In parts of the devastated earthquake regions of Myanmar, ongoing attacks by the military are hampering the deployment of aid workers. The military government rejects a temporary ceasefire in the civil war country. According to local media (Wednesday), junta leader Min Aung Hlaing emphasised that the “necessary defence operations” would continue. Myanmar’s democratic underground government…
Category: Feature
Climate change pushing millions of families all over the world further into poverty
David O’Hare “According to the World Bank, climate change could push as many as 130 million people into extreme poverty by the year 2030, wiping out many of the development gains lower-income countries have made,” said Caoimhe de Barra, Trócaire’s CEO. Ms De Barra says the effects of climate change are having a particularly negative…
Stop kicking the can down the road – Churches need to close so new life can take hold
The example of the unfortunate aftermath of the closure of the Clonmel Friary offers us lessons for what to do when we close churches and when our church closes. There is no doubting the goodwill of the passionate volunteers that sought for the Church to remain open in Clonmel but in cases like this, we…
The enduring legacy of Flannery O’Connor at 100
This year marks the 100th birthday of the legendary Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor. Her hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia, drew admirers from all over to take part in the festivities, which included a cake and a ‘Dress Like Flannery’ contest. Writers from all over came to her grave to place their pens, described Fr Damian Ference,…
Hugo Duncan: The wee man from Strabane
‘I get down on my knees and thank God that I’m still standing’ North of the border, Hugo Duncan is a household name on the radio, an ebullient, sprightly entertainer who regales his listeners with funny anecdotes, quips about his inordinate love of cream buns, shout-outs to aficionados in far-flung parts of the province and…
The Spirit is as active in our time as the times of the Apostles and pentecost
Interview with Dr Anna Rowlands in Maynooth who was in Ireland to give the annual Trocaire Lenten talk GARRY How did you get involved with the Vatican and the preparations for the Synod on Synodality? DR ROWLANDS So, my involvement started just before the Frascati meeting and I think because the Pope wanted this genuine…
From construction to man of the cloth
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…
I never found priestly ministry relentless
Bishop Donal Roche, in an interview with Garry O’Sullivan, describes a love for the priesthood, and reflects on a way of life that is mixed in hope and a sense of fear for what comes next. So I asked you to reflect on Relentless Ministry, what are your thoughts? I don’t find ministry relentless, personally.…
An opportunity to slow down
The Spanish Camino has undoubtedly been the European tourism phenomenon of the 21st century. Seeking meaning beyond materialism and recourse, for a time at least, to a freer and less controlled way of living, the numbers completing this mystical Spanish trail have risen from fewer than 100 in 1967 to almost 500,000 in 2024. This…
Ireland’s stars collaborate in upcoming Biblical film
This Lent season, a new animated film will retell the life of Jesus Christ. The King of Kings, featuring an all-star cast including Pierce Brosnan (Pontius Pilate), a Drogheda man, Kenneth Branagh (Charles Dickens), from Belfast, Oscar Isaac, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Ben Kingsley, and Forest Whitaker, the film offers a new perspective on the biggest…