“Violence in the name of religion is always wrong ” – this was the message of the Catholic bishops of Bangladesh this week as they condemned the slaughter of diners at a restaurant in the capital, Dhaka on July 1. In a message of sympathy issued after 20 people, mainly Italian and Japanese citizens, were…
Indian Archbishop rejects accusations against Mother Teresa An Indian archbishop has rejected a recent verbal attack on the memory of Mother Teresa launched by a radical politician and cleric. Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Jowai described as “rash comments” the denunciation of the famed nun by Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath, a member of parliament representing the hardline Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). During a…
The breakaway Society of St Pius X appears to have abandoned hopes of reuniting with the Vatican with a statement rejecting the need for recognition from Rome for its existence while voicing criticism of the Pope for “errors” in Church teaching. The statement, made in the name of Bishop Bernard Fellay, the current superior general…
In his 1975 ballad Thunder Road, Bruce Springsteen tells his imaginary paramour that she can either waste her summer “praying in vain for a saviour to rise from these streets,” or seize the realistic if flawed option in front of her, i.e. him. While no one probably would tout the Boss as an expert on the Middle…
The new presidency bodes ill for the Church, writes Paul Keenan
Dear Editor, John Bruton’s article (‘Brexit and the future of the European project’ IC 30/06/2016) made an impressive case of explaining popular disenchantment with the European project, and effectively refuted the common line that, for instance, the EU is torturing and impoverishing Greece, persuasively arguing that if anything the EU is helping that struggling country.…
Dear Editor, The measure of how just, how equal, we are as a society is surely how we care for the most vulnerable among us. How should we apply this measure to the proposal being pushed by most media since the election, the repeal of the Eighth Amendment? It’s pretty odd that people want a…
Dear Editor, With reference to Anne McGrath’s letter re media bias (IC 23/06/2016), this bias is evident not only in relation to issues with a religious dimension such as abortion but in relation to a range of social issues. While I still buy newspapers on weekends, I’ve almost given up buying them on weekdays because…
Dear Editor, I was interested to see how in calling for a secular state, Cardinal Marx drew a careful distinction between state and society (‘Facing the challenges for the Church’, IC 30/06/2016). Although state and society are not the same thing, too often we forget that the Irish State, like the Irish Church, is in…
Dear Editor, I am very disappointed to see advertisements for pilgrimages to the Holy Land in 2017 staying in Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem. The Christian community desperately need support at this time, much more than the tourist industry in Jerusalem. Surely tour operators should be made aware of this and ensure that pilgrims have time…
Paul Keenan
John L. Allen Jr.