Q: I have heard some priests refer to ‘non-sacramental’ marriages on the annulment question. I presume these are civil marriages. Is it so? Or do these marriages become ‘non-sacramental’ due to the various other faults in the couple’s status? A: Terms like ‘sacramental marriage’, ‘non-sacramental marriage’, ‘civil marriage’, and ‘valid marriage’ all refer to slightly…
Today is the day that the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Act 2024 comes into operation in Ireland, marking an important landmark in Ireland’s drift towards authoritarianism and progressive restrictions on civil liberties. This Act designates 100m Safe Access Zones around certain premises where abortions are or may be taking place, where “conduct”…
Notebook This month I want to share three distinct reflections with a common thread. The recent scoping enquiry into abuse perpetrated in schools run by Catholic religious orders revealed another very sad chapter in our Irish social history. The media follow up inevitably led to an avalanche of personal stories detailing the physical, emotional and…
“The Church needs to look at the way it catechises. That we catechise not just by giving information, but by leading people into the experience of prayer and then also by making sure that people know the richness and the depth of our own prayer tradition.” Br Richard Hendrick OFM Cap said speaking to The…
D.D. Emmons In Church history, few lay people have had more positive effect on the success of Catholic worldwide missionary activities than a Frenchwoman named Pauline Jaricot. Born into an aristocratic family in 1799, she used her influence to not only help spread the Gospel but rejuvenate devotion to the rosary and highlight deplorable conditions…
Leading child protection campaigner Marie Collins said she was “very angry” after seeing claims by a German cardinal that she had called him a liar in a recently published book. Dublin-born Ms Collins, who is an abuse survivor, was responding to comments attributed to Cardinal Gerhard Müller by journalist Franca Giansoldati in her book Vatican Confidential:…
Members of the Jewish community in Ireland have responded to comments made by a Fine Gael Councillor, who stated that “the entire US economy is ruled by the Jews, is ruled by Israel” during a Dublin City Council meeting on Monday, saying that they’re “appalled” and that statements like these show “it is no wonder that…
Take a €14 billion Apple windfall. Mix in the best-ever corporation tax returns, and what do you get? Election speculation. Lots of it. With Government coffers so awash with cash, the temptation may be too great for the Taoiseach. We may be days, or possibly weeks away from starters’ orders. Why wait until the spring, when another overpriced bicycle…
Prof Michael Mullaney is stepping down as President of St Patrick’s College Maynooth in a move that took friends and colleagues by surprise. In a statement to The Irish Catholic Professor Mullaney wrote: “After 25 years of service to St Patrick’s College in various roles and responsibilities, which have been immensely rewarding and a privilege,…
‘In God’s Hands’, a documentary by Roscommon native Niall Sheerin, tells the story of his late brother Michael, a renowned tattoo artist and illustrator who passed away in 2022 aged 42 from a short illness. The documentary premiered at the 2024 Roscommon International Film Festival at the Roscommon Arts Centre on October 5. Michael, originally…
Chai Brady
Brandon Scott
Senator Ronan Mullen