Pope Francis has suspended the secretary-general and other top officers of Caritas Internationalis, appointing a temporary administrator to oversee improved management policies and to prepare for the election of new officers in May. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, whose second term as Caritas president was to end in May, also loses his position, although he is…
Advent is characterised by hope, waiting and anticipation. Broken into two halves, the first half of Advent looks forward to the Second Coming of Christ, while the latter half anticipates his coming in the form of an infant 2000 years ago to Bethlehem, which culminates of course in our celebration of that event: Christmas. As…
Catholic leaders have condemned the November 19 attack on an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that killed at least five people and injured at least 25. Seven of those wounded were in critical condition. The Church leaders – the archbishop of Denver, leaders of religious orders and congregations, and a Catholic outreach group to…
by AC Wimmer The Vatican November 24 published the full wording of its latest warnings over another schism coming out of Germany, raising fundamental concerns and objections against the Synodal Way. Two leading cardinals delivered their theologically argued reservations in direct meetings with the German bishops last Friday, warning the process “hurts the communion of…
Voices from a Torrid Time by Séamus Connellan (Carlow Advertiser and Printing, Carlow; no price stated) This is a remarkable pictorial history of the revolutionary period from 1916 to 1923, leading to the emergence of the new Irish state. In more than 130 illustrations the author focuses on the major events in those years with…
Archbishop Martin launches Advent calendar Primate of All-Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin has launched the bishops’ interactive digital Advent calendar, which will go live on November 27 on catholicbishops.ie. This year “more than ever” we need an Advent filled “with hope, promise and peace and, of course, the message of the Christmas angels: do not be…
My early religious training, for all its strengths, placed too heavy an emphasis on fear of God, fear of judgment, and fear of never being good enough to be pleasing to God. It took the biblical texts about God being angry and displeased with us literally. The downside of this was that many of us…
Staff Reporter As Ghana’s national soccer team, the Black Stars, joins other national teams for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, some Ghanaian citizens have been talking about Iñaki Williams, who was named after a Catholic priest. His parents, Ghanaians Felix Williams and Maria (Mary) Arthuer, crossed the Sahara and, when they got to Morocco, jumped the…
The Sunday Gospel Two great prophets, Isaiah and John the Baptist, stride into our liturgical readings for the Second Sunday of Advent. We usually think of prophets as people who foretell the future but that is only partially true. The real meaning of prophecy is the unveiling and proclamation of God’s presence in dark and…
Dear Editor, I refer to the nasty comments made by Tim Hazelwood and his association of rebel priests through the medium of the press, where they are calling on the Bishop of Kerry to ban Fr Seán Sheehy from celebrating Mass and other sacraments for preaching what is essentially Catholic teaching. Fr Hazelwood claimed Fr…
Ruadhán Jones
Fr Ronald Rolheiser