The Latin language in the Catholic Church faces two major hurdles: the increasingly exclusive access to Latin instruction worldwide and the difficulty of transmitting the ancient language’s modern value to seminarians from non-European backgrounds, said the new president of the Vatican’s Latin academy. Though it is fighting an uphill battle, the Pontifical Academy for Latin,…
The hate crimes legislation was discussed in the Seanad last week, with spirited contributions circulating on social media – especially from Senators Rónán Mullen and Michael McDowell (both raising serious concerns) and Senator Pauline O’Reilly (Green Party) supporting the legislation on the grounds of the common good. This didn’t get much coverage in regular media,…
It is taken for granted these days by those of every political and religious persuasion that love is a very good thing, and rightly so. This is so taken for granted that it’s one of those things that has become invisible, a truth that goes without saying. We usually learn about ‘love’ by osmosis, rather…
When prelates and lay delegates gather in October for the upcoming Synod of Bishops, they will be asked to directly confront a number of pressing questions including the possibility of women deacons, access to the priesthood for married men, the integration of LGBTQ+ Catholics and penance for sexual abuse and the abuse of power, conscience…
Nowadays Christianity of the past is often criticised as having been opposed to the body; and it is quite true that tendencies of this sort have always existed. Yet the contemporary way of exalting the body is deceptive. Eros, reduced to pure ‘sex’, has become a commodity, a mere ‘thing’ to be bought and sold,…
Shaping the Assembly: How our buildings form us in worship, ed. by Thomas O’Loughlin (Messenger Publications, €25.00/£23.23) Thomas O’Loughlin is a distinguished scholar who has taught at several institutions in England, retiring as a professor emeritus at the University of Nottingham. This book brings into focus several of his long standing concerns. It is a…
Leaders of the Church in France have appealed for patience and fairness in establishing the truth, after two more bishops were accused of sexual abuse while heading the Church’s main missionary organisation. “The charges are serious, and both categorically deny them,” said Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims, the bishops’ conference president. “The voice of…
Ireland’s newest bishop has said that the synodal path inaugurated by Pope Francis is an opportunity for the Church to become more participatory. Speaking after his ordination in St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford on Sunday, Bishop Paul Connell, new Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, said: “Placing our faith and trust in God involves, above all,…
Ugandans woke up June 17 to the shock of a school massacre in which at least 39 students and two community members were killed. Just before midnight local time June 16, rebels suspected to be members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) swooped into the Lhubiriha Secondary School in the town of Mpondwe, near the…
About 150 of the Faithful from parishes across Armagh archdiocese tackled Croagh Patrick, Co. Mayo, on a pilgrimage aimed at marking the 150th anniversary of the dedication of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh. The enthusiastic parishioners made the climb on Saturday. It also helped raise funds to help the cathedral into the future.
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello