Columns - Irish Examiner

Ronan Mullen

We’re strong on spurious rights and weak on values that matter

ARE there questions to be answered about the questions they set?

Wed, 15 Jun, 2005

Cura digs itself into a hole and now the Church must find a way out

WHEN you’re in a hole, the old saying goes, you should stop digging. Michael McDowell cited it recently, as he elegantly side-stepped public odium by allowing Nigerian student Kunle Elukanlo back into the country.

Wed, 08 Jun, 2005

Select group of euro-elites use double standards with impunity

THE former British minister for Europe, Denis MacShane, tells a good story from one of those negotiating sessions in Brussels where European leaders advanced, bit by bit, the creation of the new Europe.

Wed, 01 Jun, 2005

If Bill goes to the UN, Hillary will have to forget about White House

THE Clintons - they haven’t gone away, you know. This week, Bill made yet another visit to Ireland. Last Friday he was in the Vatican, reporting on his work to promote international solidarity with victims of the tsunami.

Wed, 25 May, 2005

At the start and end of life, we no longer know what’s right or wrong

HARDLY a week goes by but there are new stories which illustrate the fragility of human life at the extremes of conception and death.

Wed, 18 May, 2005

Church’s pregnancy advice agency compromised by state funding

CARDINAL INNITZER of Vienna thought he could do a deal with Hitler. He supported the Anschluss, the 1938 unification of Austria and Germany. He even offered a ‘Heil Hitler’ when the Nazis marched into Vienna.

Wed, 11 May, 2005

Polls say Blair is home and dry. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

WITH the British general election just a day away, Tony Blair has problems. People don’t seem to trust him any more.

Wed, 04 May, 2005

Don’t interpret humility and shyness as signs of a ‘Ratzinger Lite’

COMMENTING on Pope Benedict’s election in the Irish Examiner last Thursday, I remarked that “the uncertainty now felt by some may yet give way to hope, respect and, in due course, love”.

Wed, 27 Apr, 2005

One good reason to thank God the Church is not a democracy

ONE of the many interesting churches which you will find in Rome is that of Domine Quo Vadis (Latin for ‘Lord, where are you going?’).

Wed, 20 Apr, 2005

The next Pope will have to tackle distorted notions of liberalism

THE banners in St Peter’s Square on Friday last proclaimed “Santo Subito.” Translated, it means “a saint now.” The process may take a few years to start, but the faithful were returning their verdict much sooner.

Wed, 13 Apr, 2005