When it comes to the Catholic Church, many Irish people need to grow up, writes David Quinn
Category: Opinion
The opportunity for the Church
I'm back in Australia after two months in Europe, including Ireland. I find it difficult to overestimate the rate and depth of change I witnessed and the collapse of a phase of the Church's life that is currently underway. Throughout the world, but particularly in Ireland, the sense of the end of an era that…
Searching for a word filled with reality
The right word makes the Word become flesh, writes Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Truth should not suffer for film drama
Dear Editor, The makers of the recent film Philomena have been careful to point out that it is a drama not a documentary, however, in general drama is far more effective in conveying emotion than documentaries and also is not burdened with the need to remain true to the facts. For example according to The…
There is a biblical tradition of relics
Dear Editor, Margaret Ahearne, (IC 7/11/13) is grossly in error when she states that the use and veneration of the relics of the saints is unbiblical and unchristian. Far from it. There are several biblical references, both in the Old and New Testaments, from which the Catholic Church derives this practice and Christians from antiquity…
Pope Francis is far from a ‘straw man’
Dear Editor, Reading from Michael Higgins’ Letter from America (IC, 14/11/13), it would seem that the religious far right conservatives across the Atlantic are not happy about Pope Francis. They seem to see the Pope as some kind of ‘straw man’ who is not quite the equal of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. In business…
RTÉ coverage of the Philippines was scant
Dear Editor, I was very disappointed in scanty coverage by RTÉ on Philippines disaster; again RTÉ seems out of touch with international news compared to BBC, ITV and SKY News which give extensive coverage. Irish people are indebted to the thousands of Filipino nurses and care workers in our hospitals and health clinics. Of course the…
Defending the review of Philomena
Dear Editor, Fionn O’Grada took issue with my review of the film Philomena (IC 14/11/13) citing the review header ‘The Sins of the Mothers’ as apparent evidence of the fact that I ‘only’ saw sin in the fact that Philomena became pregnant outside marriage and not in the cruel way she and the other young…
The Pope, Medjugorje and messages from heaven
The issue of Medjugorje can be a divisive one within the Church, writes Michael Kelly
The transmission of Revelation
Cathal Barry explains that Church Tradition is preserved by the bishops as successors to the apostles

David Quinn
Michael Kelly
Cathal Barry