Fr Liam Power Fr Liam Power addresses some criticism of the Church’s pre-marriage course A charge that is sometimes – unfairly – made against Accord, the Catholic marriage care service, is that the pre-marriage preparation course is too ‘horizontal’ and therefore, by implication, not ‘vertical’ enough. As Priest-Director of Accord in the Waterford Centre serving…

Eilis Humphreys Faith schools empower students with an understanding of the spiritual dimension of life, writes Eilis Humphreys We are living in a world that is changing too fast to be easily understood and that poses a challenge to everybody in the coming years not least those involved in our schools. There has been much…

Barry Walsh Striping the right to life from terminally ill children would be a truly shocking development, writes Barry Walsh The use of language matters in any debate, since words have the capacity to cause extreme hurt, particularly when they seek to unfairly marginalise or devalue vulnerable members of society. It is unfortunate then that…

The choice to use force in 1916 must be subjected to severe reappraisal, writes John Bruton The commentator, Greg Daly, concludes an article in last week’s edition of The Irish Catholic, on the 1916 Rebellion in Dublin, with the words: “The Rising may have been immoral and anti-democratic, but to suggest that Ireland would have…

On any list of the biggest religion stories of the 20th Century, the positive revolution in Catholic-Jewish relations that unfolded post-World War II, accelerating after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, would have to finish near the top. Sunday brought a reminder of this, as Pope Francis visited the Great Synagogue of Rome, becoming…

Christian fears have increased with the Jakarta attacks, writes Paul Keenan Despite the shocked tones of media coverage on the morning of January 14, the gun and bomb attack in Jakarta, Indonesia, did not come as a surprise locally. When four jihadist gunmen (since claimed by a jubilant ISIS) unleashed their assault on the city’s…

It seems that Pope Francis wants to show the world that in within the modern Church, ‘mercy trumps rules’, writes Editor Michael Kelly All eyes are on Pope Francis to see what response he will make to the Synod of Bishops process that has been addressing controversial challenges facing the family. Since his election, Francis…

“perhaps the fact that ordinations are now rarer make them more valued”, contemplates Mary Kenny Two new priests recently ordained in Galway were photographed all smiles after their ordination ceremony on the Feast of the Epiphany. Fr John O’Halloran is 38 and Fr Michael King is 39 and their stories attracted interest because they had…

David Quinn lays out what the Late Late Show should have asked the new Master of Rotunda hospital Professor Fergal Malone, the new Master of the Rotunda hospital in Dublin, has been making a big public impact since his recent appointment. He has been interviewed in several newspapers and on the Late Late Show last…