Medical Matters We are now nearly 15 months into a pandemic that has claimed the lives of nearly four million people globally and resulted in about 5,000 deaths in Ireland. However, we are now at a juncture where the vaccination programme is well under way and hospitalised cases of Covid are at their lowest in…
Vatican issues new regulations on public contracts The Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy issued last Tuesday a set of regulations related to new norms for awarding public contracts unveiled by Pope Francis last year. The regulations are contained in a decree signed by Fr Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, SJ, the Pontifical Delegate and prefect of…
“There is only one true sadness, not being a saint!” French novelist, philosopher, essayist, Leon Bloy ends his novel The Woman Who Was Poor with that much-quoted line. Here is a less known quote from Leon Bloy which helps us understand why there is such a sadness in not being saint. “Joy is a sure…
Living Laudato Si’ “To restore nature, we must first restore ourselves”, words from Pope Francis speaking at an event to mark the beginning of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. This global initiative is an effort to protect and restore the vast ecosystems of our planet. Biodiversity loss is at critical levels due to human…
The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. Local begrudgery is a problem that is not confined to Ireland. Today’s three readings tell how Ezekiel, St Paul and Jesus had to face it. So, if you feel that you are being under appreciated, that you are being undervalued, then you are in very good company.…
Fatima was originally scheduled for last August. Its release was delayed for almost a year because of Covid. The virus gives it a strangely appropriate backdrop. It’s like a metaphor for the horrors of World War I. The war underpins Marco Pontecorvo’s uplifting evocation of the beatific visions of three Portuguese children in 1917. Both…
Parnell and his times ed. by Joep Leerssen (Cambridge University Press, £30.00) Felix M. Larkin It is often difficult to find an appropriate print outlet for a scholarly paper prepared for a particular occasion or otherwise in a very specific context. The fruits of much research and reflection are thereby lost. A volume like this is,…
Dear Editor, Being from the Republic, I read with astonishment that there is a policy in the North, as well as the rest of the UK, that disallows poorer families to receive child benefit for a third or subsequent child. I would certainly not call myself a bleeding-heart socialist but children should never be put…
Maintaining healthy lifestyle may reduce Covid risk – HIQA A healthy weight, regular exercise, receiving enough vitamin D, moderating alcohol consumption and not smoking all have positive effects on health and may reduce the risk of poor Covid-19 outcomes, the Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA) has said. They examined 46 studies which focused on…
Bishops praise Biden for committing vaccines to needy The president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace praised President Joe Biden June 23 for his commitment to provide 500 million Covid-19 vaccines to lower-income countries. This was recently matched by the G-7 nations,…
Dr Kevin McCarroll
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Aubrey Malone