Courtney McGrailJames Norton, star of TV’s Grantchester, has criticised the trend of faith being portrayed negatively on television as “exorcisms and cults”. The actor, who plays crimebusting cleric Rev. Canon Sidney Chambers in the series which is about to begin its third run, said the “idea of faith isn’t really explored any more on television; now the only…
Month: April 2017
Another week of controversies and hot topics
Brendan O’Regan
It was another week of controversies on hot social and political topics. News and current affairs programmes dealt extensively with the controversy about the relocation of the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) to a site at St Vincent’s. Inherent in most debates was the unchallenged assumption that there was a clash between best medical practice and…
Protestants are leading evangelisation in Ireland
Dear Editor, In recent weeks The Irish Catholic has featured fascinating interviews with the American apologist-philosopher Dr William Lane Craig (IC 30/03/2017) and with Jonny Somerville (IC 13/04/2017), the key figure behind an ambitious new series of films intended for youth evangelisation. As I understand it, Dr Craig visited several Irish cities while he was…
Becoming a holy beggar
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
With the exception of scripture and a few Christian mystics, Christian spirituality, up to now, has been weak in presenting us with a vision for our retirement years. It’s not a mystery as to why. Until recently, the majority of people died shortly after retirement and so there was no need for a highly-developed spirituality…
LauraLynn families hit the red carpet
The Oscars were in town this week as eight families attended the screening of their short films at the annual LauraLynn Oscars Night. Pictured are Oliver (8), Hollie (6) and Maura (8) Quail. Each film was directed and produced by the children and families along with the support of Windmill Lane Studios and script writers…
Persecution of Christians inspired by Devil – Pope
The Devil is behind the hatred driving the persecution of Christians around the world, Pope Francis has said. Speaking at a prayer service in Rome’s Basilica of St Bartholomew, which has been dedicated to the New Martyrs since 2000, the Pope reflected on the Gospel in which Jesus said, “If the world hates you, remember…
Tackling persecution with a carrot and a stick
John L. Allen Jr.
The Pope’s line on tackling persecution allows others to be more assertive, writes John L. Allen Jr. That there’s a rising tide of anti-Christian persecution around the world in the early 21st Century is an empirical fact. Christians are hardly the only ones facing threats, of course, but because of their numbers and the zones…
Diesel Burns Diesel in High Octane Car-nage
Aubrey Malone
Fast and Furious 8 (12A) The two most popular types of books on the market these days, I’m told, are cook books and diet books. I’m thinking of writing one called Cook It But Don’t Eat It. That should corner both markets. Our society is beset with contradictions. Every night on TV – justifiably –…
The long shadow of a potential referendum
Michael Kelly
The “Taoiseach…has just moved heaven and earth to try to reduce the constitutional protection now enjoyed by the unborn”, writes Michael Kelly The Government has given strong indications that it will hold a referendum on abortion next year. Truth be told, we’ve known for some time that politicians are minded to hold a referendum that…
It is difficult not to be tempted by doubts
Last Sunday we had the familiar Gospel of Doubting Thomas. I’m always intrigued that the Gospel goes out of its way to refer to as “Thomas called the Twin”. Nowhere to my knowledge do we ever hear who Thomas’s other twin is. I wonder if that might be deliberate because it allows for a more…