Month: March 2017

Vatican Roundup

Pope considering trip to famine-struck South Sudan Pope Francis has revealed he is considering the possibility of an official trip to South Sudan. Days after he made a plea for the international community to respond to “a severe food crisis, which has hit the Horn of Africa region [and] condemns to death by starvation millions…

Married clergy – two sides to the argument

Dear Editor, Mary Kenny should be thanked for her musings on ‘Fr D’Arcy’s reflections on a parallel life’ (IC 23/02/2017), which have injected some reality into what seems an interminable drone in favour of married priests. Fr D’Arcy’s comment that he would have been a far better priest had he married is, of course, balderdash,…

Of virtue and sin

There’s an axiom which says: Nothing feels better than virtue. There’s a deep truth here, but it has an underside. When we do good things, we feel good about ourselves. Virtue is indeed its own reward, and that’s good. However, feeling righteous can soon enough turn into feeling self-righteous. Nothing feels better than virtue; but…

Cyberbullying – How to protect your kids

Mags Gargan looks at simple recommendations for parents to keep children safer online Cyberbullying has been described as the “child-protection issue of our time” and it can be very difficult for parents to walk the fine line between allowing their children access to the benefits of the internet while protecting them from the dangers. In…

Praise comes less easy than criticism

Parenting Matters Even psychologists have referral patterns. January and February are the months when I get more behaviour-related questions for children than any other time. Winter must be the explanation. Most of us find it hard going and we are not quite in sight of spring but the distraction of Christmas is well behind us.…

Marie Collins quits child protection commission

Ongoing difficulties forced survivor’s hand The sole Irish member of the Pope’s child protection commission has stepped down, three years after joining the Vatican body. Dubliner Marie Collins, one of two abuse survivors who were founder members of the advisory body in March 2014, is understood to have informed the commission of her wish to…