Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (William Collins, £12.99/€18.19) This is a famous book of apologetics which is splendid to see back again in the shops. Mere Christianity is a collection of three books: Broadcast Talks (1942), Christian Behaviour (1943) and Beyond Personality (1944). These in turn were printed versions of a series of talks on Christian…
Priests have stressed the need for the Church to remain present to people, including – where possible – keeping churches open as a place of sanctuary for those seeking to “reconnect” with faith and home. Fr Cathal Geraghty of the Clonfert Diocese is one of several clergy calling for church buildings to remain open as…
Early Irish Saints by John J. Ó Ríordáin (Columba Books, €12.99) When people talk in general about the saints of early Christian Ireland, that is those three or four centuries after St Patrick, they often emphasise their travels across Europe, adding in as an extra measure some comments on the relevance of this to the…
A Dublin-based charity has vowed that it will continue to carry its food services for the most vulnerable despite the coronavirus. However, while Merchants Quay Ireland said it will still offer urgent essentials at its Riverbank base as take-away, all other activities such as hot showers, counselling and contact work must be restricted. The homeless…
The number of Catholics are increasing worldwide as well as permanent bishops and deacons, but priests, seminarians and religious figures are decreasing, according to recent statistics. These findings were released by the Churches’ Central Statistics Office, which drafts the Pontifical Yearbook 2020 and the Annuarium Statisticum Eccleasiae 2018, last week. Between the years 2013 and 2018, there…
Greater tolerance is being mistaken for a change in society’s values, writes Aron Hegarty The role of religion in society has often been questioned in modern times with some even calling for it to be done away with altogether. However, in times of crisis like what we are experiencing with the present coronavirus (Covid-19)…
Perhaps the one traditional trait that is left to some of us is that we know how to endure, writes Pól Ó Muirí We have been here before. Writing in his diary in 1961, the poet Seán Ó Ríordáin notes: “An fliú sa chathair agus, de réir na dtuairiscí, ar fud na tíre.” Flu…
A bishop in South Africa has highlighted the need to identify the root cause of violence against women in order to overcome the societal challenge facing the country. Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, was speaking last week about the alarming rates of gender-based killings targeting women and…
Róise McGagh shines a spotlight on the issue of mental health within the Irish prison system Prisons in Ireland abide by the mission ‘Providing safe and secure custody, dignity of care and rehabilitation to prisoners for safer communities’. Rehabilitation is ‘the action of restoring someone to health or normal life through training and therapy…
Christopher White The belief that Catholic social thought requires valuing human life and dignity over economic concerns during this coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis was the widespread consensus among Catholic leaders during a recent US online forum. The range of voices included a small business owner, healthcare professionals, a policy expert and a priest – all…
Peter Costello