I wonder how women really feel, deep down, about their membership of the Church in Ireland. The synodal pathway process has challenged us all to discern how we live as Church in the future. The Pope was very clear that this was not intended to be a comprehensive review of doctrine, rather it is about how we…
August 15 this year will be the 25th anniversary of the day on which the Omagh bomb exploded killing 29 people and two unborn babies. It was the single biggest incident of the Troubles. It was planted by the Real IRA in the little market town of Omagh as people, including visitors from Ireland and…
The death of Pope Benedict on New Year’s Eve gives rise to many possible consequences for the Church. There were stark differences between the papacy of Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, though both based their foundations very solidly on love – the love of God for his people, and both focused on the need for…
The View Two thousand years ago a young man and a young woman made a long journey on foot to Bethlehem. She was pregnant – nearing her time. They must have been very concerned as they plodded on, the woman riding on a donkey, wondering whether they would be able to get accommodation. Would it be warm and…
The View Last Saturday night I went with the Families of the Disappeared to Oristown, Co. Meath for a Mass commemorating all those who had been abducted and murdered by the IRA and who are known as ‘the Disappeared’. This is where the bodies of three of those who were abducted and murdered by the…
The View We live in a world which can seem almost as if it is imploding. On the global front we see developments in China which are a cause of great concern as Xi Jinping cements his power; we are watching the systematic destruction of much of Ukraine by Russia; war is being waged in…
The View Growing up can be very hard. Young people in their early teens and even younger have always faced serious questions of identity. Who am I? What am I here for? Who do I want to be? Why am I different from my friends? Why do I not fit in the way others do? Children can feel…
We have lost a model for peace and reconciliation, writes Baroness Nuala O’Loan These have been sad days for so many people in Britain and across the world. In her 70 year reign and her 96 years of life, Queen Elizabeth II seems to have become ‘the queen’ for so many countries – even leaders of…
The View During these weeks priests are on the move across Ireland. Some will retire completely, others, will continue to minister as pastors emeritus, some will take responsibility for their first parish, others – young in ministry will move to new parishes – or even, in the very exceptional case to their first parish as curate. It is…
The View The complex problem of how best to deal with the legacy of the ‘Troubles’ has been under discussion for over 24 years. The current Conservative government in London had made very clear commitments to produce legislation and had issued a consultation paper listing its proposals in May 2018, four years ago. Those proposals included…