Dublin archbishop hopes Stardust inquest brings closure The archbishop of Dublin has said he hopes the inquest into the deaths of 48 people in the Stardust fire will reveal the truth about the disaster. The blaze at the Stardust Ballroom in Artane in the north of Dublin city occurred in the early hours of Valentine’s…
Vatican reportedly preparing text for divorced and remarried couples The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life is preparing a document that will address divorced and remarried couples at the request of Pope Francis, according to the dicastery’s prefect, Cardinal Kevin Farrell. Cardinal Farrell mentioned the in-progress document in a speech delivered in Italian…
Cindy Wooden Budapest, Hungary – Paying homage to Hungary’s history, culture and location in the heart of Europe, Pope Francis pushed against the notion that the country needed to insulate itself to protect its identity. As expected, in his first speech in Hungary – to government and civic leaders and diplomats serving in Budapest –…
The Sunday Gospel Jem Sullivan May 7, 2023 Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 6:1-7 Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19 1 Pt 2:4-9 Jn 14:1-12 In those early days of the global pandemic in spring 2020, our parish food pantry saw an unexpected and dramatic increase in the number of families in need of food assistance. The…
Recently, 25 years of relative peace were celebrated in Northern Ireland, but recent events also show that it’s fragile, and there are legacies that linger and threaten to disturb it. A minority won’t let go of a Troubles frame of mind, but I’d suspect most want to move on to a time when sectarianism fades…
Recovering Politics, Civilisation, and the Soul: Essays on Pierre Manent and Roger Scruton, by Daniel J. Mahoney (St Augustine’s Press, paperback US$20.00; ebook) Frank Litton The Good Friday Agreement whose 25th anniversary we celebrate, or at the very least, acknowledge the enormous sigh of relief it occasioned, is taken as an example of politics at…
Kieran O’Sullivan died on Saturday 16, April 2023. He was the local undertaker in Rathdowney, Co. Laois. Dear Kieran, I write this letter to you just two weeks after you have gone to the Father’s house where no doubt you have had a wonderful reunion with your parents Michael and Mai. Mind you, I presume…
Brendan O’Regan