A second school year begins under the shadow of the pandemic, but knowing what to expect eases anxieties, writes Jason Osborne I doubt many would have expected such an altered start to the school year for a second year in a row, but here we are. Students heading back to school this September are entering uncharted…
Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott urged Catholics to write to their local state legislators because proposed euthanasia laws in New South Wales would fundamentally undermine the relationship between doctors and patients by legitimising doctor-assisted suicide in the state. “It would turn doctors from healers into killers, and that would be a tragedy for the…
Our parishes must be converted to make them fit for purpose by becoming missionary in orientation writes Fr Pat Collins CM It could be argued that the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) initiated a sort of theological and pastoral revolution in the Catholic Church. While the subject of evangelisation had not been mentioned at Vatican I…
Everyday Philosophy There’s a standard bit of ethical terminology that gets thrown around a lot in Catholic circles: the difference between moral questions that involve ‘intrinsic evils’ and moral questions that involve ‘matters of prudential judgment’. This comes up a lot in politics: support for certain things like abortion and euthanasia are supposed to be…
Ireland is unprepared in battle against the demonic as Christianity declines, a renowned US exorcist tells Chai Brady The number of people who believe they are being oppressed or even possessed by demonic forces has continued to rise as Christianity declines in the Western world, according to a well-known American exorcist who warns that practicing…
Letter from Rome Had you or I been among the almost 30 million Americans who tuned in to hear Walter Cronkite bring us the news of the evening of October 29, 1969, we would have heard a great deal about an underground Soviet nuclear test that day, one of 19 throughout the year that exacerbated…
Fr Daniel Swartz, chaplain to the US Marines, has safely left Afghanistan amid increasing Taliban control in the state following a period in which he provided pastoral services to Catholic Marines deployed in the country. Fr Swartz’s departure coincides with the US’ formal withdrawal of all troops from the country and the evacuation of Afghanistan’s…
After nearly 1,000 abuse claims were filed against the Diocese of Buffalo in the last two years, the diocese’s Bishop Michael Fisher called it a “tragedy of epic proportions”. The time window to file civil lawsuits in old cases of child sex abuse in New York expired on August 14. A total of 924 claims were…
A Life of Sir Horace Plunkett by Maurice Colbert (Copies can be purchased directly from the author at: 086 821 9584, or email mcolbert@live.ie Price: €20+postage) This book brings to mind that passage in Gulliver’s Travels, where that hardy sea man is in dialogue with the king of Brobdingnag about the virtues of their respective nations. “And he gave…
Towards a Better Education of Children: Extracts from Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation on Love in the Family, ‘Amoris Laetitia’ edited by Bishop Brendan Leahy (Veritas, €2.99/£2.56) With back to school days already here, the minds of families all across Ireland are focused on the education of their children. Education for Catholic families is not merely a…
Ben Conroy
Chai Brady
John L. Allen Jr.
Peter Costello