Paul Durcan at 80edited by Niall McMonagle, with an introduction by Colm Tóibín (Harvill Secker, £16.99 / 19.99hb) Thomas McCarthy Paul Durcan was born in Dublin in 1944 into a legal family with Co. Mayo connections. Educated at Gonzaga and UCC, he has become the leading poet of his generation, a former Ireland Professor of…
Fr James Goodwin 2025 has been declared by Pope Francis as a jubilee year. But what does that mean? What is a jubilee? How do we celebrate it? The roots of a jubilee year are found in Scripture. As described in Leviticus 25, every 50th year was to be celebrated as a jubilee year…
Editorial In his Prison Journal, Cardinal George Pell offers a sobering yet steadfast reflection on the state of the Catholic Church, particularly in Australia and the West. His observations, written in the solitude of his prison cell, are not those of a man bitterly lamenting the Church’s struggles but of one who sees hope in…
Joanne Savage The Reverend Bill Shaw is director of the 174 Trust, an organisation birthed 23 years ago that is dedicated to peace-building, reconciliation, dialogue and Christian community development. It is situated in the nationalist New Lodge estate, near loyalist Tiger’s Bay – working class areas that were both seriously affected by the Troubles. The…
On April 9 1945, one of the truly remarkable human beings of modern times, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was executed at Flossenbürg, a concentration camp situated in Upper Bavaria. In the Gregorian calendar, April 9 is the anniversary of the resurrection of Jesus (probably 30 CE). Bonheoffer would have known this, walking to the scaffold. His last…
Louise Rosingrave Athlone came to a standstill on St Patrick’s eve, for a public reaffirming of faith in the from of a Eucharistic Procession. More than 1,000 Catholics travelled from all four corners of the country to accompany Our Lord Jesus Christ through the streets. The Procession, which follows similar events in Dublin last…
This year, the Christian churches can celebrate Easter together. But that is the exception. All efforts to find a common date have come to nothing. Bonn (KNA): The calendar provides a steep template: this year, the churches are celebrating the 1,500th anniversary of the Council of Nicea – and thus also the establishment of the…
The Shroud of Turin will be digitally showcased during the Holy Year 2025, allowing visitors to engage with the revered relic like never before. The shroud, a linen cloth many believe is the burial shroud of Jesus Christ and bears his image, traditionally draws thousands of pilgrims during rare public displays. While there will be…
By Fr. Shay Cullen While many good and dedicated bishops and priests in the Philippines and elsewhere are examining their conscience about their responsibility to bring pedophile clergymen to justice, many more are not. In the past, Pope Francis — who remains hospitalized — has strongly spoken out on the urgent need to cleanse…
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú A new documentary, Ocho Siglos Después (Eight Centuries Later), sheds light on the plight of persecuted Christians in regions like Syria, Nigeria, and northern India, where faith remains a source of resilience amid oppression. The film, produced by Fascina Producciones, was screened on February 25 at Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The event featured…