Dear Editor, In relation to Bishop Kirby’s contribution to the conference ‘Let’s talk Family, let’s be Family (IC 20/07/2017), the State definition of marriage “which cannot be described in terms of traditional Christian doctrine” is at odds with the Christian definition of marriage (“the creator from the beginning made them male and female…is why a…
Category: Opinion
Never was so much decided by so few
Dear Editor, Amongst the several useful points made by Martin Mansergh in his article on how Irish people should decide on the shape of their future society without the influence of foreign funding (IC 20/07/2017), is his comment that a “decisive battle between two very different visions of Irish society is not far off”. He…
Cardinal Schoenborn hit the nail on the head
Dear Editor, At the end of the article ‘Building on Doctrine that speaks to real Human Situations’ (IC 20/07/2017) Cardinal Schoenborn states: “…It’s very often a matter of justice…what is due to the other…the Bible teaches us to be very attentive to justice.” One often hears the statement: “The Church was too focused on sexual…
Redeeming the memory of a loved one
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
One year ago, virtually everyone who knew him was stunned by the suicide death of the most prominent American Hispanic theologian that we have produced up to now, Virgilio Elizondo. Moreover, Virgil wasn’t just a very gifted, pioneering theologian, he was also a beloved priest and a warm trusted friend to countless people. Everyone dies,…
Quizzed for the ‘morning after’ pill… a pharmacist’s job
Mary Kenny
At the suggestion of a doctor, I occasionally have recourse to an over-the-counter medication called ‘Night Nurse’. It is a helpful aid to sleeping when you’re feeling a bit chesty, but it should be used sensibly, even perhaps sparingly, as it contains the opioids of paracetamol, promethazine and dextromethorphan. Thus, whenever I purchase a bottle…
Three essential ‘f’ words for today’s world
‘F’ words are high on my agenda at the moment. With an opening like that I suppose there is a chance you will read further. In recent weeks I have been stopped in my tracks by two heart-breaking personal situations. Firstly, a young couple whose wedding I participated in last year had the joy of…
The parable of the Dublin trams
I’m very fond of my own little parable about the Dublin trams. It’s highly symbolic about social change – and social renewal. In 1949, the last of the Dublin trams were abolished, as all progressive-minded folk affirmed that “the future belongs to the motor car”. A few, lonely protesters tried to save the Dublin trams,…
Roll up, roll up and put the boot into old, Catholic Ireland
David Quinn
Alcohol sales are restricted in Ireland in all sorts of ways. For example, an off-licence cannot sell alcohol before 10.30am from Monday to Saturday, or before 12.30pm on a Sunday, and never after 10pm. Pubs must close after a certain hour. ‘Happy Hour’ – selling alcohol at a reduced price during a certain time of…
We need to go back to our Christian roots
Dear Editor, I read with interest the account of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin’s analysis of the state of the Catholic Church in modern Ireland and his many solutions that would improve the situation (IC 13/07/2017). While many of them have been put forward in the past 40-50 years, very few of them yielded the much longed…
Angels and the City
Several years ago Hollywood made a movie, City of Angels, about an angel named Seth whose job it was to accompany the spirits of the recently deceased to the afterlife. On one such mission, waiting in a hospital, he fell in love with a brilliant young woman surgeon. As an angel, Seth has never experienced…