The Archbishop of Dublin has hinted that the diocese may change parish boundaries, as they do not always “reflect the current demographic reality of the diocese”. Speaking at the launch of the book Tomorrow’s Parish, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said that parishes would have to face “stark choices” about their future. He questioned whether their structure…
Founder member of the leadership team of the Association of Catholic Priests Fr Tony Flannery [pictured] has thrown down a gauntlet for action instead of words to Dublin’s Archbishop Martin in the wake of Dr Martin’s comments on Mary McAleese. Last week Archbishop Martin said: “Probably the most significant negative factor that influences attitudes to…
Former Taoiseach John Bruton has said that he won’t be voting in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment and that Ireland should be “proud” of being one of very few countries which have this constitutional provision. Speaking in Kilkenny on Sunday after the episcopal ordination of Dr Dermot Farrell as Bishop of Ossory, the former…
The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has rejected suggestions by former president Mary McAleese that the Eighth Amendment may no longer be fit for purpose, saying Ireland remains one of the world’s safest places for pregnant women. Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Mrs McAleese said she had not decided how she would vote in…
The former editor of Intercom magazine and priest of the Killala diocese Fr Kevin Hegarty has called for priests to absent themselves from the chrism Masses celebrated in cathedrals during Holy week. Fr Hegarty called on priests who agree with Mary McAleese’s “forensic dissection of misogyny in the Catholic Church” to join the boycott. He…
The majority of The Irish Catholic readers disagree with former Irish president Mary McAleese after almost 500 voiced opposition to statements she made over the weekend. In a poll conducted by this paper on social media about 70% of over 650 people answered ‘no’ to the statement: ‘In a recent RTÉ article, former president Mary…
Letter from Rome One of Catholicism’s most beguiling features is its endless capacity for complexity, and that certainly extends to its understanding of suffering. On the one hand, few institutions on earth invest more in the effort to alleviate suffering. Yet Christianity also was born in a monumental act of suffering, meaning Christ on…
The Church must speak out in defence of the unborn, Tuam’s archbishop has said, maintaining that the taking of innocent human life is the central issue in the abortion debate. In a pastoral letter to the diocese of Tuam released last weekend, Dr Michael Neary said that every human being has the obligation to respect,…
It seems to me regrettable that the general discussions around the points that Mary McAleese makes in her critique of the Catholic church often seem so insular. Seldom are there any references to other faith traditions – on the question of ordaining women – be it Judaism and Islam, Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Anglicanism and…
On the eve of the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ election, retired Pope Benedict XVI has defended the continuity of the Church’s teaching under his successor and dismissed those who criticise the Pope’s theological foundations. In a letter sent to Msgr Dario Vigano, prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for Communication, Pope Benedict applauded the publication…
Chai Brady
Greg Daly
John L. Allen Jr.
Mary Kenny