Dear Editor, Can I congratulate you on the clear-eyed way The Irish Catholic has analysed the papal visit and World Meeting of Families in recent weeks? Pieces asking searching questions about the Pope’s speeches, his apparent ignorance of the reality of modern Ireland and most recently the low turnout in Phoenix Park for the closing…

Dear Editor, The article by Fr Martin Delaney ‘Is it really unacceptable to label suicide as ‘wrong’?’  (IC 27/9/2018) is both sensitive and honest. It reveals the pain and bewilderment of individuals, families, the community and the local priest, in the aftermath of three suicides. It raises a really important question on whether it is…

Dear Editor, If ever there was a case of a picture being worth a thousand words, the map accompanying your analysis of changes in Clogher Diocese (‘Mission-focused parishes: a vision for the laity’ IC 20/9/2018) was it. Just 52 men in diocesan formation for formation across Ireland, and that’s including those men doing a propaedeutic…

Dear Editor, In response to Colm Fitzpatrick’s article ‘National seminary sees lowest student intake ever’ (IC 13/9/2018), I would argue that while the figures may indeed be low there is much to be positive about. While smaller numbers are cause for consideration and deliberation, so too were the vast numbers who entered the seminaries of…

Dear Editor, A leaked Irish cabinet document has revealed that the Government expects the number of Irish abortions to rise similar to other countries, after abortion legalisation. In the UK, the number of abortions increased by over 600% in the first five years after the passage of the 1967 Abortion Act. One in five UK…

Dear Editor, In his address to the Holy Father on the occasion of the Pope’s recent visit to Ireland, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar delivered a master-class in state diplomacy and political expediency. However, while acknowledging the validity of some of Mr Varadkar’s statements, the overriding tenor of his speech was anything but edifying; more a master-class…

Dear Editor, I’m sure most people by now have heard about the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report which details the widespread sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The content of the document is horrific and shows just how deep the Church is entrenched in this crisis. This wasn’t the action of fringe or isolated clerics, but…

Dear Editor, Breda O’Brien and Greg Daly’s articles on Pope Francis’ ruling that henceforth Catholics should regard the death penalty as ‘inadmissible’ (IC 9/8/2018) show just how natural a development this is in Catholic teaching, and show too how absurd it is that a handful of vociferous Catholics are complaining about this. Absurd? What other…

Dear Editor, Greg Daly’s analysis piece, (IC 26/07/18) on the proposed referendum to remove the Constitution’s provision on blasphemy, and the associated Defamation Act 2009, was a timely reminder that it works, is important, and is a model for other countries. The purpose of the Constitution is to outline the standards we aspire to live…

Dear Editor, I’ve been very interested in the extensive coverage of the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of Humanae Vitae reiterating the Church’s ban on artificial methods of birth control. At the same time, I see that the US-based organisation that styles itself ‘Catholic for Conscience’ carried out a survey in Ireland which found that…