Barry Walsh Striping the right to life from terminally ill children would be a truly shocking development, writes Barry Walsh The use of language matters in any debate, since words have the capacity to cause extreme hurt, particularly when they seek to unfairly marginalise or devalue vulnerable members of society. It is unfortunate then that…

The choice to use force in 1916 must be subjected to severe reappraisal, writes John Bruton The commentator, Greg Daly, concludes an article in last week’s edition of The Irish Catholic, on the 1916 Rebellion in Dublin, with the words: “The Rising may have been immoral and anti-democratic, but to suggest that Ireland would have…

On any list of the biggest religion stories of the 20th Century, the positive revolution in Catholic-Jewish relations that unfolded post-World War II, accelerating after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, would have to finish near the top. Sunday brought a reminder of this, as Pope Francis visited the Great Synagogue of Rome, becoming…

Christian fears have increased with the Jakarta attacks, writes Paul Keenan Despite the shocked tones of media coverage on the morning of January 14, the gun and bomb attack in Jakarta, Indonesia, did not come as a surprise locally. When four jihadist gunmen (since claimed by a jubilant ISIS) unleashed their assault on the city’s…

“perhaps the fact that ordinations are now rarer make them more valued”, contemplates Mary Kenny Two new priests recently ordained in Galway were photographed all smiles after their ordination ceremony on the Feast of the Epiphany. Fr John O’Halloran is 38 and Fr Michael King is 39 and their stories attracted interest because they had…

David Quinn lays out what the Late Late Show should have asked the new Master of Rotunda hospital Professor Fergal Malone, the new Master of the Rotunda hospital in Dublin, has been making a big public impact since his recent appointment. He has been interviewed in several newspapers and on the Late Late Show last…

Religious fundamentalism is sweeping the globe with disastrous consequences for Christians, writes Michael Kelly Systematic religious cleansing is widespread across Africa and the Middle East, according to new figures published this week. The Open Doors 2016 World Watch List reveals that every year well over 100 million Christians are persecuted because of their beliefs. North…

Greg Daly investigates some recent arguments against the Easter Rising “No one is ever told,” Aslan cautions Lucy Pevensey in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books, “what would have happened”. It’s an observation that could fruitfully be borne in mind by those who proclaim that had the 1916 Rising never happened, Ireland would have attained independence anyway,…

Andrea Tornielli For Pope Francis, mercy is a personal encounter with God, writes Andrea Tornielli On March 13, 2015, as I listened to Francis’ homily for the penitential liturgy, at the end of which he was about to announce the Extraordinary Holy Year, I thought: it would be great to ask him some questions specifically…