The Notebook Fr Bernard Healy “There are hundreds of churches in Rome, why on earth would you want to visit a Mormon temple?” A fair question from a fellow-priest, but the consecration of a Mormon temple on the outskirts of Rome offered a rare opportunity, because once a temple is consecrated, only Mormons in…
Dear Editor, Archbishop Eamon Martin’s appeal that the issue of abuse not be treated as a political football within the Church (IC 21/2/2019) is a powerful and wise call, and one that urgently needs to be heard. Too often over recent decades have advocates of married and women priests treated the abuse crisis as an…
In a way, every time someone is talking about clerical sexual abuse the Church is losing. Few things convulse people with anger and dismay as much as revelations that those charged with leading people to God betray that trust and instead inflict the most appalling harm. Perhaps, the only thing to come close is when…
I was sorry to learn of the death of Limerick’s Nora Bennis on February 11, aged 78. Nora had been a defender of a woman’s right to be a homemaker, founding the Irish Mothers Working at Home Association as well as leading the Solidarity Movement which supported family and Faith values. She stood for election to…
The Government is set to erode the status of marriage even more, writes David Quinn Ireland is set to have another divorce referendum this year. It is to take place on May 24, the same day as the Local and European Elections. You might be surprised that we are to vote on divorce again.…
The View In the aftermath of last May’s referendum, there has been a dearth of pro-life commentators on radio and TV broadcasts to discuss the implementation of the new abortion laws. But ignoring those who represent a third of the voting public is not enough for those in journalistic circles who influence what we…
Accord’s marriage preparation figures may be dropping, but this disguises an increase in its importance, writes Greg Daly 2018 saw a continuing year-on-year drop in numbers of people attending sacramental preparation courses offered by Accord, the Catholic marriage care service, but as usual it’s worth getting behind the headline figures. On the face of things,…
Letter from Rome All eyes and ears will be on the Vatican during an unprecedented gathering February 21-24 to discuss the protection of minors in the Catholic Church. When Pope Francis announced the international meeting in September, it sparked an optimistic note that the global problem of abuse finally would be tackled with a…
US bishops have welcomed the Pope’s decision on the disgraced former cardinal as a sign of real reform writes Christopher White Pope Francis’ historic decision to defrock Cardinal Theodore McCarrick at the weekend (technically, to dismiss him from the clerical state) prompted an immediate wave of responses from US prelates, who lauded the decision…
In 1970, the famed British writer Iris Murdoch wrote a novel entitled A Fairly Honorable Defeat. The story had numerous characters, both good and bad, but ultimately took its title from the travails of one character, Tallis Browne, who represents all that is decent, altruistic and moral among the various characters. Despite being betrayed by…
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
David Quinn
Maria Steen
Greg Daly
Fr Ronald Rolheiser