Dear Editor, The death of the actor Robin Williams is a terrible tragedy – its impact made all the more severe by his popularity, talent and charismatic character. For people in the clutches of something like a mental illness as powerful as depression it is very hard to find or even fight their way out…

Dear Editor, I once attended a humanist funeral which was mainly about memories of the deceased person. Today Catholic funerals are largely similar, apart from the formal liturgical content. The homily, which is primarily meant to explain the scripture readings, is instead a combination of a eulogy and canonisation decree. Spiritual input generally presumes a…

Dear Editor, I think it is probably important that we mark the death of Canon Mark Diamond, who died on the feast day of Saint Muredach. At a time in the history of Christianity in Ireland which currently seems to be punctuated by a corrosive secular view of the dignity of mankind, he at alltimes…

Dear Editor, A recent article by Mary Kenny (IC August 14) discusses the just war theory of Thomas Aquinas and implores the prudence of our leaders about when to put it into practice. In such matters why don’t we refer such questions directly to Jesus himself? In one of the most solemn moments of his life before…

Dear Editor, Over the past number of years the Christian communities in many countries such as Nigeria, Iraq, Bangladesh and others have been enduring severe persecution. The terrible plight of the Christian community of the town of Quaraquosh in Iraq at present is but the latest example of that persecution. It is estimated that 50,000…