Embracing hunger for Lent

I don’t normally observe the annual Shrove/pancake/ fat Tuesday routine. To me, it’s always been, as Curiosity Killed The Cat would say, just another ordinary day. Nor have I ever thought about giving anything up for Lent – not for any anti-religious purpose, just because I couldn’t be bothered thinking about sacrifices. Well, that’s about to […]

It’s still all pious in the sky

Judge not… The Pope’s visit to Scotland brought my general confusion about my religious beliefs to the surface again. What do I believe? It’s always been a succession of tolerance and intolerance for religion, and nothing I can do or think seems to flatten it out. I’m like Spooky Mulder, I Want To Believe. But […]

That Knock apparition in full…

Amazing footage of 5000 people all staring at the sky, many of whom claim they saw the sun “dancing”. If you look closely you can just about make out…

Political Hot Potato

In the spirit of fellowship and togetherness, the Taoiseach yesterday met the heads of the Church of Ireland from north and south. And, in the spirit of Christian generosity, the Archbishops brought Mr Cowen some lunch, in the shape of a gigantic baked potato. Then, in the spirit of perma-starvation, our Brian scoffed it before commencing dialogue with the […]

Why Stop At AIDS?

Why does the Pope not highlight the other evils condoms are responsible for? Pope Benedict XVI has denounced the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV, telling reporters that AIDS “cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems.” Incredibly there has been an international outcry over this statement, with the […]

Give Up Yer Aul Shopping

And so it came to pass that a senior member of the Catholic Church in Co. Galway got mildly peeved about Sunday trading. Fr Stephen Farragher, who works (except, presumably, on a Sunday) as administrator to the Tuam archdiocese, has suggested shops shouldn’t be open for very long on the Sabbath, and also advocates a return to the […]