Bairbre CahillHave you ever walked a labyrinth? I walk the garden labyrinth in Manresa, the Jesuit retreat house in Dublin every time I visit. Now a labyrinth is not a maze. It is not a place to get lost or find oneself in a dead-end. A labyrinth is usually a path on the ground – the…
Month: November 2016
Priests at risk: problems and practicalities
Greg DalyGreg Daly attends the AGM of the Association of Catholic Priests
How could Catholics support Hillary Clinton?
Courtney McGrailDear Editor, I’ve read with the interest the debate on Catholics voting for Hillary Clinton. I simply cannot understand how any Catholic could vote for her. If she had been elected there would have been a continued escalation of abortion worldwide. Not alone is she in favour of abortion up to, and, at,…
Securing the Holy Door
Pope Francis closes the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica to mark the closing of the jubilee Year of Mercy at the Vatican November 20. Photo: CNS
US Church one of most diverse bodies
A major study has found the Catholic Church in the US to be one of the most culturally diverse institutions in that country. The three-year study, commissioned by the US bishops’ conference and undertaken by the Centre for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, was presented to the prelates during their plenary meeting…
Bishop urges Govt to address ‘impoverished rural Ireland’
Paul KeenanBishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe has appealed to Government and others in positions of leadership to “maintain rural life”. Speaking to The Irish Catholic this week as An Post signalled that a major wave of post office closures is possible, Bishop Monahan said the “impoverishment of rural Ireland” remains a big issue of concern for…
The perils of waking the dead
David QuinnA 14-year old girl in the UK, dying of cancer, was awarded by court the right to have her body frozen after her death, so-called ‘cryogenic freezing’. The girl, who has since died, wants the possibility of being raised from the dead if science ever allows this, even if that is still hundreds of years…
Senator brands John Halligan the Donald Trump of Irish politics
John Reid Independent Senator Rónán Mullen has branded Minister for Skills John Halligan as the Donald Trump of Irish politics, due to intemperate language he has used toward opponents of his latest controversial push to legalise euthanasia. Mr Halligan is planning to introduce a private members’ bill which, if enacted, would make it legal to…
Deputy McGrath slams Labour Party’s Bill
Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin has been accused of seeking to provide political cover “to silence services or advocates that do not support abortion as a solution to a crisis pregnancy”. Independent TD Mattie McGrath spoke in response to the publication of the Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill brought forward by Mr Howlin…
Emotional intensity reigns in The Missing
Brendan O’ReganAfter the recent political earthquake and the ongoing aftershocks it’s a relief to get back to some fictional drama. The Missing (BBC One Wednesday nights) is the second season of this mystery series about people going missing in the most criminal of ways. The plot is complex and there’s lots of time shifting between…