Greg DalyThe Government’s determination to mislead the public is becoming a key issue in the marriage referendum campaign, according to a leading ‘no’ campaigner. Dr Thomas Finegan, legal advisor to Mothers and Fathers Matter, has rejected claims by former Justice Minister Alan Shatter that surrogacy is an irrelevant distraction in the marriage debate and is being…
Month: May 2015
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…
History in the making
Paul KeenanThe Church in Vietnam is growing but not yet secure, writes Paul Keenan
Global response to disaster must be long-term
Most of those who perished in Nepal’s earthquake died as a result of poverty, writes Conor O’Loughlin
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…
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…
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…
Gay couples already have all the legal rights of heterosexual couples
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
State to cover for schools for election day accidents
Cathal BarryThe head of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) has welcomed a move by the State Claims Agency to provide insurance for schools used as polling stations. Fr Tom Deenihan told The Irish Catholic that Catholic schools “have always been happy to offer their schools, which are mostly built on private property, for this…