Dear Editor, The Eighth Amendment is Ireland’s life equality provision which protects the lives of mothers and babies in pregnancy. The Catholic Nurses Guild of Ireland resolved unanimously at its Annual General Meeting in May to support the retention of the Eighth Amendment. The Ethical Guidelines of the Catholic Nurses Guild of Ireland (8) states:…
Dear Editor, What an excellent article in the May 26 issue by Kieron Wood about the difficulties in finding times for Mass in Dublin parishes. I couldn’t agree more and since I moved to Co. Tyrone I experience similar problems in parishes up here. Parishes are happy to put details in their bulletins only and…
Dear Editor, As the Eighth Amendment is now up for general discussion I should like to contribute my ‘two cents’ by way of a quotation from the book, Maurice Baring Restored, by Paul Horgan, published by Heinemann. This is the quotation: “One doctor to another, ‘about the termination of pregnancy – I want your opinion. The…
Dear Editor, Now that First Holy Communion and Confirmation have been administered to our young people, perhaps it’s time to take stock of the current situation. Many of the parents, and those who committed themselves to follow Christ in the Catholic tradition, will not be found in church at Mass the following Sunday but at…
Dear Editor, Colm O’Gorman, the executive director of Amnesty International in Ireland, was present in a Catholic national school in the Archdiocese of Dublin, to present the students with the “first ever Amnesty Friendship trophy for the huge generosity and effort” put into the school’s Friendship Week’s fundraising. It is reported on the school’s website…
Dear Editor, These days our bishops and educationists are again circling the wagons against the encroachment of ‘faith-neutral’ models of religious education in Catholic schools. So, for example, we hear Dr Eugene Duffy of St Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, insisting that: “Parents, if they’re sending their children to a faith-based school, will have a genuine…
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…