‘We’ve been treated like monsters’ The Religious Sisters of Charity, who agreed to hand over their hospital and the site of the new national maternity hospital, are fearful of the media and feel bewildered that they have been so badly portrayed in the public eye since deciding to transfer ownership of St Vincent’s Hospital in…
Sisters deserve gratitude, not the constant ridicule
Editor’s Comment At lunchtime on Tuesday a lengthy 1,019-word statement from the Department for Health landed in my email inbox. It hailed May 17 as a “significant day for women’s health” in Ireland and announced that the Government that morning approved “the legal framework that will underpin the ownership and governance arrangements for the new…
Irish bishops in talks with LGBT Catholics
Exclusive A number of Irish bishops have engaged in a listening process with gay and lesbian Catholics as part of the synodal process, The Irish Catholic can reveal. It follows commitments from the organisers of the Irish synod – which aims to hear from diverse voices about the future direction of the Church – that what they…
When it comes to Catholic schools, the Alliance Party is far from moderate
At a superficial level, the main takeaways from the assembly elections are: that a nationalist is now in-line to be the First Minister in a polity created to ensure a permanent unionist government; the SDLP received a terrible drubbing and that party is now on life support; the main winner is the ‘centre ground’ as…
The lesson for Ireland from US pro-lifers
If a leaked document from the US Supreme Court this week can be taken at face value, the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion legal in all 50 states will soon be overturned. A draft document obtained by the news website Politico suggests the top US court is in favour of overturning Roe v Wade.…
Pope to Irish Catholics: don’t get stuck in the past
Michael Kelly in Rome As the Church in Ireland continues the process of bishops, priests and laypeople working together to chart the future, Pope Francis has pleaded for Irish Catholics not to cling to past ways of doing things. He was speaking in unscripted remarks after receiving a group of Irish people involved in Catholic…
Papal nod for Mary Immaculate education project
Plea for Catholic schools to foster peace Michael Kelly in Rome Pope Francis has urged Catholic schools in Ireland to form students to work for mutual coexistence and peace in a fractured world. The Pontiff took time out of his busy Easter Week schedule to meet with representatives from the Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education…
Why do you seek the living among the dead?
The very mixed emotions experienced by priests in pastoral ministry as they deal with the ups and downs of their parishioners often leads to a wry, even black humour. Behind it often lies a deeper message. I remember a priest saying to me once of another cleric: “oh, he doesn’t suffer from depression – but…
Easter season is about looking forward with hope
For the believer, Holy Week and Easter are the culmination of the Faith when we mark the saving death and lifegiving resurrection of the Saviour. Even if some people sometimes relegate Easter to a mere festival of over-indulgence in chocolate eggs, the glory of this festival transformed our world. The Carpenter of Nazareth revealed in…
Irish parishes raise €3.25m for Ukraine
Catholic parishes across Ireland have so far raised more than €3.25m for vital relief effort for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion. Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, Church leaders in Ireland asked for a special collection in parishes across the island. This mainly took place over the weekend of March 26-27, as…
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