A Catholic priest in Co. Tyrone cancelled a political party’s meeting at a church hall over their support for abortion. Fr Eugene O’Neill snubbed a booking from pro-abortion party Sinn Féin to use St Patrick’s Hall in Coalisland after being contacted by pro-life campaigners. The parish hall had been booked for Deputy First Minister Michelle…
Catholic leaders in Germany have compiled responses from lay Catholics in areas related to who holds power in the Church, sexual morals, the role of priests and the place of women in church offices in preparation for an upcoming synodal assembly to debate Church reforms. More than 940 suggestions and questions had been submitted by…
Chinese officials have evicted members of the clergy, including a bishop, from their homes and are closing Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Fujian. While the officials cited “fire safety standards” as the reason for the evictions, all the clergy and churches affected have refused to join the Communist-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. The CPCA,…
Galway’s Joe Canning offers an insightful glimpse of a lived Faith, writes John G. Dwyer Sports stars have a reputation for giving dull interviews. Generally, they are wary of providing hostages to fortune while seldom venturing meaningful insights beyond their own discipline. GAA players may be forgiven for this as they must live a life…
Official Sunday of the Word icon unveiled at Vatican An icon of the encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus was chosen as the official logo for the worldwide celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God. The colourful logo is based on an icon written by the late-Benedictine Sr Marie-Paul Farran, a…
From the Underground Church to Freedom by Tomáš Halík (Notre Dame Press, $US35.00 / £39.50) Frank Litton The 1950s were grim in Czechoslovakia. The promise of liberation had not delivered. The state acquiesced in a foreign-based orthodoxy which it imposed with brutality. Censorship stifled thought. It was into this Communist dominated world that…
The Diary of Elizabeth Dillon: A Gateway to the Otherness of the Past edited with an introduction by Brendan O’Cathaoir (Currach Books, €34.99) Frank Callanan This delightful book is considerable editorial feat. The diaries of Elizabeth Dillon are copious running to 38 journals, and have been rendered down by the editor without any…
Dear Editor, It was refreshing to read your comment piece (IC 16/1/20) about the need to set aside old-fashioned political loyalties in the context of next month’s general election. Far too many people with deeply-held religious beliefs are willing to leave them at the door when they go to the polling booth. Both the main…
Starting on a high note Marking their silver jubilee, the 25th Festival of Youth Orchestras will see young musicians from across Ireland gather in the National Concert Hall next month. Presented by the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras, the festival is the annual celebration of youth orchestras in Ireland, and their members, with a diverse…
Establishing romantic relationships can be difficult for young Catholics in the 21st Century, writes Amy Hurle McCann In his book Love and Responsibility, St Pope John Paul II writes of the challenges, cautioning against using people as a “means to an end”. He emphasises that each person should be treated as “an object of…