The recent ‘child removal’ cases are a worrying development, writes Mary Kenny
Mary Kenny
Teens and net-porn
We need some straight talking about values, writes Mary Kenny
What liberal’s don’t report about mental health
We have just seen a campaign for Mental Health Week, which will surely be a help and a support to anyone experiencing the affliction of depression, or of conditions like bi-polar disorder. These illnesses can be treated, and there should be no cause for shame or stigma. But sometimes such campaigns fail to distinguish between…
Is Pope Francis akin to Italy’s Monarch?
Pope Francis is developing the kind of persona, for the Italians, that a much-loved monarch can represent, writes Mary Kenny
RTÉ’s lack of ‘faith’ in ‘religious’ programming
Last week, I encountered the senior executive at RTÉ who is responsible for the religious output. In the course of conversation, I suggested to him that they might consider changing the word ‘religion’ to ‘faith’. He was doubtful. But there were some thoughts that religious programming might be altered to the ‘spiritual’ rather than the…
Revisiting the illegal adoption case
Sometimes the best option is adoption, writes Mary Kenny
Can markets ever be moral?
Can markets ever be ‘moral’ and can they act ‘morally’? The banking and debt crises which are reaching into every corner of Europe are prompting this question with ever more urgency. Recently, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron called for a ‘moralised’ form of capitalism, and the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales have long…
Find ways to emphasise the historical positives
Minister Alan Shatter has justifiably called attention to the horrible historical phenomenon known as The Holocaust – the cruel genocide by Nazi Germany against Jews as well so many other minorities – when he was opening an exhibition at the Department of Justice. Minister Shatter took the opportunity to criticise Irish neutrality during World…
Ecumenism cuts both ways
The Dean of St Patrick’s Anglican Cathedral, Rev. Robert MacCarthy has criticised the Catholic Church for its ”lack of ecumenism” in his final sermon before retiring. Oh, yes, see how these Christians love one another! Lack of ecumenism is often something of a hazard. Consider the Armenian and Greek priests who came to blows over…
The true drivers of education
What is the heart of education? One photograph, over the past week, said it all for me. It was the picture of more than 50 parents camping out for up to two days to get their daughters into the Presentation Secondary School in Tralee, Co. Kerry. The all-girls’ school is clearly such a beacon…