A complete chronological listing of shorter pieces written since 1995.
Any of these articles that are not the copyright of a specified publication may be freely copied and distributed.
Articles are listed in inverse chronological order – i.e. more recent articles first.
- The Story of the West: I – The Idea of Progress© Reality Oct 2006
The hope and expectation that the future will be better than the past emerged out of one ancient tradition only – Judaism and then Christianity. And the survival of hope for the world now depends upon a fruitful dialogue between Christianity and secularism that will restore a shared sense of values to the West. - The Story of the West© Reality Oct 2006 – Mar 2007
As secularism advances in Ireland, so does the myth that Catholicism and Christianity had little to do with the success story of Western civilisation. In this series, drawing especially on the work of Rodney Stark in Victory of Reason, I presented the argument that from the beginning Catholic Christianity played an essential role in the rise of the West. I finished with the conviction that the present Earth crisis can be overcome only by a fruitful dialogue between secularism and Christianity. - Western dominance: a product of Catholic theology?© Doctrine and Life April 2006
A review of Rodney Stark’s ‘Victory of Reason’, an agnostic sociologist’s defence of the role of Christianity and Catholicism in forming the the West’s cultural ascendancy in the modern era. - After Ferns: the Rise of Christian Secularism?© Reality Mar 2006
Acting on the recommendations of the Ferns report of October 2005, Irish Catholic bishops were reacting to a secular process of inquiry into their own failings. This means that secularism is not necessarily a force antagonistic to Christian values. It’s time for a Christian secularism. - Unaccountability, Patronage and Corruption© Doctrine and Life Feb 2006
The unaccountability of bishops, who promote and demote clergy in the Catholic church, and who also exercise this power of patronage in Catholic education, is a corrupting circumstance for the whole church. Those who support the church financially need to consider how best to end this situation. - After Ferns: Clericalism Must Go!© Reality January 2006
The role of clericalism in the sexual abuse of children by a minority of Catholic priests, and the role of clericalism in the cover-up also - as proven once again by the Ferns report of Oct 2005. The lesson to be learned? Clericalism must finally be eradicated from the culture of the Catholic Church. - Does Religion Cause Violence?© Reality Oct 2005
The attribution by militant secularists of radical Islamic terrorist violence in Iraq and elsewhere to religion ignored the motives that underlie all such violence. - Love before Knowledge: The search for portable truth© The Furrow Sep 2005
How the central truths of the creed - the message of love, hope and freedom - too often get lost in a welter of texts. For the faith to be truly portable and exciting those engaged in faith formation need to prioritise and never lose sight of what lies at the summit of the 'hierarchy of truth' - that God is love first of all and wishes to dwell as loving freedom - not as endless wordage - in the minds and hearts of all. - ‘Towards Healing’ (2005): A promise that must be kept© Doctrine and Life Sep 2005
The proposal in the Irish Bishops’ Lenten reflection of February 2005 – the mobilisation of the whole church community to tackle the problem of abuse – was not widely discussed at the time and soon dropped out of sight. Once again the absence of regular church structures for the discussion of acute societal and internal church issues rendered important proposals ineffectual. However, the problem identified then has not gone away, while the church is now seeking 'relevance'. It is surely high time to resurrect the central proposal of 'Towards Healing' (2005). - Facing ‘the Dictatorship of Relativism’© Reality Jul/Aug 2005
How an interview given by Pope Benedict XVI in 1996 - while he was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - suggests a possible solution to the problem of vigorously opposing relativism (the belief that there is no objective truth) while maintaining the peace of a multi-faith society. - A Short History of Haute Cuisine Catholicism© The Irish Times July 2005
The historical tendency of the Catholic hierarchy to cosy up to social elites, in spite of their claim to be models of the church's founder. - My Kind of Pope© Reality June 2005
My ideal Pope will neither overestimate the importance and authority of the papacy or the Vatican - or underestimate the need and potential for lay Catholics - including the young - to exercise Christian initiative in their own space. He will trust the people of God to the guidance and gifts of the Holy Spirit and forego personal prerogative, paternalism and pomp. - Is Human Consciousness Evolving?© Doctrine and Life Apr 2005
A review article assessing the argument, presented in Adrian Smith’s book “The God Shift”, that humans are becoming ‘superconscious’. - The Dark Materials of Children’s Fiction© Doctrine & Life Dec 2004
A review article evaluating Philip Pullman’s fiction trilogy ‘His Dark Materials’, currently being filmed. Although this work is an attack on historical Catholicism, parents and teachers should not be unduly alarmed and should treat it as a useful starting point for a discussion with children - of huge mistakes made by the church in the past but also the nevertheless liberating power of Christian faith. - Revitalising the Catholic Church in Ireland: X – The Emerging Church© Reality Dec 2004
While Irish Catholic clericalism - the clerical desire to be in charge of everything - still deprives the Irish church of effective structures for dialogue and collaboration, the Trinity is moving lay people into lives of service nevertheless. This movement is set to grow, counteracting the decline of the clerical system that we currently see. - Revitalising the Catholic Church in Ireland: IX – Catholicism and Sexuality© Reality Nov 2004
Catholic teaching on the sacredness of sex and the importance of marital fidelity is far superior to a 'sexual revolution' that promotes sex as recreation. However, the Catholic restriction of priestly ministry to celibate males has mistakenly implied that sexuality is incompatible with spirituality, has deprived the teaching church of the wisdom acquired through the marital relationship, has invited ridicule and is now leaving the church seriously short of priests. - Revitalising the Catholic Church in Ireland: VIII – Division in the Church© Reality Oct 2004
Jesus never said 'thou shalt be right!' His command of love is binding both on those who fear change (the 'conservatives') and those who see change as essential to the recovery of the church (the 'progressives'). All of us are 'works in progress' whose minds will also change if we are open to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. That is what it is to 'repent', and we are all bidden to repentance. - Revitalising the Catholic Church in Ireland: VII – The Power of Prayer© Reality Sep 2004
Why prayer is essential to the realisation of the Kingdom of God. Without it we are too prone to lose that sense of our own dignity that enables us to award dignity unconditionally to all others.
- Revitalising the Catholic Church in Ireland: VI – The World and the Kingdom of God© Reality Aug 2004
It is a mistake to think of the Kingdom of God as a pyramid of social esteem. It is not only entirely compatible with the principles of equality and democracy, but the only means by which these principles can be realised in the world. - Revitalising the Catholic Church in Ireland: V – Snobbery and the Gospels© Reality Jul 2004
Jesus was an anti-snob - someone who undermined the social pyramid of his own time by disregarding those at its summit and associating with and honouring the very poorest. To recover its dynamism in the West the Catholic Church will need to recognise and eliminate snobbery - the root of all clerical careerism - from its own culture.
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