Tribute was paid to Sr Ann Thomas on Liveline earlier this week, as Ger Smith told of her care for himself and his siblings in Ballymun after their mother was taken into care for Schizophrenia. Mr Smith related how himself and his siblings were left in a flat in Ballymun, with his brother being the…
Bishop Paul Dempsey called on Government to recognise the integral role churches play in their communities, saying their work is often overlooked. Heart of society Bishop Dempsey said the Church should be at the heart of society, not at the fringes and it should be “drawn on more from the political sphere”. “I think somehow…
To many secular eyes, the very idea that anyone would seek participation in public worship of God is alien, writes Declan Ganley On Wednesday of last week, just before America relaxed for its annual Thanksgiving holiday, the US Supreme Court ruled against the Governor of New York’s Covid-19 related ban on public worship. The full…
Pope Francis created 13 new cardinals last Saturday, urging them to remain vigilant lest they lose sight of their goal of the cross and resurrection. “All of us love Jesus, all of us want to follow him, yet we must always be vigilant to remain on the road,” Pope Francis said at the consistory .…
The relaxed moral norms of today come at a much greater cost than advertised, writes Oisín Walsh We’ve landed in a paradoxical place in terms of sexuality. In the bad old days, it was scandalous to deviate from the Catholic norms surrounding relationships. Nowadays, to be seen to adhere in any way to such norms…
The age of social media has given heftier weight to the old saying about how a lie can travel around the world before the truth has put its shoes on. Prime example Here in Ireland, we were given a prime example of this when it was reported that female students at a Catholic school in…
The US Supreme Court said that New York state restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic are a violation of the First Amendment’s protection of free religious exercise. After the ruling the Bishop of Brooklyn, whose diocese was a plaintiff in the suit, said that religious worship should be considered an essential during the coronavirus pandemic. “It…
Churches across Ireland were illuminated red last week to highlight the continuing persecution of Christians around the world. The initiative was inspired by the charity Aid to a Church in Need which supports Christians facing intimidation, torture and even death. St Patrick’s Church in Downpatrick, Co. Down along with the crucifixion scene outside, were lit…
Ellen’s Coyne journey through faith could have been gripping – unfortunately it ended up confirming her pre-existing beliefs writes Michael Kelly I was 17-years-old in 1996 when then finance minister Ruairi Quinn referred to Ireland as what he described as a “post-Catholic, pluralist republic”. The comments provoked controversy at the time with many people asking whether…
Bishop Paul Dempsey tells Ruadhán Jones about the integral role the Church can play post-Covid Today, religion is often viewed as a “risk factor for division… at worst, as a problem to be solved”, according to a lengthy new report by the Free Church of England. Religious views are seen as divisive barriers to progress…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady
Michael Kelly