In 1935, an aspiring painter and member of a prominent Jewish family in Turin by the name of Carlo Levi was sentenced to exile in Italy’s neglected southern region of Basilicata for his anti-fascist sentiments. Basilicata, at the time, was considered more or less Italy’s equivalent of Siberia, which is to say, a prison all…
The Children’s Grief Centre has released a new bereavement toolkit to better help primary school teachers support their communities through grief, writes Jason Osborne Since 2009, the Children’s Grief Centre in Co. Limerick has been offering a support service for children, young adults and their families affected by death, separation or divorce. Established by Sister…
The Knights of Columbanus launched their inaugural Ladies of Faith & Courage Awards in Ely House, Dublin on Saturday September 24, with four “exceptional” women of faith and courage receiving awards. Supreme Knight Brendan McCann said that at the heart of the initiative “the Knights wanted to honour exceptional women of Faith and Courage who…
In the aftermath of the fire that gutted a church in Cameroon, Bishop Aloysius Fondong of the Diocese of Mamfé entered the ruins to retrieve the Blessed Sacrament and found the sacred Hosts and the ciborium containing them to be intact. On the night of September 16, armed men set fire to St Mary’s church…
Strong education key to ‘better world,’ cardinal tells UN summit During a UN education summit, the Vatican’s secretary of state reiterated Pope Francis’ pre-pandemic call that education is “one of the most effective ways of making our work and history more human”. Addressing the final day of the Transforming Education Summit September 19, Cardinal Pietro…
A large crowd turned out for the launch of veteran Irish journalist Mary Kenny’s new book, The Way We Were: Centenary Essays on Catholic Ireland. Sabina Coyne Higgins, long-time friend of Ms Kenny and wife of the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, launched the book in the United Arts Club, Dublin on Wednesday September…
The unprecedented consultation process reveals that many self-styled liberals are intolerant of those who differ from them, writes Fr Andrew McMahon Former TV3 presenter, Ursula Halligan, returned briefly to our screens this summer, in the surprising circumstances of the national pre-synodal assembly. The past political editor, and prominent campaigner for same-sex marriage, featured in RTÉs…
Study suggests 20 quadrillion ants on Earth There are at least 20 quadrillion ants on Earth, AFP reports. This is according to a new study that says even that towering figure likely underestimates the total population of the insects, which are an essential part of ecosystems around the world. Determining the global population of ants…
God in No 10: The personal faith of the Prime Ministers, from Balfour to Blair by Mark Vickers SPCK, €28.99/£25.00 This is a remarkable book, one which goes where historians have in the past been reluctant to go. It is, even more remarkably, written by a working parish priest in London. As the religious beliefs of…
In open defiance of the Vatican, Catholic bishops in Belgium September 20 announced the introduction of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in their dioceses. The bishops of Flanders also published a liturgy for the celebration of homosexual unions. “In doing so, they are going directly against the Vatican,” reported Nederlands Dagblad. The Vatican published an official clarification in March…
Ruadhán Jones
Peter Costello