The deadline for female lone-parent asylum seekers living in direct provision who received eviction letters was last Friday, July 5. Gráinne Kilcullen, Head of Programmes for ActionAid, told The Irish Catholic “there has been an ad hoc follow up approach by IPAS to the eviction notices.” She explained that some of the women being evicted…
Month: July 2024
When God and politics collide
As I crossed the Boyne Peace Bridge, en route to the pro-life rally in Dublin the other day, an old tale sprang to mind: King Billy, fresh from the battle, was crossing the river, when the boatman asked: “Who won?” And King Billy retorted: “Why do you care? You will still be a boatman”. These…
What does ‘Ordinary Time’ mean in the Church’s calendar?
Q: I once heard a priest talk about Ordinary Time and that it didn’t mean ‘plain’ or that other times were more important. Of course, I can’t remember how he explained it. Can you explain some more? A: I personally was not there when your priest was giving his talk, so I can’t comment specifically…
11 Christians jailed in Vietnam are missing, US NGO says
Five Catholics and six Protestants who were jailed in Vietnam for a range of offenses related to religious activities dating back to 2011 have gone missing, highlighting a larger problem within the communist country’s judicial system, International Christian Concern (ICC) has said. It said nine of the Christians had been jailed for “undermining national unity policy” due…
Bishop: ‘Politicians must have the courage to revisit the abortion law in Ireland’
Speaking to The Irish Catholic at the Rally for Life in Dublin, Bishop Phonsie Cullinan said politicians had opened the floodgates to abortion despite promising “repeatedly” that it would be “safe, legal and rare”. “Well I would say two things about that. They are not safe for the baby and they are certainly not…
Gender identity issues in schools and government inaction
With Enoch Burke after having spent over 400 days in jail for refusing to abide by a court order, related to his initial refusal to comply with a request/instruction to refer to a pupil by their preferred pronouns at Wilson’s Hospital Secondary School, teachers and school administrators remain in the dark as to what is…
Christians face ‘devastating’ persecution under Pakistani blasphemy laws
A Catholic leader has called for an end to Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, telling EWTN last week that the accused in such cases are “guilty before even [having] an opportunity to prove themselves”. A court in Punjab recently sentenced Ehsan Shan to death for sharing “hateful content” against Muslims on social media. Last year, when locals…
Bishop invites politicians to review abortion decision
Speaking to The Irish Catholic at the Rally for Life in Dublin, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan said politicians had opened the floodgates to abortion despite promising “repeatedly” that it would be “safe, legal and rare”. “Well I would say two things about that. They are not safe for the baby and they are certainly not rare.…
What are we doing to our children?
How we treat our children is something of a conundrum, but doing it well is surely a mark of how caring and genuine our society is. I observe how much we love our children, how most parents would do anything for them, even give their own lives if required. We see the unbearable grief when…
Sacred permission to be in agony
We live this life “mourning and weeping in a valley of tears.” This was part of a prayer my parents prayed every day of their adult lives, as did many others in their generation. In the light of contemporary sensitivities (and one-sided spiritualities), this might sound morbid. Are we to understand our lives as time…

Renata Steffens
Martina Purdy






Brendan O’Regan
Fr Ronald Rolheiser