Fr Donal Dorr Pope Francis, in his encyclical letter on the environment, Laudato Si’, makes a passionate appeal to us to protect the fragile Earth and the poorest of people. He warns us that our call to be protectors of God’s creation “is not an optional or a secondary aspect of Christian faith”. He says…
“We should not forget the quiet but vibrant faith which still remains”, writes Andrew O’Connell Three simple stories taught me something of the mission of people of faith in Ireland today. Firstly, I was walking past a church in Dublin last week and, instinctively, blessed myself. A young woman walking against me noticed and, looking mildly…
When considering your vote, Christians should consider the concept of the ‘common good’, writes Editor Michael Kelly Voters in the Republic go to the polls next week to elect the members who will make up the 32nd Dáil. To this point, it’s been a particularly dull election campaign and many of the party leaders are…
Dr Tom Finegan Catholic social and moral teaching affirms the central importance of marriage for both individual persons and wider society as the bedrock upon which society is built. Catholic social and moral teaching further affirms the duty of governments to protect and promote marriage and family life through law and policy. A general election…
Dear Editor, Election 2016 is probably the most important the country has faced since the foundation of the State. In all previous elections we voted for the party or candidate who we believed would do the best for the country. This time the choice will be to vote for who will do the least damage…
A colleague of mine shares this story: recently, after presiding a Eucharist, a woman from the congregation came up to him with this comment: “What a horrible scripture reading today! If that’s the kind of God we’re worshipping, then I don’t want to go to Heaven!” The reading for that day’s liturgy was taken from…
“the God who calls is the God who loves, who forgives, the God who sees into our hearts and gently but very definitely coaxes us to be the very best person we can be”, writes Fr Martin Delaney Recently I returned to my home parish for the funeral of one of my neighbours, a Kiltegan…
“When someone objects to mandatory celibacy, it is because they imagine it to be a lonely life”, writes Editor, Michael Kelly The Pope’s right-hand man Cardinal Pietro Parolin this week cautioned against knee-jerk reactionary responses to problems facing the Church. Addressing a conference on the issue of priestly celibacy in Rome, the Vatican Secretary of…
“Duh! is one reaction” to sexual activities requiring consent, writes Mary Kenny There have been some mixed reactions to the news that Trinity College Dublin is planning to subject their students to “sexual consent workshops”. The object is to teach those Freshers – mainly men, evidently – that it’s not acceptable to engage in sexual…
The number of schools perceived to be oversubscribed is blown out of proportion, writes Cathal Barry The number of Catholic primary schools that are oversubscribed is drastically lower than has been reported, The Irish Catholic can reveal. Despite a widespread perception that 20% of primary schools are oversubscribed, a survey conducted by this newspaper has…
Michael Kelly
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Mary Kenny
Cathal Barry