Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s trip to Mali and Ethiopia this week has been welcomed by a missionary organisation, in the hope it will influence Government policies. “It’s great that he’s going to Africa, because it draws attention southwards to see what is going on,” Viatores Christi CEO Shane Halpin told The Irish Catholic. Speculating that the…
A British parliamentary report has criticised the Indian government for failing to protect religious minorities from violent Hindu hardliners. A report by the British All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief said the rise of nationalist ‘Hindutva’ ideology – which defines ‘Indian’ as exclusively Hindu – has led to an increase in religious oppression…
A swastika drawn on the outer wall of a Dublin synagogue has been decried by Trinty College’s chaplains, but is being treated as mindless vandalism rather than anti-semitism by the Jewish community in Ireland. Gardaí are investigating the incident which happened just before New Year to the Terenure Synagogue on Rathfarnham Road. The graffiti has since been…
Dear Editor, When I was visiting Dublin during the Christmas holidays, I was astonished to see large billboards with pictures of cows and chickens and such slogans as ‘It’s not a personal choice if someone is killed’. Apparently paid for by a vegan organisation, these ads try to drive home the idea that choices that…
Don’t put a price tag on life, says pro-life group Northern Ireland’s leading pro-life group Precious Life has condemned the Irish Family Planning Association for their announcement that abortions will be provided to women from Northern Ireland at a cost of €450. Director of Precious Life, Bernadette Smyth, said, “This is a prime example of the lucrative abortion industry exploiting women for profit,” adding…
Fed with bread Would you like to learn how to make local Irish breads in a very relaxed atmosphere within a small group? If so, why not head to a thatched barn in Co. Down where you can hear about traditional breads, how they formed the diet pre and post famine in Ireland, and then…
Sweet Treats Laura Anderson This January as many of us endeavour to make a healthy start to 2019 it doesn’t mean having to abandon your favourite baked treats. These refined sugar, dairy and gluten free brownies are a great way to get a delicious chocolate hit, without the guilt! Even better, with all…
Hannah Brockhaus Persevere in prayer, remembering that God is waiting to answer his children – even if the result is to change the person, not the circumstance, Pope Francis said at the general audience today. “How many times have we asked and not obtained – we all experience it – how many times have…
State Papers: Secrets of the powers that be Peter Costello reports from the National Archives of Ireland on the release under the 30-year rule of confidential state files from 1988 On Wednesday (January 2) the National Archive made available to the public under the 30-year-rule State files from various government departments from 1986 and…
State Papers: Secrets of the powers that be Republican legend lingered on despite firm denial by the Vatican in 1933 That Pope Benedict XV, in a private interview with Count George Plunkett in the middle of April 1916, imparted his Apostolic Blessing to the men and arms of the Irish Republic two weeks before…