The Sunday Gospel Jesus was deeply disturbed by the travesty of a religion enmeshed in legalism. “You put aside the commandments of God to cling to human traditions.” Rules about ritual purification had sucked the beauty out of true worship. Pope Francis wrote that certain customs not directly related to the heart of the Gospel…
Dear Editor, – I cannot be alone in finding the shadow boxing between Church and State over the issue of First Holy Communion and Confirmation amusing. The bishops are acting responsibly within their competence and are also acting with due regard for the common good. It is unprecedented for a democratic government to try to…
Who will ever forget the summer of 2021 when both the weather and Covid-19 conspired to keep us out of cinemas? When we went back to them, all they seemed to offer us was horror. Old is a supernatural thriller from M. Night Shyamalan about a family who find themselves ageing at an alarming rate…
If there are, broadly speaking, two sides of an argument, I like to hear from both sides together. Too often inadequately informed or biased presenters just have one side at a time and are unable or unwilling to put the hard questions. So, I enjoyed the discussion on the Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, Wednesday) between…
Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare and Leighlin invited all parishes in the diocese to use the month of September for reflection on how the parish can be more welcoming to those who are slower to return to regular worship. Bishop Nulty made the invitation while speaking at Mass in Saint Conleth’s Parish in Newbridge on…
Pope Francis said Wednesday that hypocrisy within the Church is “particularly detestable.” Speaking at the general audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on August 25, the Pope underlined that hypocritical behaviour damaged Church unity. “Hypocrisy in the Church is particularly detestable, and unfortunately there is hypocrisy in the Church, and there are many hypocritical Christians and…
A priest described as a “simple son of Ireland” may be moving closer to being declared a saint with news that Church authorities are investigating a potential miracle attributed to his intercession. Tipperary man The Servant of God Fr Patrick Ryan ministered to those suffering with yellow fever in the US state of Tennessee in…
As a new exhibition on the founder of the Presentation Sisters opens in Cork, one of the co-creators said Venerable Nano Nagle is “unfairly overlooked” today. The Irish nun “dedicated her adult life trying to educate as many children as she could, to give them the best chance at having a better life”, Jessie Castle…
An Irish woman in Kabul is poised to leave the Afghanistan capital when the airport reopens, saying her family is “really worried” for her safety. Aoife MacManus, from Co. Meath, has been in the Afghan city for two years working in the primary education sector. She is one of a small number of Irish citizens…
The Catholic actor who portrays Jesus in the hit crowd-funded series The Chosen has revealed how handing his life over to providence lifted a weight from his mind. The show now has 250 million views online, but it is success that Jonathan Roumie does not take for granted. He met the Pope at the Vatican…
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan
Ruadhán Jones