The COP29 conference has concluded on November 22, and the final agreement commits $300bn per year from richer countries to the Global South to develop climate plans. “When inflation is taken into account this is a minimal increase from the commitment of 100bn made in 2009,” Trócaire said in a statement. Which falls short on…
Catechism of the Catholic Church Christ commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline. The Gospel was handed on in two ways: orally – preaching – and in writing. The bishops are…
Is Éamon de Valera now a forgotten figure? There is no statue or monument to the political leader who had the longest and perhaps most influential impact on 20th century Ireland. Certainly, the party he founded seldom has recourse to invoking his name at election time (or any other time). And “De Valera’s Ireland” seems…
Dear Editor, While politicians campaign on issues such as climate change, Trump-economics, migrant pressures, etc., they ignore the writing on the wall; our birth-rate is in free-fall. In many parts of Europe, their birth rate has plunged to less than half that needed for replacement. Our collective unwillingness to make a healthy family life possible leaves…
It was proper for God to crush my dreamy life and move me to Ireland because I was building my own castle instead of joining His, says Angela Suryadana As most girls growing up in the early 90s, my media consumption was dominated by stories of good-looking damsels in distress who were rescued by…
Jason Conroy In 2011, university student Kevin Baker fell two stories and severely fractured his skull. His brain damage was so extensive that the doctors gave him little chance. Even if he survived, he would never be the same again. A few years ago, I saw Kevin give his testimony at the FOCUS student conference…
The relics of the soon-to-be saint Carlo Acutis have recently visited Tralee, Co. Kerry. Large crowds descended to the Holy Cross Dominican Church and St Vincent’s Church, Ballyferriter – Gaeltacht Parish – in Tralee over the weekend to venerate the relics of the first Millennial Blessed Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) which are visiting from Assisi in Italy in…
Fr Alan Hilliard I was speaking to a friend of mine a few weeks ago. She’s been having a difficult time. To put her son through college and to pay off debts she was working two jobs. Eventually she gave up one of the jobs as she had made financial headway. She is a…
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War, by Nathaniel Philbrick (Penguin, £23.00 / €27.50); also The First Thanksgiving, a single chapter extract from the original book, is also available separately from Penguin booklet. Today is Thanksgiving Day in the US. These books give a popular historical account of the Pilgrim Fathers, which broadens out the…
Saint of the week The missionary Francis Xavier, born in 1506 in Navarre, Spain, was a man whose life took an extraordinary turn through his encounter with Ignatius of Loyola at the University of Paris in the late 1520s. At the time, Francis was ambitious for worldly success. Yet Ignatius, older and already embracing…
Mary Kenny
Brandon Scott
Peter Costello