We had an unusual Advent in the Kent parish of Deal: the parish priest, Canon Brian Coyle (originally from Northern Ireland) invited one of the parishioners to give a talk, with response and reflections from parishioners in true Synodal fashion. The subject involved the German Jesuit martyr, Fr Alfred Delp, hanged by the Nazis in…
You will be aware of the phrase “First World Problem”, usually employed sarcastically. It’s an apt description of those spoilt folk in the rich world whinging about trivialities while so much of the globe experiences real suffering. So, this may seem something of a “First World Problem”, but I’ll mention it just the same as…
Family values? Oh, yes, the dynastic principle of following in a family political tradition is thriving. Among first-time TDs just elected are Aisling Dempsey in Meath, daughter of the former Fianna Fail minister Noel Dempsey; Marie Sherlock for Labour, niece of Labour Party TD Joe Sherlock and cousin to former TD Seán Sherlock; Grace Boland…
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…
Years ago, I had a certain amount of sympathy for Provisional Sinn Féin/IRA. I even defended some of their tactics on the – now I think stupid and wicked – revolutionary principle that “you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs”. I felt the Catholic nationalist people of Northern Ireland had suffered long injustices: maybe…
A very sad story emerged this past week about an Oxford student who killed himself: a story which revealed much about our times and values. Alexander Rogers was 20 years old and a third-year student at Corpus Christi college, studying science, and predicted to get a First. He was described at an inquest as “kind,…
Here’s a fascinating theme: “Family Values: the Catholic Church and the Mafia”. This was the subject of Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith’s address at last week’s Catholic Writers’ Guild in London. Fr Alexander, born in Malta, is knowledgeable about Sicilian (and Calabrian society), and has written several novels intertwining the Mafia, the local priesthood, and the people.…
I was surprised to see a French supermarket – in the Bordeaux region – dedicate a whole section of its space to Hallowe’en costumes and assorted such decorations, from witches’ hats to spooky skeleton costumes. Marking Hallowe’en had never, previously, been a French custom: but it has become one now, thanks to American merchandising tactics.…
I have no strong opinions, either way, about the practice of the traditional Latin Mass. My instinctive feeling is – let people have Mass in whatever form they chose, providing it follows the basic tenets of the faith. So, visiting the lovely old spa town of Vichy in France this month, I took the opportunity…
Next week, on October 16, the British parliament will once again debate ‘assisted dying’, following a private member’s bill to be introduced by Kim Leadbeater. Ms Leadbeater is the younger sister of the murdered MP Jo Cox – who was killed by a right-wing extremist in 2016 – and stepped forward to succeed her sister…