Michael Kelly is an award-winning writer and broadcaster specialising in religious and social affairs. Born and raised in Northern Ireland, he attended the Pontifical University St Patrick’s College, Maynooth where he obtained degrees in philosophy and theology and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome where he studied social institutional communications. From 2002-2005 he was an Editor in the Central Information Service of Vatican Radio. In this role, he travelled with Pope St John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI on overseas trips. In 2005, he returned to Dublin to take up the position of Deputy Editor with The Irish Catholic newspaper, succeeding as Editor in 2012. He is a regular contributor to programmes on RTÉ, BBC, UTV, CNN and Al Jazeera. He also have extensive experience offering media training and coaching in the voluntary sector. Mr Kelly is a weekly columnist with Ireland’s largest-selling secular newspaper the Irish Independent and has been published in The Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, The Irish News, The Guardian, Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic World Report, the National Catholic Reporter and the National Catholic Register. He writes from Ireland for Catholic News Service of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Micheal finished his stint as Editor of The Irish Catholic in January 2024 and has taken up the position of Director of Public Affairs for Aid to the Church in Need Ireland.
Editor’s Comment “And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem,” proclaims the psalmist. And it is from Jerusalem that I write this reflection as part of The Irish Catholic Christian Solidarity Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I am leading the first post-coronavirus group of Irish pilgrims walking in the footsteps of Jesus.…
Female Government TDs cut a pathetic figure at the weekend lining up to express their sadness at not being invited to the latest come-all-ye. You see, the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) – a group funded by successive governments from taxpayers’ money to lobby said governments – is organising a campaign to ensure that…
The Vatican’s reform of structures in the Church in Ireland took another step forward today (Friday) with news that Bishop of Clonfert Michael Duignan is to take over the running of the neighbouring Diocese of Galway. It is the first move in reforms that are expected to see a dramatic reduction in the number of…
There is much talk about the rising cost of living on both sides of the border. There is a broad consensus from politicians that something must be done. Invariably, the same politicians are divided on what should be done. What was it that Chesterton said about reformers: the reformer is always right about what’s wrong.…
The View It was revealed on Monday that the Director of Public Prosecutions will not be pressing ahead with charges against those responsible for the care of ‘Grace’. The disabled woman known as Grace – not her real name – was placed in a foster home for 20 years in the south-east, even though there…
Many people are now returning to the workplace as Covid-19 restrictions lift further – journalists like me have been in the office throughout – and many people are wondering what overall effect the pandemic will have on the world of work. Certainly, for some, a form of ‘blended work’ seems to be part of the…
Doug Beattie the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has launched a scathing attack on Catholic schools in the North, accusing them of educational apartheid. Mr Beattie leads what is often characterised as the ‘moderate’ unionist party in the region, in contrast to the traditionally more hard-line Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). It shouldn’t be…
A law firm’s report on how abuse cases were handled in the German Archdiocese of Munich and Freising has criticised retired Pope Benedict XVI, with lawyers accusing him of mishandling four cases during his tenure as Munich archbishop. Lawyer Martin Pusch of the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl said the retired Pope had denied wrongdoing…
The northern Executive has set March 11 as the date for a public apology to former residents in institutions in the region who suffered abuse. Today’s announcement marks the fifth anniversary of the publication of the Hart Report, which made a number of recommendations, including a public apology. The inquiry examined the period 1922-1995, and…
“Respect and reverence for the dead is the mark of a great people,” a priest of my childhood acquaintance – long since gone to God – often remarked. I never really understood what it meant as a child, and looking back death was very present and open in the community where I grew up in…