Despite an increase in Islamist attacks and the threat of martyrdom, the Faith is growing in West Africa writes Michael Kelly Most of us would probably struggle to point out Burkina Faso on a map, much less say anything coherent about the political situation in the landlocked west African nation. Pope Francis used the occasion…
It isn’t area I would normally consider engaging in because I am not a geologist. I take on faith the determinations of science that the Earth is a certain age. I take on faith that radiometric dating or other such methods give reasonable estimates of the earth’s age. I have no reason to doubt that…
In the aftermath of the Ryan Tubridy saga which engulfed RTÉ in a sea of negative publicity for much of last year I resisted the temptation to follow so many other citizens who stopped paying their licence fee. However, I’m beginning to reconsider for the simple reason that I’m fed up with the constant anti-Catholic…
The announcement last week that Amnesty International Ireland is planning to lay off the majority of its staff due to encountering a severe financial crisis is sad news for the individuals concerned. Amnesty International is a celebrated international organisation that built its reputation on being a defender of human rights, supporting and advocating for the…
Letter of the week A commitment to justice and human dignity Dear Editor, The recent report from the Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) highlights a deeply concerning rise in anti-Christian violence across the continent [The Irish Catholic – August 29, 2024]. This increase in hate crimes, particularly against…
Ireland is partitioned politically – but there are also cultural divisions north and south. And one of the significant national achievements of journalist and feminist campaigner, Nell McCafferty, who died recently, aged 80, was that she was equally recognised, and equally relatable, north and south. The Derrywoman’s reputation went across 32 counties. Many accolades have…
In many parts of the country there is a shortage of GPs. Therefore, it is not just the priesthood that is suffering from a shortage of vocations. Figures last week from the Irish Medical Council showed the scale of the problem. The worst hit county is Meath, which has only 54 doctors per 100,000 people.…
An air of mystery shrouds elements of the Archbishop of Dublin’s ambitious new ‘twin pillar’ strategy for the archdiocese which centres on St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral and St Andrew’s Westland Row – soon to be made a cathedral and minor basilica respectively. Archbishop Dermot Farrell pegged the two churches as being well placed to be developed…
There is a phrase that seems to send a ripple of fear through many Mass-goers these days. And it’s nothing to do with eternal punishment! Though Catholics of course should fear hell, it’s rarely mentioned. No, what appears to frighten the congregation these days is when a bishop or priest declares, after the consecration: “You…
The news that Isabel Vaughan-Spruce has received compensation in the form of a £13,000 payout and an apology from the UK police after she contested her arrests for silently praying in the vicinity of an abortion clinic as a breach of her human rights should be greeted with a degree of caution here in Ireland.…
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
David Quinn
Chai Brady
Martina Purdy