Assisted suicide reflects a “failure of compassion on the part of society” the Catholic bishops have warned in their submission to the Oireachtas committee reviewing legislation that, if passed, would legalise euthanasia. Good palliative care not assisted suicide “offers terminally-ill people the best possibility of achieving ‘a dignified and peaceful end of life’,” the Church leaders said…
One of the deepest things being lost today is the sense of wonder before the mystery of existence and reality as a whole, writes Philip Gonzales For both Plato and Aristotle philosophy begins in wonder. But, with Plato, I also think that philosophy should never seek to dispel wonder. Wonder, then, should be the very…
Fr Franz Jalics, a Hungarian Jesuit whose 1976 detainment by Argentina’s military dictatorship raised questions about Pope Francis’ role during his country’s Dirty War, has died at age 93. The priest died on February 13 in Budapest. Jalics found himself reluctantly at the centre of a controversy in March 2013 when Jorge Bergoglio, his former…
Counsels of Imperfection: Thinking through Catholic Social Teaching by Edward Hadas (Catholic University of America Press, $34.05/£36.50 paperback) Frank Litton This is not a propitious moment for Catholic social teaching (CST) in Ireland. Not only is there no serious conversation on the condition of our society and the future of our politics; if there were the…
A Cork Redemptorist community has received “very positive” feedback after posting a video of themselves taking part in the Jerusalema dance, which members of An Garda, Ireland’s fire department and defence forces have all taken part in. Fr Gerry O’Connor CSsR and three other priests in the Scala community participated. The video has received thousands…
California’s strict coronavirus rules banning indoor worship were blocked and revised by a US Supreme Court injunction late February 5 night, drawing praise from figures like Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. He emphasised the importance of in-person religious gatherings and stressed that the Catholic Church is following “reasonable measures” to limit the epidemic. “This is a very…
Opera star Cara O’Sullivan, who died recently aged 58, has been described as a “deeply committed Catholic”, which “consoled” her during her illness, according to her family friend, Canon Jim O’Donovan. Fr O’Donovan, who officiated Ms O’Sullivan’s funeral, told The Irish Catholic that she drew comfort from her faith during her struggle with dementia. “She…
An unprecedented alliance of Catholic and Evangelical church leaders are urging the Scottish Government to drop part of its proposed Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill to allow time for “detailed consideration of crucial provisions”. The bill, which would potentially criminalise any criticism of Transgender ideology has been criticised by the Catholic Church, the Free…
The parish of Errigal Ciaran in Co. Tyrone is amongst those participating in a new continuous rosary initiative. It began yesterday – Ash Wednesday – and the plan is that a continuous rosary will be offered up every minute of every day for peace and charity in Ireland. Every parish in the country has a date and time allocated,…
Vatican releases programme for papal trip to Iraq Pope Francis said his upcoming trip to Iraq would be an important sign of his concern for the region’s Christians, but also an important opportunity to build fraternity through interreligious dialogue. “In our time, interreligious dialogue is an important component of the encounter between peoples and cultures.…