Category: Opinion

Justice demands that Catholic priests be paid centrally

Dear Editor, Your coverage of clerical remuneration (IC 18/07/2016) was of great interest to many of your readers. What trade union would accept a situation where members with equal experience and qualifications were on 26 different pay scales? Indeed from any cursory reading of the New Testament it is clear that Jesus treated all his…

Faith and values under attack by Islamic State

Dear Editor, As awful the act that claimed the life of the martyr Fr Jacques Hamel in France must be the recognition that Christian persecution has finally been visited (returned) to Europe in the most savage of fashions. That which our Christian brothers and sisters have endured in Iraq, Syria, and Nigeria among other nations…

A headline worth a thousand words

Dear Editor, How apt to see the photo of An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, under the heading of ‘Disconnected Catholics may experience God’s reality at Knock’ (IC 21/07/2016). After all, while claiming to be a practicing Catholic he had the abortion bill passed in the Dail. Now by what stretch of the imagination can anyone claim…

The reality of modern martyrdom

Dear Editor, The brutal murder of Fr Jacques Hamel while celebrating Mass in northern France is one Catholics must reflect on with care. In your report on the murder’s repercussions among French Catholics (‘French Catholics in fear after Islamists kill priest at Mass’ IC 28/07/2016), you quote Fr Aidan Troy as saying that “attacking a…

Recognising our common humanity

Dear Editor, Last Thursday, I happened to hear Ray D’Arcy interview Sinead McBreen on his afternoon radio show on Radio One.  While it was a pleasant surprise to hear Ray giving voice to the pro-life side of the abortion debate, I was disappointed at how the discussion played out. By the end of the interview…