Dear Editor, It is worrying to see the statistics for the Killaloe diocese that half the parishes are served by priests over the age of 75 [The Irish Catholic – June 15, 2023]. It is a matter of grave concern that parishes may be closed. The parish is the centre of the Christian Community where…
Pope Francis and Brazil’s President Lula embrace during visit Pope Francis said a meeting with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Vatican June 21 took place in an atmosphere of “great sympathy and friendship,” the Vatican said. The two can be seen embracing in photos shared by the Brazilian president’s photographer. Pope…
Ensemble casts behaving weirdly? Outlandish things being said by people who don’t seem to think they’re outlandish? Cartoon-like characters cast adrift in a comic book world? Yes, folks, it has to be Wes Anderson. When Robert Altman died, I wondered where I’d go for my fix of familial dysfunctionality. There was no need to worry.…
The Church in Ireland is in serious need of radical restructuring, the country’s newest bishop has warned. Paying tribute to the heroic work of priests, Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois Paul Connell also insisted that more focus needs to be put on encouraging young men in parishes to consider a vocation to the priesthood. “Obviously,…
The possible ordination of women as deacons and the admission of married men to the priesthood will be key themes during a month-long synod gathering in Rome in October, the Vatican revealed this week. The preparatory document, known in Latin as an instrumentum laboris, brings together a number of themes and concerns that have emerged during…
Amendments to the Minister of Religion visa scheme that address criticisms have been warmly welcomed by missionary bodies and congregations that often bring religious overseas to Ireland as part of their work. This paper previously reported that religious and missionary bodies involved in negotiations with the Department of Justice were dissatisfied with the scheme, and…
Organisers of the Rally for Life, scheduled for Dublin next week, have called on TDs to listen to growing public concern from voters about a push to scrap the three-day wait before abortion. The three-day period of reflection was described by pro-life doctors last year as giving women “time to think”. Data released to Carol Nolan TD…
The lead chaplain for prisons in the North of Ireland has said they have found no grounds for a report that Catholic prisoners are experiencing prejudice from members of staff in a Co. Antrim prison. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, the lead chaplain to the Northern Ireland Prison Service Fr Stephen McBrearty said that in…
The Irish mother of Nottingham attack victim, 19-year-old student Grace O’Malley-Kumar, has appealed for prayers for her daughter and for people not to harbour hate in their hearts during an emotional tribute to her daughter. Addressing the crowd at a vigil in Nottingham’s Market Square, Dublin-born Dr Sinéad O’Malley asked those gathered to “say prayers…
As most voters will know, the President of Ireland is a role that is supposedly above politics – whatever that phrase actually means. As has been noted, the practice of the president refraining from political commentary was more of a convention than a constitutional obligation, but in many ways it made sense. The president, the…
Aubrey Malone
Chai Brady