“Refreshing” is how I’d describe Pope Francis’ recent letter to us. This is a man who walks the talk, and true to its title, The Joy of Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), I found a joy to read. A considered piece, there are some great one liners too. There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Read more
If there is anyone out there who doesn’t have enough to be shocked about, you can bet your John Galliano that the fashion industry will find some way to offend them within the next five minutes. That’s what fashion thrives on: subversion and irreverence; an immaculately groomed, sneering Johnny Rotten worth millions, the world’s best-dressed troll. The Read more
The German bishops are developing guidelines that would allow Catholics who have divorced and remarried to once again share the Eucharist. The head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has said the bishops cannot do that because mercy is not a valid principle to use in pastoral care where the sacrament Read more
It’s like a dream or a movie. In less than a year, Pope Francis has transformed the dominant discourse around Catholicism from scandal and despair to joy and the evangelical demands in light of poverty and economic exclusion. “Each individual Christian and every community,” he wrote in Evangelii Gaudium last week, “is called to be an instrument Read more
On my recent visit to the Pacific island of Tuvalu, I was intrigued to discover its unusual sporting story. When the sun sinks, and the baking heat subsides, the 1.7km airplane runway in the capital Funafuti comes to life as the main sports ground on the island with games of football and volleyball taking place Read more
A cross stands high over the city of Palo, a little askew and battered by the wind but holding on strong – a symbol of hope. Much has been written about Super Typhoon Haiyan and the destruction it left in its wake. The destruction is as bad as I’ve seen, and I’ve been to many Read more
We have begun the Season of Advent in the year of Our Lord 2013, and we are still waiting. What are we waiting for, and why? The Lord has come; the Lord has redeemed us on the Cross; so why do we begin again this annual cycle of reading the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Read more
Let’s play a game: I will describe a location, and you decide whether it’s The Roman Empire around the time Jesus lived or Panem, the dystopian nation where The Hunger Games trilogy takes place. Question 1: This location has a class of people whose wealth desensitizes it to the needs of the less fortunate. Panem, Read more
“every person is immensely holy and deserves our love. Consequently, if I can help at least one person to have a better life, that already justifies the offering of my life. It is a wonderful thing to be God’s faithful people. We achieve fulfilment when we break down walls and our heart is filled with faces Read more
It is difficult to overestimate the rate and depth of change and the collapse of a phase of the Church’s life that is currently underway. Throughout the world, but particularly in Ireland, the sense of the end of an era that delivered the largest growth in the history of the Church, something foundational is happening. Read more