Readers of The Irish Catholic are almost evenly split on whether taking sacramental preparation out of schools is a good thing. It comes as the Archdiocese of Dublin confirmed a story in this newspaper last week which first revealed the plan put forward by the Council of Priests. It would see parishes take on a…
Following the death of more than a dozen Christians in a church shooting, a Burkina Faso bishop said Western governments have a responsibility to stop the flow of weapons to militants in the region. “The Western powers should stop those who are committing these crimes, instead of selling them the weapons that they are using…
Questions of Faith It’s commonly asserted – namely from those in the Protestant tradition – that Catholics commit the sin of idolatry by worshipping statues. It’s an intriguing claim, namely because the Bible couldn’t be more explicit about the worship of graven images. “You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness…
Letter from Rome A little more than four years after Pope Francis published one of his most provocative documents, not to mention perhaps his most political, in the form of his eco-encyclical Laudato Si’, the Pontiff appears increasingly disappointed in the way the environmental manifesto been received. In two separate messages published this week, Francis appeared…
The hierarchy has announced the appointment of Clogher priest Msgr Joe McGuinness as the body’s new executive secretary. Msgr McGuinness will succeed Dr Gearóid Dullea who has served in the post for a number of years. The executive secretary is responsible for organising how the work of the conference is prepared, arranged and carried out. He…
The superior general of the Jesuit order said that the devil is real, after making headlines in August by stating that Satan is a symbol, not a person. Satan “is the one who stands between God’s plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ, because he has made this irreversible and free decision, and…
Catholic theology lost a giant last Monday with the death of German Fr Johann Baptist Metz, a disciple of famed Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner and the father of what was known as “new political theology”, at the age of 91. I first encountered Metz more years ago than I care to remember, when I was…
The Diocese of Cuernavaca has suspended evening Masses due to insecurity in the city and surrounding state of Morelos, a reflection of the violence raging in parts of Mexico and its impact on the Catholic Church. Bishop Ramon Castro Castro of Cuernavaca said church services would not be celebrated after dark because people in the…
Bishop Denis Nulty has called on people across the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin to ‘Share with the hungry’ as they make their preparations for Christmas and do their Christmas shopping. The bishop was speaking ahead of the annual Reach Out that takes place in parishes across the diocese this coming weekend, December 14-15. For…
Everyday philosophy As we celebrate the feast of Christmas, it’s time for this column to tackle the question of faith. This is a philosophy column, and so I’m not going to get into the precise nature of supernatural faith, or anything else that specifically depends on God’s revelation to us. But there’s a widespread idea…
Colm Fitzpatrick
John L. Allen Jr.
Ben Conroy