Watching the news, listening to the radio and reading newspapers are the main sources of our knowledge about the world, near and far. Our choice of media certainly shapes our views, but similarly our views play an important role in choosing particular TV channels, radio stations and newspapers. We’d like to believe that our views and opinions are impartial and…

Last week the British government presented a new package of financial arrangements; it’s been widely analysed and commented on in the media. As usual the opinions are divided, partially because of political views, partially because of the practical effects of the budget. The only certain thing is that not everyone is happy, as it’s practically impossible to please everybody. Setting…

Summer has already come, and with that a polite question to me: ‘Father, are you going home for your holiday?’ My answer is invariably the same: ‘No, I’m not, because I am at home here.’ It isn’t a courteous phrase or a sort of PR stunt. In my six years long stay here in Scotland I’ve always felt that, and never been homesick. For…

Recently I’ve had a very pleasant chat with some extremely nice people; among several topics there were memories from the distant past. A person recalled that Catholics had been perceived as people preoccupied with sin, whereas other denominations apparently were passing on a much happier message about God’s love. And now a few decades later nobody seems to talk about…

Elijah the Prophet was definitely not a man of the cultural mainstream of his time. His fierce stand against an immoral and corrupt king and his court made him particularly unpopular among the powerful. His denouncement of the king’s ‘yes-men’ – false prophets – was provoking fiery criticism. When he managed to crush them in a spectacular way, the queen…