Meeting migrants makes you realise they are human beings, and they “have suffered much” according to the Director of Caritas Internationalis. Michael Roy says that listening to the stories of migrants and refugees should help people transcend prejudice. “You may be afraid of migrants as a large group of people coming in, but when you…
New US ambassador to the Holy See US President Donald Trump has nominated Callista Gingrich to be his ambassador to the Holy See. She will face several challenges representing the US in the Vatican, particularly following Trump’s decision to abandon the Paris climate agreement, while Pope Francis has made clear that care for the environment…
Pope Francis and the Vatican have “tried very hard” to find a solution that’s “peaceful and democratic” in Venezuela. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, told Italian media the Vatican wanted to “help all without destruction”. On Sunday a referendum was held to elect a body to re-write Venezuela’s constitution, a matter which has…
Dear Editor, I’m delighted that Róisín O’Rourke, who responded to my original letter (IC 06/07/2017), is enjoying teaching religion in Leitrim Village. It reminds me of my own experience, 60 years ago, when I too was a primary teacher. I am presently the curate in the largest city parish in Limerick. We have marvellous First…
Dear Editor, Subsequent to the concert at Manchester Arena, outrage was expressed worldwide in the media at the deliberate targeting of the innocent. Among the dead and injured were a sizeable number of young and teenaged children. Some of them were accompanied by parents to act as guardians in getting them there, ensuring to the…
Dear Editor, You published on July 13 Archbishop Diarmuid Martin’s recent address at a conference in Germany. The archbishop concluded that the Church is “the redefinition of power in terms of the way in which Jesus revealed who God is”. To me anyway, I have not ever read words that outline the true meaning and…
Dear Editor, In relation to Bishop Kirby’s contribution to the conference ‘Let’s talk Family, let’s be Family (IC 20/07/2017), the State definition of marriage “which cannot be described in terms of traditional Christian doctrine” is at odds with the Christian definition of marriage (“the creator from the beginning made them male and female…is why a…
Dear Editor, Amongst the several useful points made by Martin Mansergh in his article on how Irish people should decide on the shape of their future society without the influence of foreign funding (IC 20/07/2017), is his comment that a “decisive battle between two very different visions of Irish society is not far off”. He…
Dear Editor, At the end of the article ‘Building on Doctrine that speaks to real Human Situations’ (IC 20/07/2017) Cardinal Schoenborn states: “…It’s very often a matter of justice…what is due to the other…the Bible teaches us to be very attentive to justice.” One often hears the statement: “The Church was too focused on sexual…
Mary Ellen Doyle Originally from the ‘sunny’ south east of Ireland, I have been training and working since 2015 in the field of mediation, organisational conflict management and conflict transformation. I employ a variety of methodologies and experiences to work with individuals to help them identify the root causes of their conflicts, thus, helping them…