Philip Scott has taken the long road to becoming one of Ireland’s top church vocalists, writes Greg Daly
Greg Daly
Warm welcome for promised reform
Canon lawyers have welcomed sweeping changes to the process by which the Church grants marriage annulments, following Pope Francis’ issuing of reforms this week. The changes will streamline the process and mean that the need for all cases to be reviewed automatically has been scrapped, meaning judgments should take no longer than a year. Bishops…
Irish activists to oppose British euthanasia law
Irish anti-euthanasia campaigners will be joining with disability rights organisations in a protest outside Britain’s Houses of Parliament to coincide with a parliamentary debate on assisted suicide. Dr Kevin Fitzpatrick, director of Hope Ireland, told The Irish Catholic he would be joining ‘Not Dead Yet UK’, tomorrow [Friday] “together with many other organisations promoting the…
Taoiseach is called on to take leadership on homeless crisis
A multi-agency task force headed by the Taoiseach or Tánaiste is needed to tackle Ireland’s homelessness crisis, a leading charity has said. “The Taoiseach says there needs to be more joined up thinking, but I think his comments were more to do with local authorities, homeless agencies, etc,” Francis Doherty, Communications and Advocacy Manager of…
Safeguarding reports reveal real progress
Definite progress is clear in the safeguarding of children in Ireland’s Church, according to the head of the national safeguarding board. Speaking in connection with the publication of 43 reports of orders whose safeguarding procedures have been audited by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCCI), Teresa Devlin, NBSCCCI CEO said…
Invitation not Indoctrination
Children like religious education because it allows them space to be themselves, Greg Daly is told
Hopes are raised Pope’s jubilee message will raise the profile of confession
A decree by Pope Francis that all priests will be able to absolve those who seek forgiveness after having procured abortions has been welcomed by one of the leaders of the Association of Catholic Priests. Declaring that “it’s a simple fact that confession is a forgotten sacrament nowadays”, Fr Gerry Alwill, parish priest of Inishmagrath,…
Latest abuse reports are expected to reveal further progress
The Church’s child protection watchdog will release the latest round of audits on how Church bodies are implementing robust procedures next week The Irish Catholic has learned. The eighth tranche of national safeguarding reports is expected to be released next Wednesday. The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI) is…
Research rejects idea RE is indoctrination
Persistent claims that religious education is tantamount to indoctrination have been rejected as groundless by experts. Mary Immaculate College’s Dr Daniel O’Connell, one of the authors of the new ‘Grow in Love’ primary school course, says “children like religion because you can ask life’s big questions”, dismissing the idea that religious education is simply a…
The Problems of Patronage
Diversity of patronage could make for a more divided school system, Joanna Tuffy warns Greg Daly.