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…
The final St Patrick’s Day address from President Michael D. Higgins was, as expected, a thoughtful and deeply reflective meditation on justice, solidarity, and shared humanity. Over the past 14 years, President Higgins has been a voice for the marginalised, the vulnerable, and those who seek a more compassionate world. His latest address stayed true…
Now that the United Kingdom has voted to introduce assisted suicide into law, there can be no doubt that where the UK has gone, Ireland will follow. Across the Irish Sea there was at least a serious, public debate with strong voices on both sides arguing the issues. In Ireland, we could only wish for…
One of the challenges facing the Church in Ireland today is the tension between the fact that necessary Church reform requires patient discernment, but also the fact that this reform is urgently needed. Within a decade the Dublin Archdiocese – the country’s largest with over a million registered Catholics – will have only a couple…
Despite 54% of Catholic – and 60% of non-Catholic Christians – voting for Donald Trump, according to exit polls, it would be naïve to rely on him to preside as a Christian leader of the world’s most powerful country. However, the voting trends which saw the President-elect win the election with a popular vote surplus…
Honour thy Father and Mother’ is an instruction that comes to us from on High. But it is not just a Catholic or Christian demand. Until recently it had been timeless and universal. It was an instruction that was central to the proper organising of society. It was often taken as a given, an objective…
The 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic, in some ways the country’s founding document, commits to cherishing ‘all the children of the nation equally’. The Thirty-first Amendment of the Constitution (Children) Act 2012 inserted clauses relating to children’s rights and the right and duty of the state to take child protection measures. This amendment was…
The saying goes that nature abhors a vacuum. Bad money drives out good. These idioms are not to be dismissed in any walk of life. The evidence of this is clear when it comes to the changes being seen in the school curricula on SPHE. We are seeing it in our healthcare systems. We are…
Today is the day that the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Act 2024 comes into operation in Ireland, marking an important landmark in Ireland’s drift towards authoritarianism and progressive restrictions on civil liberties. This Act designates 100m Safe Access Zones around certain premises where abortions are or may be taking place, where “conduct”…
When Bono of U2 tweaked the lyrics of the song ‘Pride’ a year ago in the wake of the massacre of young people at a music festival in Israel he came in for immense criticism. “Early morning, October 7, the sun is rising in the desert sky. Stars of David, they took your life but…