The Belgian family of an elderly cancer sufferer who wanted to die by euthanasia is suing a Catholic care home for refusing to allow a lethal injection on Church-run premises. Mariette Buntjens died days later after receiving the injection from a doctor in a private residence. The woman’s daughter Nadine Engelen claims the Sint-Augustinus rest…
American bishops have welcomed President Barack Obama’s executive action on gun control, introducing a range of measures to regulate the sale of firearms. Miami’s Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, said in a statement that “For a long time now, the bishops…
France’s future must be built with mutual respect, recognising everyone’s contribution, the country’s bishops have said. In a statement to mark the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in which 17 people were killed, the bishops asked whether lessons had been learned since then, saying that while “it is certainly urgent to listen to our…
First video prayer message calls for broad peace efforts Pope Francis has urged people of faith from around the world to work together for justice and peace. Sharing for the first time as a video message the traditional papal prayer intentions for the month, the Pope called for dialogue among religions and asked that people “not stop praying for it and collaborating with…
Children, one dressed as a Franciscan friar, play at a crib after Mass in the Palestinian town of Beit Jala near Bethlehem. Photo: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk
Before he was elected Pontiff, Pope Francis had a reputation for not liking to do interviews. “Really, I don’t give interviews. But I don’t know why. I can’t, that’s just how it is. I find it a bit tiresome, but I’m grateful for your company,” he told the more than 70 journalists from all over…
The US Church continues to back sensible gun control policies, writes Paul Keenan It remains hard for the average European to grasp the passion of debate surrounding guns in America. Figures in the millions for purchased weapons and shooting victims in the multiple thousands prompt in the non-US mind a seemingly logical answer on the…
Dear Editor, I must point out to your readers that in my article about 1916 (IC 17/12/2015) I did not set out to justify the Rising from the point of view of the just war theory. You do not use the just war theory to justify a rebellion. It’s almost like asking the government for…
The Church teaches that the Eucharist is its heart and summit, writes Cathal Barry In an ancient prayer the Church acclaims the mystery of the Eucharist: “O sacred banquet in which Christ is received as food, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the soul is filled with grace and a pledge of the life…
Sometimes nothing is as helpful as a good metaphor. In his book The God Instinct, Tom Stella shares this story: A number of men who made their living as porters were hired one day to carry a huge load of supplies for a group on safari. Their loads were unusually heavy and the trek through…
Paul Keenan
Cathal Barry
Fr Ronald Rolheiser