“The Pope is weak on crime.” At first glance, one struggles to make sense of it. How can it be that this is something that the American President has said – published, indeed – in an attack on Leo XIV so broad that an ardent Free Presbyterian would wince to read it. The rant was… Read more »
In the days leading up to this Good Friday, I was immersed in re-reading one of my favourite books ever. It is a genuinely undiscovered masterpiece called After Crucifixion by the American theologian, Craig Keen. It reminded me of how easily I am tempted to wrap today up in pious sentimentality. I overheard a brief… Read more »
The Economy of Francesco is a global movement of young adults seeking to transform and rethink the economy. A local hub has just been in established in Ireland.
For many people, Lent is a time to temporarily abstain from chocolate. Is this self-denial pleasing to God? Niall Leahy SJ takes a closer look at the chocolate industry before making up his mind.
The turning of the year prompts us to look back and look forward. In JCFJ in 2025 we were delighted to deliver a special issue of Working Notes dedicated to marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ groundbreaking Laudato Si’ and to follow that up with an issue focusing on the ethical and policy dimensions… Read more »
With the rise of Far-Right violence, the question of social integration has become a key conversation. But if you want to see integration in action, the first place to go is not a political press conference or a strategic document. Go for a walk on a Sunday morning through Dublin’s north-east inner-city instead. You might hear Yoruba hymns floating out of a converted office block, incense drifting from a Romanian Orthodox service, and gospel choruses in Mandarin echoing from among a row of residential buildings. Step inside any of these communities and you will find the real architecture of integration – ordinary Dubliners mixing with those newly arrived to our shores, building community quietly and transformatively.
Pope Leo XIV gave the first insight to what direction his papacy would take early last month when he published his first official teaching – Dilexi Te – (“I have loved you”). This document had been begun by his predecessor, Francis, and he gladly took it up, made it own, and has issued it as… Read more »
There are many ways of making the connection between environmentalism and Jesus. An important one, I believe, is his humility.
Introduction New research by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice and ACET Ireland has identified almost fifty faith-based communities in the north-east inner-city of Dublin. A key aim of the research was to analyse the role of faith-based communities in fostering the integration of migrants, refugees, and immigrants in the north-east inner-city, and how… Read more »
Last January, the Irish Times published an opinion piece by myself and Imam Samsudeen MecSheain: ‘Freedom of religion an empty formula unless places to worship available.’ It drew attention to a new and unfamiliar reality. People who have recently moved to Ireland do something, which we historically did when we were an emigrant people. They… Read more »
Every August and September, the housing shortage shows up on campus. First year students move across the country without certainty about where they will sleep. Returning students juggle long commutes, term-time sublets, and rising rents. Parents bounce desperate messages into WhatsApp groups looking for leads. This is now a familiar seasonal pattern, yet it points… Read more »
If you do a search for the word ‘local’ in Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ letter on the care of our common home, you will discover that the document is peppered with references to all sorts of local concerns, actors and solutions.
As we accelerate towards climate chaos, more and more people are looking to ramp off the globalist superhighway and make their way through life more slowly and simply on winding localist trails.
Next week, I will be presenting at a gathering of theologians, ethicists, and social scientists in Salzburg, Austria. The event, organised by the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Social Concerns, and its focus is democracy. Or more precisely, democracy under threat. For many years now, Catholic Social Teaching (CST) has affirmed democracy as the… Read more »
A Presbyterian Appreciation of Pope Francis Sometimes people ask me how I ended up directing a Jesuit social research centre, as a Presbyterian theologian. At this stage, the polite answer rolls out of my mouth with barely any thinking required. But if I was to tell the truth, I would have to say that it… Read more »
Introduction: Manufactured Chaos We are living through a moment of extraordinary political upheaval. From the United States to Europe, leaders who present themselves as defenders of “common sense” are reshaping societies in ways that benefit the wealthy while dismantling protections for the vulnerable. At first glance, many of these policies seem chaotic: reactive, rushed, even… Read more »
Introduction Last weekend, the Irish Catholic Bishops published their latest pastoral letter, which is entitled ‘A Hundred Thousand Welcomes?’. It seeks to explore what hospitality for migrant people means in contemporary Ireland. A “pastoral letter” is an open letter written by the bishops as a group that seeks to guide and encourage the faithful on… Read more »
Housing and transport are intrinsically linked. They influence so many facets of each other that considering one without the other is folly. Everything from where we locate homes and accommodation, the number of parking spaces, the space given over to access roads and driveways, green space in urban areas, bus routes, train capacity and where… Read more »
Back in 2016, the EU Commission decided that Ireland had given an unfair advantage to Apple through the provision of tax loopholes. Before Irish people could plan a tunnel to Wales or a 100-metre-tall golden statue of Michael Flatley, the Irish government launched an appeal, costing millions, arguing that they should not be forced to… Read more »
It is easy to dismiss the recent furore over surge pricing of tickets for the Oasis reunion gigs. The product for sale is hardly essential, even for people like me, diehard fans from the olden days (who also support Man City). The targeted consumer is hardly oppressed – most Oasis fans are likely to be… Read more »
A report on Faith and Politics 2024 Considering Ireland’s history, the mere suggestion that we need more religious people in politics might seem bizarre. Contrary to the popular narrative that religion should be kept out of the public sphere, there’s a compelling case to be made that religious people bring a unique and desperately needed… Read more »
In 2023, there were 184 deaths on Irish roads. This tragic loss of life included 44 pedestrians, eight cyclists, and three e-scooter users. This year, the figure is likely to exceed 200 people. Public concern is evidenced by the regular media attention to the increase or decrease in the number of road traffic deaths, and… Read more »
We were delighted to have welcomed Professor Brian Brock to speak at our annual lecture this year!
I have spent a lot of time in the last month reading and re-reading an odd, short book in the Hebrew Scriptures. Ruth is just 85 verses long, spread over 4 chapters. On the surface it tells a fable so familiar, Netflix could adapt it and market it as a rom-com – it’s a story… Read more »
Last weekend, students from Trinity College, Dublin blockaded the library where the Book of Kells is on display and established an encampment of tents on the lawn in front of the Arts block. They were protesting the fact that the university has investments in three firms that are blacklisted by the UN for their involvement… Read more »
Working Notes is a journal published by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. The journal focuses on social, economic and theological analysis of Irish society. It has been produced since 1987.
