A Parent’s Perspective Reading about the death of John Hume, Nobel Peace Prize winner and prominent Northern Irish politician, what stood out was his persistence and unshakeable commitment. Many commentators have mentioned his courage, charisma and kindness and how he spoke out for what he knew to be right. He was a firm believer in…
The Catholic archbishop of Juba, South Sudan, condemned “in the strongest terms possible” the murder of three young girls, killed while watching television in their Juba home. The girls, ages 9, 7 and 4, were the children of Edward Jami Andrea, a lecturer at the Upper Nile University in the capital. The children were alone…
Letter from Rome I never thought I’d live to see it, but there it was in The New York Times on July 23, big as life, in the headline over a column by Paul Krugman: ‘Why can’t America be like Italy?’ Since then, unflattering comparisons of the US to Italy in terms of handling the coronavirus have become…
Rodham: a novel by Curtis Sittenfeld (Doubleday, £16.99) Felix M. Larkin Towards the end of this novel (which will make an ideal summer ‘beach read’, if only on Playa de Backgarden), one of the characters speaks about “the sense most of us have that there are other lives out there we could have led”. This novel…
While commentators are often quick to point to a perceived lack of support for the Church, latest research indicates that priests have outstripped both journalists and politicians in terms of levels of public trust. The IPSOS MRBI Veracity Index for 2020 has shown that clergy elicited 54% trustworthy responses from those polled, remaining the same…
There’s something wonderfully retro about the summer holidays of 2020. Irish people are holidaying in Ireland again – just like they did in the old days, before foreign holidays became de rigeur. The byways of West Cork and Kerry are again filled with Irish registration plates. Some come all the way from places as exotic…
Children’s Corner Although the summer months are coming to an end and school is on the horizon, it’s still not too late to make your own summery and refreshing sparkling lemonade. There’s a lot that can be learned in the process of making this beverage, understanding the scientific process behind it is another added bonus…
Pope names six women to previously all-male Council for Economy Renewing the membership of the Vatican Council for the Economy, Pope Francis named six women to the previously all-male board that oversees the financial operations of all Vatican offices and entities. The original seven lay members were all men with experience in business, finance or…
We no longer understand melancholy. Today we lump all forms of melancholy together into one indiscriminate bundle and call it ‘depression’. While a lot of good is being done by psychiatrists, psychologists and the medical profession in terms of treating depression, something important is being lost at the same time. Melancholy is much more than…
You may have been reading about Fatima, a film that deals with the Fatima apparitions, in recent months. Its release was delayed due to the coronavirus, but this wasn’t seen as a problem by its producer, Natasha Howes. “People have more time to listen to the story now,” she says. Its release in 2020 is…
Maria Byrne
John L. Allen Jr.
Rory Fitzgerald
Chai Brady
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Aubrey Malone