Too many people in Ireland are homeless or at risk of homelessness for politicians to be engaged in political point-scoring on the issue, homeless charities have said. Responding to Environment Minister Alan Kelly’s criticisms of local authorities, who he said needed “to step up to the mark” in order to help tackle Ireland’s homelessness crisis,…
Greg Daly
Campaigners call for balanced debate on assisted suicide
Anti-euthanasia campaigners have called on Ireland’s media to avoid groupthink and follow the example of Britain’s newspapers in facilitating a relatively balanced debate on assisted suicide. Speaking in advance of a September 11 House of Commons debate on an assisted suicide bill being introduced by Labour MP Robert Marris, Hope Ireland director Dr Kevin Fitzpatrick…
A pioneering pilgrimage
The first American diocesan pilgrimage to Knock isn’t short on ambition, Greg Daly is told
An oasis of peace and prayer where people see that they’re not alone in their faith
Knock Shrine is determined to be at the heart of faith renewal, the energetic rector tells Greg Daly
Fostering a faithful future
Knock’s faith formation programme hopes in time to serve the whole Irish Church, Greg Daly reports
Villagers’ visions and national novenas
It was about seven on the evening of August 21, 1879, while it was still bright, that Mary McLoughlin, housekeeper to the parish priest of Knock, was on her way to visit the Byrne family who lived near the village church. Some distance away from the church she spotted an “extraordinary group” of figures by…
Navy chaplain hails Med mission of mercy
The Irish naval service is already learning lessons from the Mediterranean mission of the LÉ Eithne, according to the chaplain to the naval service. Fr Des Campion, who has served as naval chaplain for 26 years and has worked in Kosovo and the Lebanon, told The Irish Catholic that the LÉ Eithne’s mission was the…
Media’s ‘blatant hypocrisy’ on abortion is criticised by PLC
Pro-life campaigners have described as “blatant hypocrisy” calls for an end to Ireland’s constitutional protection of unborn children with life-limiting conditions in the same weeks special Olympians returned home in triumph. Cora Sherlock of the Pro-Life Campaign (PLC) told The Irish Catholic it was hard to fathom that on one hand there are “news reports…
Claims criticising quality of religious education rejected
Experts in religious education have challenged claims that the quality of the subject in Irish schools needs closer scrutiny, pointing out that an article arguing this admits that there is a lack of serious research on the subject. ‘Religion, Education, and Religious Education in Irish Schools’, by UCC professors Áine Hyland and Brian Bocking, recognises…
Govt slashing of social housing spend criticised
Funding for social housing has collapsed under the Fine Gael-Labour Government, according to data received by Fianna Fáil following a parliamentary question to Minister Alan Kelly. The data shows that there has been a 79% fall in funding for local authority housing, a 70% fall in funding for voluntary and housing co-operatives, and a 53%…