Dear Editor, I found myself in church, quite accidentally, on a Saturday afternoon at a baptism ceremony. It was conducted by an elderly priest, for whom I had great sympathy. Why? The atmosphere in the church was anything but quiet and respectful. There was widespread talking and giggling, children running around through the seats, even…
Dear Editor, With the news that over 700 more refugees have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Irish Government is still doing nothing meaningful to confront the horrors that are taking place before our very eyes, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, together with the superiors of the religious orders, must follow Pope Francis…
Dear Editor, Mags Gargan’s article on wills (IC 19/05/2016) was timely and valuable. However, she missed what is possibly one of the most important points in relation to making a will. Any previous will is revoked by marriage, unless it is specifically made in contemplation of that marriage. So readers who are engaged (or those…
Dear Editor, I note that Social Democrat Ken Curtin is dismayed at the fact that his removal as a reader in Cobh Cathedral is being used as grounds to attack the Church (IC 26/05/2016). I wonder how the media was made aware of this situation and, also, why Mr Curtin was surprised at the action…
Dear Editor, What a strange lapse of judgement to give the front page of your edition of May 26 to such a distasteful report (‘Inappropriate’ behaviour claim robustly dealt with – Maynooth). An anonymous letter to the bishops’ conference alleging a gay culture in our national seminary hardly merits a mention let alone a tabloid-style front…
Dear Editor, Like many readers of The Irish Catholic I was delighted to see the news in last week’s edition (IC 19/05/2016) that a visit to Ireland by Pope Francis is increasingly likely in order to participate in the 2018 World Meeting of Families. I also noted at the weekend that a collection is to…
Dear Editor, Well done to the Pro-Life Campaign for organising the ‘Celebrate the 8th’ event to promote the positive stories of children born thanks to the protection of the constitutional amendment (IC 19/05/2016 Meet ‘Generation 8th’). Unfortunately we have a very biased media in this country, so we only ever hear one side of this…
Dear Editor, President Michael D. Higgins has done it again. In questioning why reform of the direct provision system was missing from discussions on the formation of Government and the Government’s reliance on the private sector to build homes, he has gone beyond the remit of his non-political office. Mr Higgins seems to have forgotten…
Dear Editor, Two items in your May 19 issue highlight a major problem in our parishes – the case of the lay reader in Cork and the couple who wanted to be married in a pretty church. Both smack of individualism and moral relativism (basically an ego crisis in the Church) which Francis, Benedict and…
Dear Editor, I wonder if Laurena O’Donoghue (Letters 12/05/16) is aware of the profound implications for the use of special bread for coelics at Mass? In order to avail of this proposed accommodation one has to refuse the sacred host in the first place as a harmful substance. Is this an oversight which Christ wasn’t…