Govt must examine State’s role in abuse at schools ‘in interest of justice’
The Government must expand any further inquiries into abuse at schools to include the Department of Education and the education system as a whole to achieve “justice for all” religious have warned. The call comes as a scoping inquiry into historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders moves forward, led… […]
Cardinal Fernandez and his creepy ‘Kamasutra’ book
Patricia Casey The sexual abuse of children by priests has been a huge stain on the life of the Catholic Church, particularly in Ireland, the United States and parts of Europe. It has damaged the wellbeing of its victims, leading some to take their own lives. It has ruined the reputation of Catholicism in… […]
To love and to cherish: Bringing mercy into marriage
Bill Dodds On their wedding day, a bride and groom may have stars in their eyes, but they have rocks in their heads if they think their partner isn’t going to: Drive them nuts. Sometimes. Take them for granted. On occasion. Do something that truly hurts them. Once in a while. Husband does it… […]
Support Irish communities as well as refugees – Archbishop
“As followers of Christ, we are called to speak up for the rights and dignity of asylum seekers and refugees … they are not to be targeted or penalised, abused or frightened,” the Archbishop of Dublin has said. “In the last two years, this country and others have welcomed, vast numbers of people fleeing the cynical war… […]
Barrister: Religious groups may bear brunt of hate speech bill
Barrister Grace Sullivan has warned that the Government’s proposed hate speech bill could leave religious groups and pro-life advocates open to accusations of hate speech. Ms Sullivan suggested that many won’t fully grasp the far-reaching implications of the bill until it is passed into legislation and enforced in society. Speaking with The Sunday Independent, Ms… […]
Church’s surrogacy teaching rooted in rights of the child
The Church’s view of life as a gift informs its view of the practice of surrogacy, writes Maria Wiering “The gift of life which God the Creator and Father has entrusted to man calls him to appreciate the inestimable value of what he has been given and to take responsibility for it.” So begins the… […]
Government is weaponising ‘misinformation’
We have a Government that does not like public debate going out of their control, writes David Quinn There is misinformation, disinformation and one I would like to add to that list, namely under-information. All three of these things can badly distort the public’s understanding of any given issue. Imagine this as an Agatha Christie… […]
Schools shouldn’t welcome wellbeing programmes that deny Catholic beliefs – theologian
There is no place for wellbeing programmes that “deny” the Catholic Church’s unique understanding of humanity in Catholic schools, a major international conference attended by Ireland’s leading educators has heard. Speaking at the Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education (GRACE) conference at the University of Notre Dame Australia in Perth last week, Irish theologian Prof. Eamonn… […]
Jesus was a refugee briefly, then he had a family home
Family is a key Catholic value, so why don’t we hear more from the Church on family homes? writes Michael Kelly I only met former Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald once in my life. It was in late 2007, and though out of office for more than 20 years at that stage, he swiftly proceeded to give… […]
Why Paul went out of fashion (But why I think he’s fascinating…)
What do the Scottish poet Robbie Burns and St Paul the Evangelist have in common? As I’ve only recently learned, they share January 25 as their special day. The Scots eat haggis and drink whisky on ‘Burns Night’ to commemorate their national bard, who so memorably authored ‘Auld Lang Syne’, and ‘To a Mouse’. St… […]