Welcome to Eureka Street

back to site

Keywords: Italy

  • INTERNATIONAL

    The Russia-Ukraine war two years on

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 28 February 2024

    After two years, the attack on Ukraine by Russia on February 24 has left half-a-million dead, traumatised a generation, and promises little in the way of a halt to hostilities. The unpalatable reality to this conflict is that some diplomatic solution will have to be found in this war of murderous attrition.

    READ MORE
  • INTERNATIONAL

    In praise of Ercolina

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 19 February 2024
    1 Comment

    The heroine of last week’s most diverting news story was a cow when she and her minders were refused entrance into St Peter’s Square in Rome. Ercolina’s mission was to protest against the low prices and excessive regulation of farming In Italy, highlighting how economically more efficient production has come at a cost to a way of life.   

    READ MORE
  • INTERNATIONAL

    The love of a good convent

    • Gerard Windsor
    • 16 February 2024
    1 Comment

    Casamari, my destination for the night, was fifteen kilometres more walking. The signs pointed off the road, but I must have missed one. By this time, I had wandered too far to simply retrace my steps. I was lost. To be on this walk is to convince you that Italy is composed entirely of mountains.

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    The last conclave?

    • Miles Pattenden
    • 06 September 2023
    4 Comments

    In a recent interview, Professor of Church History and conclave expert Alberto Melloni passionately argued that the current conclave system, shrouded in secrecy and absent of clear criteria, might be outdated. With the Catholic Church facing unprecedented scrutiny, and in light of reforms initiated by Pope Francis, is it time for the Vatican to reconsider how its supreme pontiff is chosen?

    READ MORE
  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Censorship in the age of social media

    • Sarah Klenbort
    • 01 August 2023
    5 Comments

    When a comedic story is withdrawn from a literary contest for referencing Putin, it bears reflecting on various shades of censorship. In an interconnected world where social media storms can shape the narrative, what does freedom of speech mean for writers today?

    READ MORE
  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    The disquieting lessons of Ian McEwan

    • Peter Craven
    • 14 June 2023

    Ian McEwan's Lessons marked a sharp twist in a five-decade literary career, and presents an opportunity to reflect on his expansive body of work. The one-time literary rogue and Booker laureate now stands as the unquestioned doyen of modern English fiction, his audacious work perpetually navigating undercurrents of unease.

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    A Church for everyone: In conversation with Phyllis Zagano

    • Michele Frankeni
    • 26 May 2023
    3 Comments

    In a discussion with Michele Frankeni, Catholic scholar Dr Phyllis Zagano explores the question of whether there is a need for increased recognition of women in the Catholic Church, particularly regarding their potential in the diaconate. She investigates both the historical evidence for ordained female deacons and the modern arguments for their re-introduction.

    READ MORE
  • INTERNATIONAL

    Is Artificial Intelligence human?

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 11 May 2023
    3 Comments

    Both the resignation of Google AI researcher Geoffrey Hinton and Pope Francis' recent address on technology highlight concerns about unrestricted technological development and the urgent need for informed discourse on the potential of AI to reshape communication, governance, and self-understanding.

    READ MORE
  • INTERNATIONAL

    The failure of an idea: The Russian sanctions regime

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 22 March 2023
    3 Comments

    Any sanctions regime produces uneven effects. Economic sanctions imposed on Russia are not only unlikely to end the conflict in Ukraine, but they are having unintended consequences, encouraging Moscow to be more resourceful and leading to a shift in global energy markets. 

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    When two popes become one

    • Miles Pattenden
    • 28 February 2023
    4 Comments

    Following the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, some believe Pope Francis is now free to advance a progressive agenda, while there’s good reason to doubt Francis will be willing or able to forward any meaningful change beyond that already achieved.

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    Best of 2022: What now for senior clergy who covered up abuse?

    • Miles Pattenden
    • 12 January 2023

    Many Catholics will have found the news from Germany this past week painful. A law firm, Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, has presented findings in its investigation into historic sexual abuse in the Munich archdiocese. Running to 1,000 pages, the report is shocking: it lists at least 497 victims for the period 1945–2019 and identifies 235 probable offenders including 173 priests and nine deacons.

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    Best of 2022: Pope Francis in war and peace

    • Miles Pattenden
    • 05 January 2023

    Even as he sustains the papacy’s now traditional opposition to all forms of war and its emphasis on the extreme suffering war brings, especially to the innocent, Pope Francis has, in recent weeks, taken a different, more partisan approach which he and others must feel is justified.

    READ MORE