Clik here to view.
Catholicism and the spirit of the age
There has been a fair amount of news coverage over recent days of the Vatican document, Normae de Gravioribus Delictis, which was actually completed by Pope Benedict on May 21 of this year but has only...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The lost art of unquestioning obedience
Maybe I should just emphasise up front that, to the best of my knowledge, I have never met Father Tom Ingoldsby. Maybe he is a thoughtful clergyman and a kind man. I’m sure he is. But on the other...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Religion and the academy
How religious or otherwise would you expect academics to be? An interesting article recently in the Huffington Post outlines the findings of a survey of US professors, in which they were asked to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Biblical heritage
As many readers will know, 2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the ‘Authorized Version’ of the Bible, popularly known as the King James version. It was not the first translation of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When institutional ethos conflicts with public policy
The University of Wales is currently attracting some criticism over its links with certain colleges that hold to what has been described as a ‘fundamentalist Christian ethos’. In particular, some of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The RC Church in Ireland, coming out fighting: a wise strategy?
It has not been a good week for the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland. The report prepared by a team led by Judge Yvonne Murphy on sexual abuse by priests in the Diocese of Cloyne was published, and it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Migrating students – or not
If you want to have a completely irrational conversation that brings out another person’s prejudices in an almost hysterical way, then try talking about immigration with someone who has conservative...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Handling dissent
In 1985, as the opening up of the Roman Catholic Church in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council was gradually being wound down, the Vatican imposed on the Brazilian priest and liberation...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Educational integration: religion and society
Fifty years ago this year, just after my family had settled in Ireland, my parents were looking around for a school to which they could send me. In Mullingar, Co Westmeath, there were a few choices,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Christmas story
Christmas has been an extraordinarily resilient festival, surviving theological and political turmoil over the ages. Of course we all know that Christmas Day falls on December 25th, but then again, the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy Easter
I would like to wish all readers of this blog a very happy Easter. If the religious context of the day does not resonate with you, then I hope that you will enjoy some nice chocolate; and maybe take...
View ArticleReformed thinking
Exactly 500 years ago, on 31 October 1517, Dr Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses (Pro declaratione virtutis indulgentiarum) to the door of the church in Wittenberg, thereby setting in train the...
View ArticleThe resilience of a festival
I am currently staying for a week on the south coast of England, visiting relatives. So last night we headed off to Christmas Midnight Mass in Salisbury Cathedral. For readers who do not know it, it is...
View Article
