The lack of stable government and uncertainty around Brexit are contributing to a climate of uncertainty in which young people in the North can be drawn into paramilitary and other criminal activity, a Belfast-based priest has said. “We need politicians to resolve their present disagreements and this impasse. We need stable government here again,” Fr…
Ireland medical professionals will face dilemmas around abortion and conscience similar to those faced by their British peers if constitutional protections for the unborn are abolished, Baroness Nuala O’Loan has said. Speaking to The Irish Catholic following the second reading in the House of Lords of the Conscientious Objection (Medical Activities) Bill, which she introduced,…
Bishops and other Catholic Church education interests have expressed their dismay and opposition to the current proposals outlined by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), which could weaken the status of religion in the primary school curriculum. The NCCA proposed to have two categories of time allocation, 60% for a minimum State curriculum…
What are we to make of Viktor Orban, the Hungarian leader who is almost certain to be swept back to power in the Hungarian spring election? He is regarded as an ‘anti-liberal’ and ‘semi-authoritarian’ by the European Union – and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was widely criticised in Ireland just for paying a visit to Mr…
A programme called ‘The Family Tree’ has been launched in conjunction with Catholic Schools Week, and aims to encourage participants to learn more about family and its importance. Developed by the Society of African Missions (SMA) the four-week programme emphasises that although families are unique, they all have the same roots and branches. Using the…
The annual Divine Mercy Conference – which regularly attracts thousands of people to Dublin’s RDS – is to step it up a gear this year with the addition of a special programme aimed at attracting younger Catholics. Hosted in St Paul’s Church, Arran Quay, Dublin, on Friday February 16, the event aims to highlight the…
The View There have been exchanges during the week on Twitter and in the mainstream media in which those in favour of legalising abortion have decried those who are against it for trying to make the point that children with disabilities would be particularly vulnerable if the Eighth Amendment is repealed. Down Syndrome Ireland…
Faith plays a role in encouraging positive interactions between students online, as bullying moves from schoolyards to social media, according to the secretary for the Episcopal Council for Education. At the launch of Catholic Schools Week in the Killaloe Diocese it was highlighted that this year there will be a year-long catechetical programme working in…
Former UCD student president Katie Ascough talks to Susan Gately about winning the prestigious Westminster Award One defining moment in Katie Ascough’s life was when she held her dead baby brother in her hand. Her mother, Jaclyn, had miscarried at home. “I remember holding him in the palm of my hand and being shocked by…
With the World Meeting of Families 2018 (WMOF2018) fast approaching the countdown has begun as parishes make plans to celebrate the historic occasion from August 21 to 26, now just months away. It’s been just under 40 years since a Pope has visited Ireland, and hopes are high that Pope Francis will be able to…
Greg Daly
Mary Kenny
Maria Steen
Chai Brady
Susan Gately