Pope Francis has criticised those who give more consideration to money than the Sacraments or helping others find true wealth – a relationship with Jesus Christ. “How many times do I think of this when I see some parishes where it is thought that money is more important than the Sacraments! Please! A poor Church:…
Chai Brady and Colm Fitzpatrick Regular church attendance leads to better mental health because religion gives people “hope, meaning and perspective”, according to one of the country’s leading psychiatrists. Prof. Patricia Casey was reacting to a major new Irish study which looks at people aged 50 or older and finds that those who attend…
Pope Francis joined Catholic Church leaders expressing sorrow after back-to-back mass shootings in the US left at least 31 dead and dozens injured in Texas and Ohio last weekend. After the Angelus in St Peter’s Square on August 4, the Pope said he wanted to convey his spiritual closeness to the victims, the wounded and…
The president of the Polish bishops’ conference condemned attacks on clergy and places of worship in the traditionally Catholic country as the Church countered media accusations of inciting violence against LGBTQ groups. Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan said that “ever more frequent attacks of hatred against believing people and priests” were a growing concern for…
An Irish academic’s call for children to be taught the ‘positive’ aspects of porn has been described as “inherently exploitative”. Writing on the RTÉ.ie website, porn researcher Kate Dawson said, “there is a real need for youth to be equipped with information about pornography and be supported in developing skills necessary to critique sexual representations…
Catholics in a northern Philippines archdiocese marched in support of Church leaders accused of conspiring to overthrow President Rodrigo Duterte. About 3,000 Church workers, students and parishioners from the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan carried placards last week with messages expressing support for Archbishop Socrates Villegas and other accused Church leaders during a July 31 prayerful demonstration,…
Irish clergy in the Philippines served God’s people despite all manner of brutal threats, writes Jean Harrington It was April 1973 and the island of Mindanao in the south of the Philippines was descending into a war between the Muslim population and their Christian neighbours. No one was safe, not even the priests who…
New Jersey’s new law allowing assisted suicide, effective at the beginning of this month, “points to an “utter failure” on the part of government and indeed all society, said Bishop James Checchio of Metuchen. It is the failure “to care truly, authentically and humanely for the suffering and vulnerable in our midst especially those living…
Lay of the Land: Reflections on life in rural Ireland by Fiona O’Connell (Red Stag, €12.99) Christopher Moriarty This collection of chatty articles is attractively illustrated by Caroline Barry with a pen-and-ink sketch at the head of every one of the one hundred plus short chapters. They are a selection from the author’s weekly articles…
Madison Duddy explores how concert going can improve health For many, music is a significant part of their life. The second people start their morning commute, the headphones go in or the car radio is switched on, bringing some fun to an otherwise ordinary morning. One does not have to be a singer, dancer…