Recent events don’t support the notion, writes David Quinn The constant refrain is that Ireland is becoming a more ‘compassionate’ place. This notion needs to be robustly challenged. The best that can be said is that we have become more compassionate in some ways and worse in others. Last week, Co Louth was witness…
It is often said that the bias against ‘mixed marriages’ – between partners of different religions – was cruel, and that the Ne Temere decree of 1908 was destructive of community and familial relationships. Yet it would be illusionary to pretend that no conflicts arise when a couple have different religious backgrounds or convictions, and…
There is a growing risk that the health service may begin to consider cost-saving measures that free up urgently needed beds, writes Dr Norella Broderick Support for euthanasia in Western Europe is growing. The UK-based Guardian reported last month that 93% of the British public now support physician-assisted suicide in the case of terminal…
A staple of Irish Masses is under pressure, writes Chai Brady Trouble is brewing for the prolific missalette, a staple in many parishes across the country, as Ireland’s national liturgical group, academics, priests and laity lambaste it for a plethora of reasons. Millions of missalettes are printed every year by a variety of publishers,…
Pope Francis has announced he will create 13 new cardinals on October 5, choosing prelates from 13 different nations as a sign of “the missionary vocation of the Church that continues to proclaim the merciful love of God to all men and women of the earth”. Cardinal-designate Jesuit Fr Michael Czerny, undersecretary of the Section…
Some recently-ordained priests see Holy Orders as a kind of elite caste, but the Pope is determined to change this, writes Fr Declan Marmion SM The dramatic fall-off in vocations in recent decades has led many, including Church authorities themselves, to ask if the current model of priestly formation is fit for purpose. How…
Disposable missalettes distract congregations and limit priests in their choices for Sunday Mass, liturgy experts have warned, urging parishes to get rid of the weekly missalettes. “Commercially produced missalettes that include the texts of the readings and the full text of the Eucharistic Prayer are not true aids to the Sunday celebration,” Fr Danny Murphy…
Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry has insisted that Catholic schools must continue to present a message that is counter-cultural, even when this leads to criticism. Speaking at the first diocesan religious education conference – which drew over 800 people – Dr McKeown paid tribute to the passion for Catholic education evident in teachers and other…
The current model of seminary formation is neither as old or as monolithic as is often believed, writes Prof. Salvador Ryan It has often been said that the seminary model of priestly formation, which was first introduced by order of the Council of Trent in the 16th Century, is a monolithic and outdated system…
Colombia’s bishops have said “weapons and violence only generate destruction”, after leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced “a new stage of fighting”. The announcement came three years after a peace agreement was signed by the government of Juan Manuel Santos and Colombia’s main rebel group. The members of the Marxist guerrilla…
David Quinn
Mary Kenny
Chai Brady