Notebook Of all the stories I’ve read about the mother and baby homes, one in particular has haunted me, that of a young woman who kept her pregnancy secret to the end, and, when labour began, went quietly to a local mother and baby home, gave birth, left her child with the nuns, and went…
Month: January 2021
World needs Christians to show what journey toward unity looks like, Pope says
Unity requires prayer, love and fighting the devil, who always sows division, Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI receive first dose of the Covid vaccine
Pope Francis and Pope emeritus Benedict XVI have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Vatican confirmed today. Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said: “I can confirm that as part of the Vatican City State vaccination program to date, the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has been administered…
Vulnerable may die if people refuse vaccine – Bishop Doran
EXCLUSIVE A senior bishop has warned that if a significant number of people refuse to get the Covid-19 vaccine, more people may lose their lives to the virus. Bishop Kevin Doran – who has been one of the most outspoken pro-life voices in the Church in Ireland in recent decades – insisted that “Vaccination, as…
Removed RTÉ God sketch receives record number of complaints
Chai Brady and Jason Osborne An RTÉ sketch which depicted a man described as God being arrested for sexual assault received a record number of complaints, rising to 7,000 this week. The sketch was created by satirical website Waterford Whispers and was broadcast on New Year’s Eve. Last week RTÉ announced that it did not…
Cardinal Pell to the Irish youth: ‘Step up to the plate’
Australian Cardinal George Pell has exhorted the Irish youth to lead the Church, lest it continue to sink. The cardinal, exonerated following a lengthy trial and imprisonment in his native country, addressed the young people of Ireland during an interview with EWTN’s Colm Flynn. Asked what he would say to them, he said: “I’d say…
Vaccines – an aid to forming conscience
If significant numbers of people chose not to be vaccinated, the result could be significant loss of life and serious illness in the community and especially among those who are most vulnerable, writes Bishop Kevin Doran Early in December 2020, the Irish Catholic Bishops issued a statement welcoming the progress that has been made in developing…
Schwarzenegger asks for ‘servant’s heart’ from politicians
Arnold Schwarzenegger referred US elected representatives to Catholic teaching in a video released on his Twitter page last weekend. The actor and former Governor of California referenced his Catholic upbringing in a video posted in the wake of and in response to the events in the US Capitol last weekend, which saw the Capitol building…
We were in a middle-class bubble
Since I am of the generation who grew up in Ireland in the 1950s, I’ve received messages on social media saying I – or we – must have been aware of the neglect, malnutrition and cruelties of the mother and baby homes which have been brought to light this week. Astonishing It may seem astonishing…
Faith groups in Ireland fare poorly in leadership poll
Faith groups ranked poorly after the public were polled regarding the sector demonstrating the best leadership in Ireland. Leadership LIFT Ireland – an initiative to develop the level of leadership nationwide – polled 1,000 members of the public on their attitudes towards leadership standards and asked them to rank the sectors and professions they believed…


Ruadhán Jones

Michael Kelly




Mary Kenny
