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I would urge Catholic priests to look at the issue of pastoral care for ethnically-mixed couples, where one is white Irish and the other an immigrant of a different skin…

The Tablet reports: More bishops are pleading with their governments to give priority to ethically developed coronavirus vaccines, but many also are telling Catholics that not getting vaccinated is a…

Ireland is not the only country with foreign born priests in ministry. This is an interesting look at some of the experiences of foreign born priests ministering in America. It is…

Vatican News website is reporting: The podcasts explore biodiversity and related issues of Catholic social teaching as lived in a variety of contexts where Columban missionaries are working. By Robin…

Facing down the Catholic Church’s crocodile                    Western People 25th August 2020 Last week in this column, in commenting on the on-going war being waged in the Church today for the…

In January, Pope Francis appointed Fr Paul Dempsey, a priest of the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin diocese to be the new Bishop of Achonry. His episcopal ordination will take…

WE ARE GOD’S WORK OF ART – EPH 2:10 George Bernard Shaw (1) There was a gale. The rain lashed down. The walking continued. The hat somehow stayed on. And…

Mary Vallely writes: This article in the NCR (August 25th 2020 ) is something  which must be of concern to all of us as baptised persons and  in particular to…

Jamie Manson writing in the National Catholic Reporter… Tomorrow marks the 100th anniversary of the day that women’s right to vote was enshrined in the Constitution of the United States….

Colm Holmes from We Are Church has forwarded the following link from The Sydney Morning Herald. It refers to a new book, The Altar Boys by investigative reporter Suzanne Smith, which…

The Church must breathe in a modern society                  Western People 18th Aug 2020 It was no surprise that the canonisation of John Henry Newman took place while Francis was pope….

John Hume taught us that living for Ireland makes more sense than dying for Ireland. Western People 11th August 2020   When John Hume was eighteen years of age, having…

Seamus Ahearne watched an ordination to the diaconate. “The simple gesture of granny Pola taking each child up for Communion with her arms around them was special. It oozed with love. There is real diaconate. I couldn’t help wondering if celibacy makes for detached-faith and non-incarnational religion.”

Chris McDonnell writes about the appointment of six women to the Council for the Economy, which oversees Vatican finances. … “there is a strong and vibrant movement within the Church for a greater recognition of women in the Governance and Liturgy of the Church and certainly the recent appointments made by Francis are a step in the right direction. But that is not enough.”

Tom O’Loughlin informs us of an initiative to get people thinking of the need to engage in liturgical renewal post-COVID-19, and not simply resume ‘where we left off.

There is an interesting, if sad, article in americamagazine.org on the subject of the campaign against Pope Francis and against his attempt to renew and reform the church in the light of the teachings of Vatican II.

Statement of the Pastors’ Initiative Austria on the “Instruction on the Pastoral Conversion of Parishes at the Service of missionary mission of the Church.”
“If we were to lead our parishes with this exhorted monarchical clericalism we would be losing those Christians who are jointly responsible and who are the salt and the light of a parish that is turned towards the people.”

Seamus Ahearne is ruminating again on the everyday goings on in church and life: “It is right to be critical.  There is much to be critical about.  But the warmth, heart and fun of Church has to be celebrated.  Faith of course isn’t ‘Happy Clappy’ but there needs to be a Lifting of the Heart and a smile.  Always.”

Thomas O Loughlin offers his thoughts on a “new” lectionary following the recent announcement by the bishops of Scotland. Can we hope that our bishops might engage with Thomas and others before making a decision?
“There is an alternative – one already adopted in the 1973 English-language edition of the Liturgy of the Hours – which is to use a range of translations depending on what portion of scripture is being translated and how it is being used. Indeed, the very fact that in the current lectionary there is a distinct translation of the Psalter (and there is going to be a distinct version of the psalms in the proposed lectionary), shows that the ‘one size fits all’ approach to translations is faulty.”

Brendan Hoban, in a recent Western People column, cast an eye over the opposition to Pope Francis. “When Benedict was pope, cardinals were falling over themselves hanging on to his every word, delivering reprimands to those who questioned papal tactics and giving sermonettes on loyalty and obedience to the pope. Now with a pope singing from a different hymn-sheet, for some of his cardinals loyalty and obedience seem to be less important.”