Spend any time around Protestant denominations as a Catholic and you’re likely to be asked: “What’s the deal with Mary?” Or depending on who you’re chatting with, you might be more aggressively accused of “worshipping” Mary. Our initial reaction might be something along the lines of laughing it off, insisting that of course we don’t…
SDLP’s Claire Hanna refuses to endorse Catholic university’s autonomy
Multiple attempts by this paper to get a response from SDLP MP Claire Hanna to the question of whether or not she accepts the right of St Mary’s University College to continue to be an autonomous Catholic university have gone unanswered after she appeared to support the “cancelling” of the institution. Despite multiple attempts to…
Jim Caviezel describes new movie as ‘weapon of mass instruction’ to end child trafficking
Known best for his iconic portrayal of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, Catholic actor Jim Caviezel has said that a new movie he’s starring in aims to motivate millions to end child trafficking. Directed by Alejandro Monteverde, Sound of Freedom is based on true events and stars Jim Caviezel as former…
Sts Aquila and Priscilla: The Church’s earliest missionary marriage
The myth that only religious can be saints is one that’s well and truly on its way to being busted, with the Church making a renewed effort to highlight the many, many people who’ve walked the path of holiness in many different forms of life. July 8, a missionary, married couple from the early Church…
Is God a narcissist?
A common line of thought these days among critics of religion, and Christianity in particular, is that God must be a major narcissist, creating a world full of people, animals and more, to sing his praises from now through to eternity. Commandments from throughout the Bible to love and worship God, a ‘jealous’ God, have…
Cormac McCarthy’s Catholic imagination
Author of the acclaimed novels, The Road, No Country for Old Men, Blood Meridian and more, Cormac McCarthy died on June 13, aged 89. Up to that point, he had been considered by many the greatest living American author, and so he must surely now be considered a part of that country’s rich literary heritage.…
Former Dublin Mayor ‘shocked’ at new plan to move cathedral
A former Dublin Lord Mayor has said he is “shocked” by a radical Church plan that would see the capital’s pro-cathedral on the city’s northside lose status as the mother church of the diocese in favour of another parish on the southside. Proposals to move the seat of Dublin’s archbishop from St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in…
Religious freedom a ‘barometer’ of human rights in a country
A new Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) report has revealed that over 50% of people live in a country with serious religious persecution, with ACN Ireland director Michael Kinsella saying that religious freedom is a “very telling barometer” of the extent of human rights within a country. The 2023 Religious Freedom in the…
Doctors concerned ‘conversion therapy’ bill may hamper medical help
Legislation to criminalise so-called “conversion therapy” practices in Ireland is unnecessary and could impede patients suffering with gender dysphoria from getting medical help, according to doctors with the National Gender Service (NGS). Responding to an announcement by the Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman that he would bring forward legislation in the coming weeks with a view…
US company announces ‘baby bonus’ for employees expecting child
US firm PublicSq recently announced that it will offer employees a bonus if they have a baby or adopt a child. This comes as a number of companies in the US continue to pay their employees time off or travel expenses to get an abortion in the wake of last year’s overturning of Roe v.…