Dear Editor, It was a great weekend for the Catholic Church as two of our Popes were elevated to the position of sainthood, but I have two questions. One: why is it mostly religious who are honoured in this way, and also why is it necessary at all?  If I manage to get to Heaven…

Dear Editor, Frances Fitzgerald introduced the Children First Bill in the Dáil on Wednesday, April 30. This highlights again the fact that it envisages that there has to be no exceptions to it and that it will be a ‘catch-all’ operation imposed on all organisations in the field of ‘helping’ organisations. A close reading of…

Dear Editor, As historical events to commemorate the slaughter of World War I receive increasing coverage this centenary year, I am prompted to recall Mary Kenny’s article in these pages in February recounting the ministry of Fr Francis Gleeson to men of the Munster Rifles. In that article, she relates the courageous priest’s setting aside…

Dear Editor, I am sure many people are taken aback at the hypocrisy of Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, in inviting Pope Francis to Ireland, after this Government’s disgraceful treatment of relations with the Vatican.  Firstly, we had his tirade based on misquoting Pope Benedict, the reference to a law not even in place and, as pointed out…

Dear Editor, If a Catholic priest/religious stated that they were in favour of redefining marriage between a man or woman, or that, equally preposterous, abortion or women’s ordination were likewise correct they would face canonical sanctions. On April 29 the Stormont Assembly defeated a proposal to redefine marriage, where not one Nationalist (Catholic) politician voted against,…

Dear Editor, Amid all of the recent coverage of the hopes and plans for Pope Francis to respond positively to an invitation to visit Irish shores, David Quinn’s cautionary note ‘Any papal trip must not be exploited by this Government’ (IC 1/5/14) is the message to be heeded. As we watch from afar Pope Francis…