Theologian’s 1958 warning proved prophetic, says Irish scholar A little-known article written by a young Joseph Ratzinger in 1958 predicted with striking accuracy the collapse of Catholic practice across the Western world including Ireland, according to one of Ireland’s leading theologians. Fr Vincent Twomey SVD, emeritus professor of moral theology at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth,…
When Isabel Vaughan-Spruce stood silently praying near an abortion facility in Birmingham, she did not expect to become a test case for the limits of public expression. Yet a few years on, her case remains ongoing, with a trial expected later this year under the UK’s buffer zone legislation. What began as a single arrest…
The annual March for Life event took place in Dublin on Monday, May 4, attracting thousands to the city centre on the bank holiday. The focus of this year’s event was on Ireland’s rapidly rising abortion numbers and the need for promotion of positive alternatives to abortion. The march started at St Stephen’s Green and…
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! Since the very beginning of my Pontificate, I have thought about a journey in Africa. I thank the Lord for granting me the opportunity to undertake it, as Shepherd, to meet and encourage the people of God; and also to experience it as a message of peace…
Fr Brendan McGuire considers the intersection between ethics and industry Located in sunny Silicon Valley amongst the world’s biggest tech giants and startups looking to make a name for themselves, parish priest and former tech executive Fr Brendan McGuire contemplates the future of AI through a lens of faith. For the Irish native, who graduated…
For much of the past decade, Limerick’s dominance has cast a long shadow over Munster hurling. Six consecutive provincial titles under John Kiely’s reign established a level of dominance rarely seen in the modern game, with the round-robin series producing blockbuster encounters that remarkably more often than not still ended with the same outcome for…
When Bishop Donal was appointed auxiliary bishop in Down and Connor, a brother priest joked: “How the hell did you slip through?” He still laughs at the memory. Bishop Donal, the son of a watchmaker, is conscious that his time as Bishop of Derry is coming to a close. He formally resigned on April 12…
As Pope Leo XIV pushed back against what he has described as an inaccurate narrative surrounding his first trip to Africa, missionaries working across the continent say the journey reflects something far more fundamental than political debate. “There has been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all its aspects,” the Pope told…
Up then father and no more negligence!” This was Catherine of Siena’s plea to Pope Gregory XI in one of many letters, urging him toward courageous reform. April 29 marked the feast day of this remarkable woman, who was born in 1347 and died in 1380 at just 33 years of age. In 1970 she…
He who sings, prays twice,” St Augustine famously said. Following the sound of classical music around Dublin, The Irish Catholic spoke with a South Korean student, Andrew Kim, who lives in Ireland and is bringing music to retired nuns and to parish communities across the country. Mr Kim believes people “need music”. When he was…
Renata Steffens
Martina Purdy