The Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) has distanced itself from suggestions that it supports a programme aimed at 11 and 12 year olds which endorses the view that children can change sex. A pilot programme entitled ‘Altogether Now!’, currently being tested in some primary schools, describes itself as “supported by” an advisory group whose members…
This year’s ‘Good Pagan’ movie aims to unite believers and non-believers, writes Greg Daly “Nobody knows anything,” proclaims legendary Hollywood screenwriter Bill Goldman time and again in his 1983 classic Adventures in the Screen Trade. “Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out it’s…
The rights of religious organisations working in the areas of marriage, education and health are under threat because of “equality legislation that does not recognise the right to protect religious ethos”, Bishop Kevin Doran has said. The Bishop of Elphin made the remark in a talk called ‘How should a Catholic think about politics?’ that…
Fr Ted co-writer Graham Linehan, has defended his “gothic horror” style video which calls for the abolition of Ireland’s constitutional protection for the unborn. The video, called ‘Chains’, which was released in October 2015, has been strongly criticised in numerous quarters. Former Taoiseach John Bruton described the video as “totally anti-Christian” and Sunday Independent columnist…
The presence of an “ad hoc Door of Mercy” was a huge surprise to the thousands who visited the Divine Mercy Conference in the RDS, Dublin last weekend. Praising Archbishop Diarmuid Martin’s decision to allow the conference a temporary holy door, Don Devaney told The Irish Catholic “the Holy Door had a continuous queue, with…
Tackling homelessness must be a priority in Ireland’s new programme for government, leading campaigners have warned. The calls come after 134 families became homeless last month, bringing Ireland’s total number of homeless families to 769. Previously, the highest monthly total for newly homeless families had been 84 in August last year. The comparable figure for…
When the Church of England twitter account reacted to news that Richard Dawkins had had a mild stroke by tweeting “Prayers for Prof Dawkins and his family”, the tweet’s author didn’t expect the ensuing storm of protest, along with cheers from those who thought it a hilarious thing for them to have done. Anxious to…
The Mercy Sisters have rejected suggestions that they sought to block the provision of modular homes for homeless people. In The Irish Times in a February 15 article headed ‘Nuns lodge objection to modular housing’ it was reported that the Mercy Sisters were among those who had “lodged objections to the planned provision of 135…
Youth workers for the Dublin archdiocese took a novel approach to evangelisation kick-starting Lent this year. The diocese’s youth evangelisation team took to the streets outside the newly opened St Paul’s church on Arran Quay inviting people in to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. The team promoted the event using the hashtag #AshtagWednesday on social…
Dublin city centre parishes have vowed that Easter Sunday Masses will go ahead after severe security measures in place for the 1916 centenary parade forced their Protestant counterparts to take the unprecedented step of cancelling Easter services. A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Dublin told The Irish Catholic that “Mass will be celebrated in the…