While news agencies and Catholic social media denizens these days gorge themselves on the Vatican’s mounting “Battle of the Books,” seeing who can craft the most sensational headlines or tweets about several controversial new volumes making the rounds, other outfits are, thankfully, still concerned with things that actually matter. Such is the case, for instance,…
The CEO of Trócaire, Caoimhe de Barra, has been elected the Chief Executive Officer of an umbrella group of Catholic social justice organisations. Caoimhe de Barra said the appointment to her new role in Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité (CIDSE), is an “honour and a privilege”. Having been a board member since 2020, she said:…
To fall in love! We use the expression to cover many things. You can fall in love with a baby, a sports team, a city, a job, or another person. However, we reserve the prime analogate for this expression for one thing, emotional infatuation, that intoxicating feeling we first get when we meet someone who…
Cindy Wooden Public criticism by cardinals and bishops is annoying – “like a rash that bothers you a bit,” Pope Francis said – but differences need to be aired and criticism can be helpful, he told the Associated Press. “You prefer that they don’t criticise, for the sake of tranquility,” he said in the interview…
European bishops met with the European Commission (EC) to share their perspectives on the impacts of war in Ukraine, emphasising the positive role played by Churches. Churches are “frontline operational field actors” in providing humanitarian care to Ukraine and neighbouring countries, Archbishop Cyril Vasil told the EC. The archbishop of the Greek-Catholic Eparchy of Kosice,…
Religious orders continue to bring Christ’s teaching to life in a changing, challenging landscape, writes Chai Brady It is understandable when Christians in Ireland feel dispirited each time they hear another religious house has closed, sometimes after almost 1,000 years of dedicated local ministry, but huge efforts are being made behind the scenes to…
The Irish Department of Finance 1959-99, by Ciarán Casey (Institute of Public Administration, €35.00/£30.99). The Irish Department of Finance traces its beginning to the establishment of the Irish Free State in December 1922. It retained the work-practices and most of the personnel of its previous existence as an ancillary branch of the British Treasury. In…
Ukraine’s religious leaders renew invitation to Pope to visit Kyiv Ukraine’s religious leaders asked Pope Francis to visit Kyiv, said Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. In a meeting with the Pope January 25, members of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religions once again extended the invitation to…
Dear Editor, I appreciated the article entitled ‘The positive side to fear of God’ by Maria C. Morrow [The Irish Catholic – January 19, 2023]. I felt it would have been better had she referred to Pope Francis who explained that the fear of the Lord is a gift bestowed by the Holy Spirit, which…
Matthew’s Gospel is our source of light for most of this year. Where has he led us so far? When the voice of John the Baptist was silenced, it was time for Jesus to leave his workshop and home, and to proclaim his mission. He announced it in one short sentence. “Repent, for the kingdom…
John L. Allen Jr.
Chai Brady
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Ruadhán Jones