What are we to make of the condition of the Irish clergy as seen in an analysis by the Association of Catholic Priests in their annual meeting in Athlone last week? Their report shows that 547 priests of the 2,100 working priests in the Irish Church are aged between 61 and 75 and nearly 300

Today Oktoberfest is a raucous, if convivial, affair of which few know the origins, but it was born of the love of a righteous king for his wife, writes Karl Gustel Warnberg We’ve all seen it across the globe. Kitsch lederhosen and dirndl – as the classic Bavarian outfits are called – worn by people

Faith is a gift from God, and we deserve no reward for exercising it

There is plenty of irreverence, and high spirits abound, but the Radletts are loveable to their cores, even as their searches for love go catastrophically wrong. Linda remains “soft-shelled as well as soft-hearted, with an overabundance of trusting optimism and friendliness”. Perhaps this is why she remains a heroine for all ages: there is an innocence about her, even as she abandons a child and, here, dabbles in drugs. Despite the hints of darkness, and the desperately moving ending, Darling is a warm hug of a novel. In her journalism Knight has written often about the importance of cosiness, and here she has the perfect cosy autumn read. It’s a book to escape to, get lost in, and fall in love with all over again

Our selection of the top Catholic leaders in the realm of the media in 2022

On October 25, Pope Francis led leaders of world religions in an appeal to avert the threat of nuclear war in Ukraine. At the closing ceremony of a conference organised by the Sant’ Egidio Community, Pope Francis warned of a “bleak scenario” echoing Pope John XXIII who delivered a similar message during the Cuban missile