If ever there was a saint for the poor, humble and marginalised, it must be the Canadian Alfred Bessette, or St André Bessette. Born in Quebec on August 9, 1845, he was orphaned by the time he was 12. He was forced to work to support himself, travelling from place to place and taking up…
Elise Ann Allen As Pope Benedict XVI was laid to rest Thursday in the Vatican, Christian and interfaith leaders across the world conveyed their appreciation of his theological contributions and efforts to build bridges. In a statement of condolence, the acting Secretary General of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Jerry Pillay, said the…
Warning of ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Nagorno-Karabakh A leading politician serving the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has strongly echoed Pope Francis’ concerns about the humanitarian situation in the fragile region located within Azerbaijan’s borders. In an interview with CNA, Ruben Vardanyan, State Minister of Artsakh, said that the international community must act in order to prevent…
LetterfromUSA Kate Scanlon After a report dubbed 2022 “the year of the botched execution,” Catholic activists renewed their calls for an end to capital punishment in the US at both the state and federal levels. Despite declining public support for the practice, and a campaign promise from President Joe Biden, a Catholic and a…
For Pope Benedict, divine worship must always be ordered to the glory of God, Chai Brady hears in Rome The Primate of All Ireland and the Archbishop of Armagh has said Pope Benedict XVI did a lot to try and bridge the divide between the liturgy before and after Vatican II. This led him to…
This year the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity, according to the ancient Julian Calendar by the Egyptian Copts, took place last week with great ceremony. It brought into focus the cultural changes moving over contemporary Egypt where the Copts – who are miaphysites of ancient standing – now in accord with most other…
Released in 1937 and directed by Jean Renoir, the talented son of a great French painter, La Grande Illusion set itself deliberately against the trend toward jingoism present in 1930s Europe. Set during WWI, it tells the story of French prisoners of war who continually try to escape from German camps; and about the German…
Jennifer Bryson tells Jason Osborne that forming a Catholic conscience was key to working in a pressure cooker like Guantanamo Bay detention camp “If there is anything I learned during my time as an interrogator at Guantanamo Bay, it is the importance of a well-formed conscience. Too seldom do we use periods of ease to…
The word ‘unprecedented’ has had many outings in the last three years, and media commentators reached for it again in relation to the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict was already a master of the unprecedented thanks to his surprise resignation in 2013. Some early coverage of his death was inclined to be lazy, clichéd…
200 students receive JPII awards in Kildare and Leighlin More than 200 students received their John Paul II awards in a celebration at the Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow. Of the 209 recipients, 46 received papal crosses, 115 gold medals, 34 silver medals and 14 bronze medals. Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Denis Nulty said…
Chai Brady
Peter Costello
Ruadhán Jones
Brendan O’Regan