Dear Editor, There is much public discussion about the place and role of Catholic schools in Ireland today; a great deal of which is anecdotal and without much evidence. To this end, researchers with the Theology and Religious Studies Department of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick are currently undertaking a study to gather data that will…
Dear Editor, Dublin City councillors, and some TDs – whose housing failure, for years, gave us our housing crisis – now want to re-zone Church land to prevent it being used to build houses and to impoverish the Church, its services, parishes, clergy and people. Some propose seizing such assets, Henry VIII style, built by…
Dear Editor, In The Irish Catholic edition of March 17, I agree with Sean Ryan’s letter stating that prayers are needed for Vladimir Putin and Russia. We only have to recall the message given to the three children of Fatima by Our Blessed Lady in 1917 and showing them the consequence of serious sin in…
Dear Editor, Your forthright editorial [The Irish Catholic – March 10, 2022] concerning what amounts to nothing less than a scandalous denigration of Catholic education, spoke for many. That those politicians that once came from a Catholic understanding now show their true colours are shameful. The SDLP, in particular, is showing how much there is now a deeply…
Dear Editor, Leaflets headed ‘A Prayer for Ukraine’ are being distributed around our churches, but I think they are misleading. The Catholic Church is a universal Church, so surely we should be praying for both Ukraine and Russia. God has no favourites. He loves us all and we should be following his example. In a…
Dear Editor, A few weeks ago, the bishops’ conference recommended the continuation of a number of protective measures to ensure the safety and well-being of the vulnerable or anxious members of the congregation. This included the suspension of a handshake as the sign of peace. At a recent meeting in my diocese, it was discussed that…
Dear Editor, It was good to read Michael Kelly’s article [The Irish Catholic – February 17, 2022] on the Women’s Council of Ireland and his pointing out that it is a long time since the Women’s Council – which claims a fortune of taxpayer’s money to lobby on behalf of women – has even pretended…
Dear Editor, In a thoroughly referenced article in Homiletic and Pastoral Review (July 2, 2020), Fr Regis Scanlon OFM Cap. claimed that Vatican II did not reverse Pius IX’s teachings on religious liberty, that the change in the Church’s teaching on religious liberty between Plus IX and Vatican II constitutes a “development of doctrine” and not…
Dear Editor, On the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul, 1959, Bishop Donal Lamont delivered a pastoral letter ‘Purchased People’ to the Catholics of Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe.) It is a wonderfully clear, courageous and concise work and deals with many different issues. Relevant to our Western society today, is his analysis of the roles of…
Dear Editor, I couldn’t agree with Mary Kenny more that there is a case for teaching more about faith traditions which are relevant to current political conflicts [The Irish Catholic – January 20, 2022]. But let’s start with Ukraine. The dominant religion in Ukraine, east or west, is Orthodoxy. This is divided between those under the jurisdiction…