The recent rise in abortion figures has been sadly predictable but still shocking. In 1998, Prof. Patricia Casey and I organised a conference called ‘5,000 Too Many’. It brought together pro-choice and pro-life people to address the grave situation of 5,000 women having abortions in Britain, and to reduce those numbers by working together. In…
For forty-five years, the Treaty County wandered a barren wasteland of broken dreams, locked out of hurling’s promised land. Nearly half a century of near misses and heartbreak left many on Shannonside with only memories and misery—a proud tradition cast into the wilderness. But on August 18, 2018, all of that was washed away. As…
With a kind of modest defiance, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, raised, in his right hand, the wood of blackened oak, a cross that was no doubt hidden, many times, under a sleeve or below a floorboard. The penal cross was 300 years old, and, though light as a feather, carried the…
For almost 45 years, pilgrims have come in search of profound spiritual experience and a break from the mundane, writes Michael Kelly The name Medjugorje literally means ‘between mountains’. Mountains hold profound spiritual significance in the Judeo-Christian tradition, serving as sacred spaces where heaven and earth seem to meet, facilitating divine encounters, revelation, and transformation.…
While millions of Catholics around the world kept their eyes glued to the Sistine Chapel for the election of the new Pope, 73-year-old Cardinal Sebastian Francis of Malaysia silently entered the heart of history. Hailed as a national hero, he became the first Malaysian citizen to participate in the sacred assembly that decided the fate…
Since September 2021, we here in Ireland have been on a synodal journey with our brothers and sisters across the globe. Over nearly four years of listening, dialogue and discernment, we have been learning what it means to walk, listen and decide together as Church. One of the biggest challenges has been the complexity of…
Recently, former students of All Hallows gathered to celebrate the college’s Jubilee Day. Traditionally, the Jubilee Day is held on the third week of July, and is when ordained and non-ordained All Hallows past men return to their Alma Mater to celebrate their respective jubilees of ordination. Speaking with The Irish Catholic, former student and…
Is there true Christianity in the Philippines? Philippines is a nation full of kind, generous, resilient and long-suffering people who, for centuries, have been misled by and burdened with the corruption and injustice committed by dynastic families. The Spanish colonisers brought with them a version of ‘Christianity’ that fell far short of what Jesus…
Over 600 young people from across the Irish dioceses travelled to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth (July 28 – August 3), joining over 1 million peers from around the globe for a week filled with prayer, catechesis, reconciliation, and celebration. Pilgrims took part in major events including a Penitential Day at the Circus Maximus,…
Synod, reform, responsibility: Thomas Söding calls for concrete steps by the Church in Germany. What makes 2026 and 2028 decisive for the Church. Thomas Söding believes that the Church in Germany is called upon to continue synodal reform processes and is relying on Pope Leo XIV. The Bochum-based theologian told the church internet portal domradio.de…
Breda O'Brien
Martina Purdy
Michael Kelly
Renata Steffens