Month: October 2013

Pam Rhodes will be familiar to many as the presenter for many years of Songs of Praise. One of the most genuinely popular religious programmes on television. But she is also the author of some five novels. This book however is the first in a new series, relating the chronicles of a small English town.…

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Dear Editor, I was shocked and disappointed on reading Dr John Murray’s letter (IC 3/10/13); shocked at the denigratory tone he adopted towards Pope Francis, and disappointed that a person in his position in the Mater Dei Institute of Education is forming opinions of Pope Francis through such a narrow lens of “his now-famous” interview,…

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Dear Editor, I am writing to respond to the letter from Jarlath Vaughan (‘It is wrong to silence Fr Flannery’ IC 10/10/13). Firstly, I’ll say that I have followed the story of Fr Flannery quite closely since it began to unfold. At this stage, talk of Fr Flannery as a victim of the “evil Vatican”…

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Dear Editor, I usually enjoy reading Mary Kenny’s weekly column. I was, however, disappointed to read her criticism of the classic film The Quiet Man (IC 10/10/13). She sounded a particularly discordant and sour note. It is a little late in the day for her to reveal that the ‘archaic’ story was not politically correct…

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There has always been an innate and healthy tension between theology and catechesis, between what’s happening in theology departments in universities and the church pew. Theologians and bishops are often not each other’s favourite people. And that’s understandable. Why? Theology and catechesis have different purposes, even as both are valid and both are needed. Catechesis,…

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