Medical Matters The government has set forth its intention to have a referendum on the Eight Amendment to the Constitution later this year. As it currently stands, the Protection of Life in Pregnancy Act (2013) allows for the termination of pregnancy in cases where there is a real and substantial risk of loss of…
The failure to institute a redress scheme for children who lived in Northern residential homes has been described as “deeply regrettable” by the Diocese of Down and Connor. Sir Anthony Hart’s Historical Institutional Abuse (HIAI) Report, published in January 2017, had examined the provision of care in a number of residential homes between 1922 and…
Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry has praised the announcement of a ceasefire by a dissident republican group. Óglaigh na hÉireann which has been responsible for a number of attacks, including the attempted murder of Catholic PSNI member Peadar Heffron in 2010, declared the ceasefire yesterday afternoon following negotiations with trade unionists. Bishop McKeown said: “I…
The Pope has called on journalists to search for the truth in an era characterised by ‘fake news’. The comments come after the unprecedented bad press the Pontiff faced during his recently-concluded South American tour where he visited Chile and Peru. Fake news grabs people’s attention “by appealing to stereotypes and common social prejudices, and…
Priest pleads with bishop for more exorcists in Ireland Strange occurrences and even demonic possession have caused a leading Irish expert to call on Church leaders to appoint a team of exorcists to cope with what he sees as a rising tide of evil in the country. While for many exorcisms of those possessed…
Greg Daly and Chai Brady Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy has praised Cranberries’ frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan as an artist of deep spirituality after her sudden death in London on Monday. He said her “rise to stardom gave a huge amount of belief to young people locally at the time. She was a true child of Limerick; talented, honest,…
Catholics in Belgium are concerned the country’s euthanasia law is being abused to kill patients without legal checks and safeguards. Auxiliary Bishop Jean Kockerols of Mechelen-Brussels said “not just the Church’s hierarchy, but doctors and medical professionals as well” were concerned. The Belgian Church’s Cathobel news agency published an article saying the Federal Euthanasia Control…
There’s an old saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword”, and it is as strikingly true today as it ever has been – if “pen” embraces the use of words in general. People are often judged more by what they say than by what they do. Or even by what other people say…
The View Martin Mansergh January may be the beginning of a new year. Mostly, it feels like a return to base camp, with life stripped back to its essentials and nature relatively bare. It is a month to be endured. Warmth is comfort; coldness and damp is living in misery. January also tends to…
The vice president of the German bishops’ conference has urged a debate on whether Catholic clergy should bless same-sex unions. “I’m concerned with fundamental questions of how we deal with each other; although ‘marriage for all’ differs clearly from the Church’s concept of marriage, it’s now a political reality,” said Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabruck.…
Dr Kevin McCarroll
Colm Fitzpatrick
Chai Brady
Greg Daly
Mary Kenny