Dear Editor, In regard to the incident on The Late Late Show two weeks ago where the Eucharist was openly mocked and ridiculed, it’s difficult to know what was the worst aspect of the whole sorry episode. Was it the ignorance, the gratuitous contempt shown, the studied insult to those who actually pay to keep…
Category: Opinion
The peril of moving from a natural state
Dear Editor, Prof. William Reville asserts that defining meaning in our lives is a precursor to happiness, as he concords with author Emily Esfahani Smith in her book, The Power of Meaning (IC, 12/1/2017). Taking this approach is to miss the whole point of happiness, that it is the natural state of a human being.…
The weakness of the Lamb is our source of strength
“Governments and great political movements have tried to take away the sins of the world and have often ended up becoming more corrupt and destructive themselves”, writes Fr Martin Delaney A recent Sunday gospel proclaimed the familiar words: “Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” With those…
A Church up for a challenge
Michael Kelly
“Pope Francis once said that Catholics had to understand the current situation as not so much an era of change, but a change of era”, writes Michael Kelly Irish bishops have been in Rome meeting with Pope Francis and senior Vatican officials as part of the ad limina process. In theory every bishop in the…
Frances Fitzgerald should heed Shakespeare on sexual consent
Mary Kenny
“The law depends on evidence of what is said and what is done: the law cannot deal with the secret signals of the heart and the eyes which may be interpreted in any which way”, writes Mary Kenny Frances Fitzgerald, the Justice Minister, has a huge task before her in bringing legislation before the Oireachtas…
What the North’s child abuse inquiry reveals
David Quinn
The latest revelations deserve greater attention, writes David Quinn Another report of another child abuse inquiry was published last week. This time, the inquiry, the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) Inquiry, chaired by retired judge Sir Anthony Hart, dealt with abuse in institutions in Northern Ireland. These institutions were run by the Catholic Church, by the…
Gunman turned statesman
Martin O'Brien
For some, he has blood on his hands. But, any objective judgement of Martin McGuinness reveals a remarkable man, writes Martin O’Brien Martin McGuinness, genial and ruthless guerrilla leader turned statesman, now fighting serious illness, has been one of the most significant figures in the history of these islands over the past five decades. From…
A Problem Shared…
John L. Allen Jr.
As Trump takes office, he and Francis share a Russia problem As Donald Trump takes office, he enters that vaguely defined set of “major world leaders”. Though we could debate who else belongs, it would include the Prime Minister of Britain, the Chancellor of Germany, the Secretary General of the UN, the President of Russia,…
Mexico at the crossroads
Paul Keenan
The fate of was all too inevitable. Immediately after the priest went missing from his home in the state of Coahuila on January 3, authorities of his Diocese of Saltillo issued appeals for the security forces to do all in finding him and for his captors to release him unharmed. But this is Mexico. Thus,…
Danger of being cut off by Brexit
Dear Editor, Nuala O’Loan and Bishop Donal McKeown’s articles in The Irish Catholic of January 19 make for sobering reading, and should be read and reflected upon by any British – or indeed Irish – supporters of withdrawal from the EU. Ahead of last June’s Brexit referendum, Irish people north and south of the border…