Letter from Rome Inés San Martín Though reaction to Pope Francis’s recent joint declaration with the leader of Al-Azhar, arguably the most important figure in the Sunni Muslim world, received a mixed verdict – from being hailed as historic, to being dismissed as another feel-good statement without teeth – few men have more…
The district attorney for Queens County, New York, has reportedly dropped an unlawful abortion charge against a man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend, citing a new state law that removed abortion from the criminal code. Anthony Hobson is accused of killing his girlfriend Jennifer Irigoyen, who was 14 weeks pregnant, on February 3. He…
Fr Bill Kemmy When people ask me what I ‘do for a living’, for harmless distraction I sometimes tell them that I work for a large multinational that specialises in communications and salvage. Within that admittedly lame gag lies an essential truth. The Church is in the communications business, not as an optional extra but at its…
Elise Harris Speaking at a secular conference on child pornography and online threats to youth last week, a Catholic priest said the fight against child abuse isn’t merely a cause for the Church, but for the entire human family and for civilization itself. During the February 7 panel titled ‘Pornography, Minors and Safety on the…
The ordination of Bishop Larry Duffy was a powerful expression of a deep faith in Clogher, writes Greg Daly “He’s common sense down to his fingertips – a deeply spiritual man, but a very ordinary one,” a former parishioner of Ireland’s newest bishop said as the crowds struggled to make their way down the…
A prison sentence without hope serves no purpose other than to stir feelings of revenge and anger in inmates who are looking for a second chance in life, Pope Francis said. Speaking to staff members of Rome’s Regina Coeli prison, the Pope said that both prison staff and inmates always must look forward to the…
A prominent pro-life group is calling on Irish people to donate childcare essentials to help pregnant women and mothers with newborns as part of St Valentine’s Day. Love Both, which spearheaded the retention of the Eighth Amendment last year, is asking pro-life supporters to “show their love” by sending vouchers and/or new or unused vests…
Missionary lessons from Africa can’t easily be applied in Ireland, Clogher’s new bishop tells Greg Daly For years a recurring cry from Ireland’s Association of Catholic Priests was that the country’s bishops were being appointed from outside their dioceses, as though they were outsiders imposed without suitable local consultation. As former papal nuncio Archbishop…
A prominent pro-life activist who was ousted from Fine Gael’s national executive over a series of controversial tweets has had his suspension from the party overturned. Former Young Fine Gael president Barry Walsh resigned from the party’s national executive in November 2017, with the party’s disciplinary committee subsequently deciding to suspend him for 12 months,…
Everyday Philosophy Peruse the Catechism of the Catholic Church or a collection of papal encyclicals from the last century or so and it won’t be long before you find a denunciation of utilitarianism, the philosophical position that’s often summed up as being about the pursuit of ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’. Utilitarianism…
Greg Daly
Ben Conroy