Category: Theology

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 »