What lies deepest inside authentic faith is the truth that God is the object of all human desire, no matter how earthy and unholy that desire might seem at times. This implies that everything we desire is contained in God. We see this expressed in the Psalms, which tell us that God is the object…
Month: July 2015
Liturgy as source of life
The Church teaches that liturgy is a participation in Christ’s own prayer, writes Cathal Barry
Media silence noted
Dear Editor, RTÉ News very briefly carried the tragic story of the young Irish woman who in 2012 died after an abortion carried out at a London clinic. Three abortion clinic staff – a doctor and two nurses – were being charged in court with manslaughter and negligence. Subsequently other media ignored this woman’s tragic…
Processions give witness
Dear Editor, I was very impressed by the pictures of the Corpus Christi processions in Millstreet and Templemore in The Irish Catholic on June 18. But where are the processions from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s? Why did they stop? The same goes for Marian processions and the traditional practice of the crowning of a statue…
Quotes alone can’t justify dogma
Dear Editor, With regards to the proposed “reality check” that the Roman Catholic Church may or may not need to take, depending on your point of view, permit me to throw the following observations into the mix. Firstly the general population’s understanding of the nature of marriage, sexual intercourse, contraceptives and homosexuality has changed dramatically…
Amnesty Ireland’s volte-face
Dear Editor, For decades Amnesty International championed and supported the weak and vulnerable throughout the world. It courageously challenged despots and tyrants. A truly commendable organisation. Alas, the Irish section is not so. It has made a complete volte-face and now advocates the killing of babies, in outright opposition to the Fifth Commandment of God,…
Moving on to new challenges
Dear Editor, Now that Catholicism and all that it stands for has been ‘panned’ in this island, we are being treated to a feast of gushing words from those same clergy who stayed dumb as the ‘yes’ campaign steamrolled on. How many Masses or ceremonies were held prior to the referendum to support the ‘no’…
Amnesty no longer an inclusive human rights movement
Dear Editor, The recent statement from Amnesty International, as reported in the national media, seems to be calling for the legalisation of human abortion in the Irish Constitution. This is, in my view, contrary to the aims, role and missions of Amnesty i.e. to protect and support the human rights of the people, especially members…
Medjugorje’s moment is yet to come
Hopes of a decision on the pilgrim site proved premature, writes Paul Keenan
Analysing same-sex ruling’s implications will take time, say Church leaders
Julie Asher Analysing the ramifications of the June 26 same-sex marriage ruling for the US Catholic Church at the national, state and local levels will take time, said Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore. It has implications for “hundreds, if not thousands” of laws at all levels and there is “a difficult road ahead for people…

Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Cathal Barry
Courtney McGrail
Paul Keenan