For the first time in over 40 years, Ireland will not have a vote at a forthcoming conclave following the omission of an Irish prelate from Pope Francis’ new batch of cardinals. At the weekend, the Pontiff announced that he would create 13 new cardinals on October 5. Ireland lost the right to vote for…
Faith-based schools have an important role in the future, but we have to stand up for them, writes Michael Kelly The religious landscape in Ireland has changed dramatically in recent decades. Perhaps nowhere was that more evident than in the contrasts between the visit of St John Paul II in 1979 and that of…
The Archbishop of Canterbury has said all religions and their leaders must own up to extremist activities within their faith and examine which of their traditional teachings enable extremists to commit evil. Archbishop Justin Welby, the figurehead of the worldwide Anglican Church, told interfaith leaders in Sri Lanka that accepting responsibility is key rather than…
Homework can seem like a never-ending chore but a parent’s help can make all the difference, writes Colm Fitzpatrick With school once again in full swing, pupils will be arriving home in their droves to a hot meal, comfortable clothes, and reams of homework. The bane of most children’s lives, homework is seen as a barrier to complete…
Although today may seem a time of darkness and difficulty for people without vision, prophets of doom are mistaken if they believe the Church in Ireland is condemned to a dark future, said Cloyne’s Bishop William Crean at a Mass last week to mark the centenary of St Colman’s Cathedral in Cloyne. Maintaining that today’s…
The Glory and the Burden: the American Presidency from FDR to Trump by Robert Schmuhl (University of Notre Dame Press, $25 /£20.35) Felix M. Larkin Robert Schmuhl, professor emeritus of American Studies and Journalism at the University of Notre Dame, is well known in Ireland for his contributions to Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1.…
Questions of Faith Modern conceptions of the Devil often depict him as an evil, red-tinged, horned fiend, relishing in the torture of lost souls as he malevolently impales the damned with his pitchfork. This, however, is not how Satan has always been perceived; the Church provides us with a much richer account of who the…
The healing of an Athlone woman with multiple sclerosis 30 years ago underlines the Eucharistic nature of the Apparition at Knock, the shrine’s rector has said. Speaking to The Irish Catholic about the medically inexplicable healing of Marion Carroll in September 1989, Fr Richard Gibbons described how Mrs Carroll had by her own account felt…
The Archdiocese of Xalapa in Mexico has called for peace after a massacre at a night club in the town of Coatzacoalcos claimed 26 lives last Tuesday. It has been reported that 10 women and 16 men died in the attack, and 11 more people were injured. The local press said that a group of…
Letter from Rome Pope Francis named thirteen new cardinals on Sunday past, including 10 eligible to vote for the next pope. Arguably, nothing any Pope ever does is more consequential than appointing cardinals. Not only do they immediately become the most influential leaders in the Church, but someday they’ll also elect a new Pope…
Michael Kelly
Colm Fitzpatrick
Greg Daly
John L. Allen Jr.