A huge inquiry into child abuse at the hands of various institutions, both Church and secular, has been underway in Australia for some time now. It is taking place under the auspices of a body called the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Despite the fact that it is investigating a range…
Category: Opinion
When what isn’t said is more important than what is
David Mullins Dr Rhona Mahony is Master of Dublin’s National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street. She is a vocal critic of the Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution which protects the right to life of unborn children. She has spoken frequently about how the amendment affects her work and the work of other medics dealing…
Where have all the Catholic men gone?
Dear Editor, I fully agree with the points that John Rogers makes (Letters IC 24/08/2017) about the priestly ordination of men. But where are they? The men I mean. Women outnumber men in any Church ceremony or occasion by at least seven to one. Girls so outnumber boys in any youth gathering that one would almost believe…
Catholic education is still the gold standard
Considering how important a subject education is, it’s interesting to observe that relatively little national attention was paid to The Sunday Times list of top 100 Irish schools, just published. Could this be because it is glaringly evident that Catholic schools continually emerge as the gold standard in educational attainment? Take the Salerno Jesus and…
Persecution of the Faith comes in many forms
We often like to flatter ourselves that if we lived under conditions of persecution for our faith we would have the resilience and courage to risk persecution in order to stand by what we believe. I wonder if this is true though? In much of the world, Christians are savagely persecuted for their faith, and…
Jewish people ‘hide religion in Ireland’
Young Jewish people don’t want to draw attention to their creed due to anti-Israel sentiment in Ireland, according to a Jewish representative body. Irish Jewish people are conscious of being overt about their Judaism as they “do not want to attract the generally obsessive nature of anti-Israel demonisation which goes on in Ireland”, according to…
Abortion referendum not ‘marginal’ to Pope’s visit
Dear Editor, Pro–life people in the Republic of Ireland are very worried about remarks made by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in a TV interview on the Feast of the Apparitions at Knock, on August 21. They were made in an interview on the Six One News on RTÉ with Teresa Mannion. In reply to a question,…
Breaking seal of Confession is impossible
Dear Editor, Greg Daly is to be commended for his analysis as “unsustainable and probably unconstitutional”, the recommendations of the Australian Royal Commission to compel priests to break the seal of Confession where child sexual abuse is disclosed (IC 17/08/2017). His interview with Teresa Devlin, CEO of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the…
Definition of progressive
Dear Editor, Someone who opposes abortion and holds to the traditional definition of marriage is immediately branded a ‘social conservative’. Why? If these values ensure the progress of human society into a safe and healthy future, surely that person merits the descriptive noun, ‘progressive’, i.e. ‘forward looking’? Yours etc., Judith Leonard, Raheny, Dublin 6.
Prayers needed to save the Eighth Amendment
Dear Editor, An urgent plea to all, your prayers (especially the Rosary) are asked that we may continue to protect the unborn and that Ireland remains abortion free. There are many people in this country who wish to change the law concerning the Eighth Amendment, which would allow abortion to be carried out in Ireland…

David Quinn


Mary Kenny

Chai Brady