In the darkest days of “The Troubles,” when Northern Ireland was torn by sectarian violence and bitter political divisions, John Hume dared to see a future built on peace.

The reports were scattered at first, isolated news stories throughout the year of a statue toppled here, another spray-painted with graffiti there. This summer they have come more frequently — senseless acts of anti-Church vandalism that have grown bolder and more destructive.

Over the years, we have heard the pleas of popes and Vatican officials to halt the worldwide production of weapons. In virtually every case, the urgency of the plea has been punctuated by the preface: “Now, more than ever ….”

There is a world of issues to worry about these days, playing havoc with our physical and spiritual well-being. So it’s good every once in a while to stop and, as the cliché goes, smell the roses.

The funeral will be held at a future date.

As Canadian churches continue to re-open, it would be wise to heed advice Pope Francis offered to Catholics everywhere.

The cancer of racism is too widespread and too entrenched for one man to remedy alone, but if any one man could command international attention and speak with moral authority on the issue it would be Pope Francis.

Closed churches have provided a blunt reminder of how much we rely on our parish priests — and perhaps sometimes take them for granted.

As the world begins to stir from its pandemic hibernation, governments face the important question of how to accommodate houses of worship. At least, we hope they realize the question is important.

We tend to think of the planet as a patchwork of nations and continents, but it is really a single tapestry in which everything and everyone is intertwined. The COVID-19 pandemic is tragic evidence of that, but the new coronavirus only illuminates a lesson taught to us already.