A trip to West Clare prompts Andrew O’Connell to reflect on the “remarkable struggle against adversity”
Month: July 2015
Cardinal Pell cast as papal challenger
Courtney McGrailIn a strange piece on cruxnow.com, Rosie Scammell interprets a Financial Times interview to say that “The Vatican’s financial chief, Cardinal George Pell, has taken the unusual step of criticising Pope Francis’ groundbreaking environmental encyclical, arguing the Catholic Church has ‘no particular expertise in science’.” This take, since echoed by Damian Thompson at blogs.spectator.co.uk and…
A contemporary poet fit to stand beside Yeats
Confronting Shadows: An Introduction to the Poetry of Thomas Kinsella by David Lynch (New Island, €24.99)
Conflict outpacing poverty reduction – Trócaire
Positive trends in poverty reduction are being out-paced by the effects of widening conflicts and climate change, Trócaire said at the launch of the organisation’s annual report for the year 1 March 2014 – 28 February 2015. Nonetheless, the charity announced that over the past 12 months, its development and emergency programmes have helped approximately…
Primate affirms ‘witness’ of Pioneers
Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh has praised the “witness” of the Pioneers at a time when “excessive drinking and other addictions continue to cause so much hurt and destruction in many Irish homes and families”. In his homily to mark the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association’s annual pilgrimage to Knock, Archbishop Eamon said he wanted to…
Young Fine Gael reject Angelus motion
Members of Young Fine Gael have rejected a motion calling on RTÉ to extend rather than discontinue the Angelus programme broadcast daily at noon and 6pm on radio and television. As well as calling on RTÉ to continue to broadcast the Angelus, the proposed motion wanted the programme to be extended to two minutes. Delegates…
‘Scandal’ of homeless pregnant women criticised
The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has called on the Government “urgently” to address the homeless crisis in Dublin in light of a recent report that at least 17 pregnant women are homeless in the city at present. Claiming that senior politicians “have known about this shameful reality for quite some time”, Sinead Slattery of the…
Priest attacked in Portlaoise
A Benedictine monk from Kerala in India who was visiting Portlaoise was injured in an attack on Saturday July 18. Bro. Dominic Savio answered a call at the front door at about 11:30 at night, only to be pushed inside by two attackers bearing knives. A knife was held to his throat, and he was…
Lurgan ‘recklessness’ condemned
Bishop John McAreavey has condemned the attempt at the weekend to lure and murder police officers in Lurgan. The Bishop of Dromore said those who attempted to kill police officers “have nothing to offer the people of Northern Ireland but despair and death”. “The day of the bomb and the bullet has no place in…
Vatican News
Meeting of mayors to empower the world’s poor The Vatican has held two conferences on climate change, human trafficking and sustainable development. The July 21-22 meetings, which brought together mayors from around the world, addressed how cities can help contribute to the solution of some of these problems facing humanity. “Modern Slavery and Climate Change:…