Nuala O’LoanWhile the institution of marriage must be protected Irish people must respect the rights of and “love shared between gay people”, writes Nuala O’Loan
Month: May 2015
History in the making
Paul KeenanThe Church in Vietnam is growing but not yet secure, writes Paul Keenan
Respecting and acknowledging difference
Courtney McGrailDear Editor, I am reluctantly voting no in the upcoming same-sex marriage referendum as I have concerns regarding the potential consequences if passed, but I do support equality rights for gay and lesbian couples. Prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1993, there was little tolerance for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender…
No one should be afraid to vote ‘no’
Dear Editor, A memory of 1940, at the age of nine, in my hometown of Westport; going up James Street, someone shouted “the Germans have landed in Achill; they will be here tomorrow”. I felt stunned: the future in ruins, houses empty, a home no longer a home! Now in 2015 the same-sex marriage referendum…
Leo Varadkar affirmed the child’s rights
Dear Editor, A Labour Party flier has been posted to my home. It reads ‘The Constitution should treat everyone equally’. There is truth here. Under God and State, all women and men are equal and are due equal respect and consideration. Now it is also true that every one of us has different gifts and roles…
The right to be loved
Dear Editor, When faced with a choice, I tend to ask “What would Jesus do today?” Sometimes, he was strict about the law in the Old Testament; at other times he offered alternatives to the laws. He instructs the healed leper to go to the priest as per the law as gracefully as he heals…
Referendum calls for careful consideration
Dear Editor, Success in the referendum for the proposal to introduce same-sex marriage in to the Irish Constitution would profoundly change the definition of marriage, a definition of an institution treasured by religious and non-religious people alike. It is important that the anomalies and ramifications integral to such a change be very carefully considered. Among…
Peace begins at grass roots level for Catholics in war-torn Sudan
Catholic workers in the contested border region between Sudan and South Sudan are launching new efforts to make peace between the two groups that claim the isolated and oil-rich region of Abyei. Although South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011, several border areas have remained in dispute. A planned 2005 referendum on the region’s…
Belgian Church begins 20-year journey to restore credibility
It could take 20 years for the Belgian Church to regain its credibility, according to Auxiliary Bishop Jean Kockerols of Mechelen-Brussels, who says the president of Belgium’s bishops’ conference wants Catholics to respect a court judgment against him for failing to act on abuse allegations. Liege’s Appeal Court ruled that Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard of Mechelen-Brussels…
Vatican Round-up
The cause of unity is not optional, says Pope Ecumenical relations and dialogue are not “secondary elements” of the life of the Church, according to Pope Francis. Addressing members of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, the Holy Father said that “the cause of unity is not an optional undertaking and the differences which divide us…