It’s unlikely that there’s a more conspicuous or remarkable example of Catholic art in the modern world than Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, described by Pope Benedict in 2010 as standing “as a visible sign of the invisible God, to whose glory these spires rise like arrows pointing towards absolute light and to…
Dear Editor, I was glad to read in your paper Fr James Martin’s words of advice on how to welcome gay people into our church communities (IC 5/7/2018). His direction that we should genuinely listen to gay people is, sadly, the sort of thing that’s too often dismissed by those who would much rather talk…
Prayer Book Launch from Knock Shrine A brand new Knock book of prayers will be available on July 14 at the Rest and Care Centre in Knock Shrine. The prayer book will feature new prayers from Fr Richard Gibbons, who has been the rector at Knock Shrine for over five years. Fr Gibbons draws on his own personal knowledge and…
Homelessness remains one of Ireland’s biggest challenges for asylum seekers and those trying to leave Direction Provision, a new study has revealed. The recently released Irish Refugee Council 2017 ‘Impact Report’ shows that out of 3000 people who were assisted on a wide variety of issues such as education access and policy and legal research,…
A prominent pro-life group has accused Health Minister Simon Harris of repeatedly raising the issue of creating exclusion zones outside abortion clinics for no other reason than to depict pro-life people in a poor light and to take the focus off the extreme abortion law that received Government approval yesterday. Commenting on the Minister’s repeated…
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran (75), an experienced diplomat, died in the US where he was receiving medical treatment. The French head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue had been living with Parkinson’s disease, and led a Vatican delegation to Saudi Arabia in April. He died in Hartford, Connecticut. It was his role as ‘proto-deacon’ or…
A Christian charity has welcomed the first conviction of a person attempting to pay for sex since the law changed in Northern Ireland. An Armagh man was sentenced to serve a three-month custodial sentence and ordered to pay £500 compensation directly to the victim today (July 6). According to CARE in Northern Ireland (Christian Action…
Hearts that are closed to welcoming migrants and refugees are similar to those of the Pharisees, who often would preach sacrifice and following God’s law without exercising mercy to those in need, Pope Francis said. Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees’ “insidious murmuring” is “a finger pointed at the sterile hypocrisy of those who do not…
New orders offer way to fill ‘sisters gap’ The disappearance of religious women from Ireland’s religious landscape has been colossal, a Cork priest has said, explaining a decision to invite a new community into his parish. Canon Michael Fitzgerald invited a group of sisters from the Spanish-based Servants of the Home of the Mother…
From her own point of view, Josepha Madigan’s decision to lead prayers in Mount Merrion church recently – in the absence of a priest – was a bold career move which has brought benefits. She will have realised this when she saw comments on social media, and letters to the papers from people saying they…
Greg Daly
Chai Brady
Mary Kenny