Thomas O’Loughlin
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Banksy captures our moment
A Banksy statue appeared overnight on a London street — a man in a suit, stepping into thin air. Banal at first glance, the figure crystallises something all the year’s op-eds have failed to: the breathtaking gap between political confidence and political vision in our time.
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Fake symbols lead to fake worship?
Bread is baked. Wafer is boiled. No one would serve a communion host alongside soup at a dinner table. The gap between what we call ‘bread’ and what we actually use reveals how far convenience has drifted from the gospel’s original gesture.
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Catholics and other Christians thanking God together: has the time come to change our practice?
When Pope Francis visited Rome’s Lutheran church in 2015, he reframed the Eucharist not as a doctrinal reward but as sustenance for a pilgrim people. That shift in language was small but significant, opening theological space that had been closed for decades under two conservative popes.
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Bishop’s 2028 ultimatum: married priests or collapse?
With Belgium’s seminary pipeline effectively empty, Bishop John Bonny argues that importing clergy from other continents is a form of pastoral colonialism. His 2028 target is a direct challenge to a Church model he believes is structurally broken in the secularised West.
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Being counter-cultural or just being awkward
From the women’s movement to immigrant rights, faith often finds itself at odds with society in ways that require ensuring these tensions are rooted in justice rather than fear of social change.
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The great traditionalist tilt
Research spanning four decades confirms a significant shift toward conservatism among Catholic priests in the United States. A study highlights that newer cohorts are increasingly traditional regarding moral, theological and political issues, marking a distinct departure from the liberal attitudes prevalent in previous generations of American clergy.
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Synodality — just a buzzword?
Eighty years ago, a Greek village demonstrated authentic synodality when its community chose their own presbyter after their priest died. The bishop listened, ordained the man, and a fruitful ministry flourished—a pattern rarely seen in today’s Catholic Church.
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New Catholicism: Local realities, global communion
A new kind of catholicism is emerging: global in scope, yet respectful of the local. It honours complexity, listens deeply, and resists easy answers. The challenge ahead is to hold unity and diversity in tension with grace and humility.
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Liturgy needs a living voice, not a frozen page
Worship often sounds more written than spoken, as if directed at God rather than spoken with God. Liturgy that stays on the page risks sounding noble but distant. Translation is not imitation but incarnation.
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“Pray, pay, and obey”: the cry of the unheard
Agency is the feeling that one can make a difference. Its loss breeds despair. When members of the Church feel powerless, many simply opt out.
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