No women deacons in the Catholic Church, Vatican Commission decides
Argument against female deacons includes wish to preserve ‘masculinity of Christ’ and of those who receive holy orders
Religion & Beliefs
We need secular schools, but also schools that believe in what the nativity play embodies
Freedom of religion is mostly construed as freedom from religion, but it also encompasses the right to practise
A short document with an enduring message: we belong to a single family with one origin and goal
Rite & Reason: Sixty years on, Nostra Aetate is as relevant as ever
Pope Leo condemns violence in name of religion at landmark event in Turkey
Pontiff urges Christian leaders to overcome centuries of heated divisions
Where is the kindness when we talk about trans people?
Number of trans people in Irish society is tiny – and each one is a human being
Two-thirds of humanity live in places where religious freedom is violated
Rite & reason: A culture that continuously excludes and dismisses people on the basis of their Christianity can be guilty of what Pope Francis called “polite persecution”
Why were Buddhist and Hindu traditions not represented at Catherine Connolly’s inauguration?
Rite & Reason: Officiants representing various Christian churches, the Jewish and Islamic faiths and the Humanist Association of Ireland, were invited to say a blessing
Orange Order sends letter of complaint to King Charles after he prayed with Pope Leo
Vatican visit marked first joint worship with a British monarch and a Catholic pontiff since Henry VIII’s rule
The Catholic thinker behind JD Vance’s religious conversion
Unthinkable: French philosopher René Girard developed a theory of scapegoating. The US vice president has weaponised it
Politics of fear: horror has always been deeply political
From Addams Family Values to Dawn of the Dead, the genre is a political Trojan horse concealing all manner of subversive social messages. Here are 10 of the best political horror films for Halloween
Anglican schism as traditionalists reject first female Archbishop of Canterbury
Church of Ireland archbishops have reasserted their loyalty to Canterbury
‘Hatred and racism cannot tear us apart’, says first woman Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally
Former nurse and mother of two is married to Irishman Eamonn Mullally
Catholics more likely to be concerned about climate change than Protestants, new research shows
Free Presbyterians are most sceptical about climate crisis facing the planet, according to survey
Presidential election: Heather Humphreys hoping for ‘good clean campaign’
The Fine Gael candidate aims to be ‘a unifying force who brings people together and builds bridges’
‘I’m a fighter’: The Irish people paying to cryopreserve their bodies for life after death
A ‘handful’ of those living in Ireland pay monthly for a process set in motion before they die
The Lines We Draw by Tim Franks: A taut, satisfyingly woven narrative about being Jewish and a journalist
This book is at once a family chronicle, an inquiry into the nature of writing and the forces that shape one’s self, and a history that spans centuries
Nobody ever thought I’d go on a Lourdes pilgrimage. My trip was not what I expected
On the two-year anniversary of her mother’s death, Edel O’Mahony travels to Lourdes to connect with her mother’s past
Christ Alive: Reflections from the Shadows of Life into the Light of God – Meditations on faith through shared experience
John Deane-O’Keeffe has a lesson for every week of the year, written with warmth, humour and love
Living next door to a Belfast peace wall: ‘You feel safer with it up’
American accents and the rumbling of black taxi engines echo around a republican memorial garden at the entrance to Bombay Street
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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