Courtney McGrailThe pope has spoken to with the Turkish President
Month: December 2014
Pope prays in Istanbul mosque, rallies local Christians
A day after hearing Turkish leaders demand the West show more respect for Islam, Pope Francis prayed alongside a Muslim cleric inside Istanbul's most famous mosque. At the Blue Mosque, Istanbul's grand mufti Rahmi Yaran led Pope Francis to the mosque's "mihrab," a niche indicating the direction to the holy city Mecca. He explained that…
Pope, Turkish leaders trade concerns about religious discrimination
“Freedom of religion and freedom of expression, when truly guaranteed to each person, will help friendship to flourish and thus become an eloquent sign of peace” – Pope
Bishops launch online Advent calendar
Irish Catholic bishops use the internet to reach the masses
A novel worth reading
Peter CostelloThe Homesman by Glendon Swarthout (Simon & Schuster, €9.99/£7.99)
A movie you will love or hate
Paddington Bear
How different are Francis and Benedict?
John L. Allen Jr.Similarities and differences in the Pontifical politics
Repentance is never mentioned
Dear Editor, Cathal Barry’s interesting article on Christ’s life (IC 06/11/2014) exemplifies some of the problems in the Church today. Similar to most of the sermons in today’s homilies, in his lengthy article Cathal does not once mention the word repentance. Did Christ die unconditionally for everyone? After reading Cathal’s article the thought crossed my…
RTE has a religious blind spot
Dear Editor, RTÉ has a blind spot where religious faith is concerned. This was evident in the very minimal report RTÉĖ gave to the powerful address by Pope Francis in the European Parliament. In contrast the BBC, ITV and Sky News gave extensive coverage and good analysis of the event. I am sure the media…
Support for campaigner
Dear Editor, Your readers will be aware that Bernadette Smyth, the courageous founder of the pro-life group Precious Life has been convicted in Belfast of harassment on foot of a complaint from Dawn Purvis of the Marie Stopes clinic. All who genuinely oppose abortion, north and south, now need to rally to support the courage…