Doctors must drive debates around assisted suicide, and should not allow politicians and lobby groups to dominate the discussions, a conference of doctors has heard. Speaking at the fifth conference of the Irish Catholic Doctors Learning Network, Dr Chris Garrett said terms like “death with dignity” have been hijacked by advocates of euthanasia and physician-assisted…
Ethos cannot be allowed to interfere with the teaching of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools, Education Minister Joe McHugh has said. Speaking during a debate about a report on RSE published by the Oireachtas Education Committee, he said even now, “schools are obliged to teach all elements of the [RSE] curriculum”. Minister McHugh…
A top Vatican cardinal has accused Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of excessive negativity and in focusing too much on the Church’s failures. Speaking at the Autumn conference of the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland (AMRI) in Dublin, Cardinal Peter Turkson, who heads the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral…
Claire Fitzpatrick The Poor Clares in Galway have received a great confidence boost after releasing a devotional song on Youtube viewed by almost 15,000 people so far. ‘Calm the Soul’, based on a poem published by the Sisters in 2012, was composed to raise the spirits of those struggling under pressures of everyday life –…
Greg Daly and Chai Brady Priests in border parishes have said that anxiety is growing as the countdown to Brexit continues and the British government appear without any credible plan to stop chaos at the border. It comes amidst claims that the British are proposing a so-called buffer zone with checks on both sides…
Christian Churches, pro-life groups and politicians in Westminster have implored that Stormont be restored as legislation legalising abortion is set to come into effect by October 22. Over the last few days pressure has mounted on politicians in Northern Ireland to settle differences and block Westminster from “imposing” laws. Protection Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin…
A well-known journalist who has written a new book about Lourdes with her husband has spoken of the miraculous feeling of “peace and calm” after her son passed away. On RTÉ 1’s Sunday with Miriam, Una O’Hagan described the “enormous sense of peace and calm” she felt after her son Seán died from cancer in…
The persecution of Catholics in mainland China is increasing after prominent Catholic figures in Hong Kong continue to speak out against the communist regime, according to reports. The reports from Bitter Winter, a magazine covering religious liberty and human rights in China, come alongside allegations that the Chinese government has ignored requests to tolerate Catholic…
Less than two weeks before the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon is scheduled to begin at the Vatican, the Brazilian bishops’ Indigenous Missionary Council reported that the number of indigenous land invasions and indigenous murdered in Brazil in 2018 soared. The report, released last week, said the number of indigenous people murdered grew by…
The Church needs to pump serious resources into parish Faith formation if children are to be brought up in an age where schools play a less direct role in sacramental preparation, a leading catechist has urged. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Maeve Mahon of the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin warned, however, that Church-owned schools…
Greg Daly
Chai Brady