A new report for Government recommends “exceptionally liberal” legal recognition of domestic surrogacy arrangements, despite the “exploitative” nature of the practice, a Catholic bioethicist has said. The report by the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Prof. Conor O’Mahony, was released April 7 and calls for the introduction of domestic surrogacy. Surrogacy is where a woman…
Poor families are struggling to buy food as prices rise “astronomically” and Brazil’s Covid-19 crisis worsens, according to an Irish Spiritan based there. Fr Brendan Foley, the Superior of the Brazil South-West Province and parish priest in Perus, São Paulo told this paper that in response to the increase in food prices they opened a food bank…
The Irish Bishops have announced the initial submission phase of the upcoming synod, which was announced March 10. Commenting on the development, Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick said the bishops were inviting submissions “to reflect on what methods/models to adopt” in the coming two years of conversations. He gave as examples “parish hall meetings, focus…
One of the great benefits of lockdown, for me, has been the experience of participating in various lectures and talks by Zoom. And I can now say that I’ve ‘attended’ Trinity College Dublin – at least vicariously, via excellent history seminars, hosted by TCD’s Centre for Contemporary History and chaired by Prof. Eunan O’Halpin. Civil…
An employee for the Archdiocese of Bhopal’s commission for education has been released on bail after his arrest for the “intentional insult” of the Hindu religion. Rajendra Dwivedi was arrested on Easter Sunday after he published articles on his blog claiming the salvation of Jesus had been revealed in the Vedas and Upanishads, religious texts…
Homelessness activist Fr Peter McVerry’s interview with Tommy Tiernan met with much acclaim on social media, which he said was “pleasing”. After the 15 minute interview aired on Saturday, Fr McVerry – who spoke out forcefully on the issue of homelessness – was praised for “the quiet force of his witness”. Fine Gael MEP Seán…
The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world has shown steady growth, while the number of religious men and women continued to decrease, according to Vatican statistics. At the end of 2019, the worldwide Catholic population exceeded 1.34 billion, which continued to be about 17.7% of the world’s population, said an article published…
A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that many pupils will be heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in the long run, with disadvantaged pupils especially affected. A key point is that students with access to good technology and parents willing to help with their work will fave much…
The View The situation in Northern Ireland today cries out for leadership capable of taking all the people forward together. It has seemed to me that those on other parts of our islands do not fully understand the situation here in the North. Indeed, I wonder, how many of us here comprehend it? To have…
Religious leaders have a key role in supporting peace and reconciliation, writes Chai Brady Churches must be visible in communities and actively engage with young people and those involved in the violence that has wracked the North in recent weeks, according to a Passionist priest who has become well-known for his work in interface communities.…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady
Mary Kenny
Nuala O’Loan