of a bishop or the Vatican itself. “Many seafarers come or will come to priest chaplains with problems on their conscience that make them suffer…
Mainly about books by the books editor Under the City Hall of Dublin at the top of Dame Street – right in the heart of Dublin – one of the rooms of the basement crypt has been converted into a charming little café, the rest of the vaults to a museum devoted to unrolling…
Children’s Corner If you have ever wondered, when strolling through a meadow or forest, how is it humanly possible to know what species of plant and animal live in a certain area, while also being able to scientifically estimate the amount of each – it’s not so difficult. Biologists have studied different areas in…
Each year, I write a column sharing with readers the title and a brief synopsis of the 10 books that touched me most that year. Occasionally, however, I judge a book to be exceptional enough to merit its own column. Robert Ellsberg’s new book, A Living Gospel – Reading God’s Story in Holy Lives, is…
Dear Editor, The commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the D-day landings was important not only to remind us of the courage and sacrifice of the previous generation in fighting the evils of Nazism but also to remind us that contending with evil now falls to this generation. There is always something that needs to…
The Church is ‘forever young’, new bishop says The new bishop of Madison told the congregation at his installation Mass last week that the Catholic Church “is forever young” and this is “our moment” to proclaim the good news of Christ. “In God’s time, 2,000 years is merely the blink of an eye,” Bishop Donald…
The Notebook Many years ago, my friends Monica Brown and Hilary Musgrave introduced me to the whole experience of sacred clowning. Hilary and Monica lead retreats all over the world and the sacred clown ‘Naofa’ is an integral part of their unique approach to spirituality. Sacred clowning has to be experienced because trying to…
Ordination of Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork & Ross Diocese Chai Brady and Madison Duddy Hundreds of parishioners laughed as outgoing Bishop John Buckley ribbed that visitors from Dublin would be happy in Cork as they were “simply travelling from one capital city to the alternative capital”. Jokes were always expected as the ‘rebel…
Rory Fitzgerald
Peter Costello
Chai Brady
Fr Ronald Rolheiser