Does the devil exist?
Belief in the devil is persistent in the Bible, writes Fr Fintan Lyons OSB The existence of evil in the world is an inescapable fact. This raises such questions as how its nature may be understood and its origin established. The issue of its nature are discussed in Chapters 1 and 2 of my […]
Voices from Ireland’s lower depths
Spirit of Revolution: Ireland from below 1917-1923, John Cunningham and Terry Dunne (Four Courts Press, €24.95 / £21.95) The cover of this book is graced by a 1934 watercolour by Harry Kernoff, entitled Liberty Hall, Dublin, night: the street is scattered with a selection of typical working class Dubliners, a social group with which […]
EU Migration Pact calls for a major statement from the bishops on asylum-seeking
Immigration and asylum-seeking continue to be two of the biggest issues now that concern Irish voters. They are not far below housing. At the last election in early 2020 they barely featured at all. But perhaps that is because in 2019, the relatively small number of 4,781 people claimed asylum here, compared with over 13,000… […]
Catholic woman to lead prestigious Israel university for first time
For the first time, an Arab Christian woman has been elected as the rector of an Israeli university — the University of Haifa. The announcement of Professor Mouna Maroun’s appointment was made earlier in April amid tensions with Iran and while anti-Israel protests were mounting at universities around the world. Ms Maroun belongs to the […]
Youth focus at heart of Jesuits decision to end parish admin
The Jesuits’ decision for Gardiner Street Parish to become part of the neighbouring Pro-Cathedral Parish is part of a determined plan to focus the resources they have to better minister to the community, especially young people, according to the parish priest. The Church of St Francis Xavier will no longer be a parish church from […]
Stark growth of countries considered to be in breach of religious freedoms
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a new report last week highlighting the countries with the worst religious persecution in the world. This year, the countries topping USCIRF’s list of the world’s most egregious religious freedom violators were Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, […]
Don’t altogether dismiss ‘clericalism’
There is a contradiction at the heart of much Catholic discourse over the future of the Church – and faith. Or so it seems to me. The experience of synodality indicates that we must face a future in which there is more involvement by the laity, and less “clericalism”. There is much criticism of times… […]
Nagorno-Karabakh: A Vast Christian Desert
While Russian intervention troops have begun their withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh (now a province of Azerbaijan), Armenia is accusing Azerbaijan of having carried out a vast ethnic cleansing operation which resulted in the disappearance of Christians from the enclave. All of this has transpired with the international community focused on the war in Ukraine and the […]
Chicago: The “Quasi-Marriage” of a Same-Sex Couple
OSV News, Catholic News Agency, National Catholic Register, and other news outlets have reported on a ceremony performed by a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Fr. Joseph Williams, pastor of the St. Vincent de Paul parish, which is served by priests of the Vincentian Congregation of the Mission (CM)–Western Province (Vincentians).
Work Begins on the Spire of Saint-Denis
More than 150 years ago, the spire of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, 90 meters high, disappeared from the Parisian sky after experiencing problems that required its removal, which should only have been temporary. This temporary removal has lasted more than a century and a half: it seems, however, that it must come to an end. […]