Michael Kelly is an award-winning writer and broadcaster specialising in religious and social affairs. Born and raised in Northern Ireland, he attended the Pontifical University St Patrick’s College, Maynooth where he obtained degrees in philosophy and theology and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome where he studied social institutional communications. From 2002-2005 he was an Editor in the Central Information Service of Vatican Radio. In this role, he travelled with Pope St John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI on overseas trips. In 2005, he returned to Dublin to take up the position of Deputy Editor with The Irish Catholic newspaper, succeeding as Editor in 2012. He is a regular contributor to programmes on RTÉ, BBC, UTV, CNN and Al Jazeera. He also have extensive experience offering media training and coaching in the voluntary sector. Mr Kelly is a weekly columnist with Ireland’s largest-selling secular newspaper the Irish Independent and has been published in The Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, The Irish News, The Guardian, Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic World Report, the National Catholic Reporter and the National Catholic Register. He writes from Ireland for Catholic News Service of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Micheal finished his stint as Editor of The Irish Catholic in January 2024 and has taken up the position of Director of Public Affairs for Aid to the Church in Need Ireland.
There are many differences between the peace process in Ireland and the peace process in the Holy Land, such as it is now. And, in my experience, few things irritate both Israelis and Palestinians as the convenient transplanting of their own conflict over land to our own. I was in Belfast at the weekend, and…
The new report on abuse in religious-run schools is demoralising, and yet so much good work is being done writes Michael Kelly The ‘scoping inquiry’ investigating historical allegations of abuse in religious-run schools again shines a light on a dark part of Irish history. It lifts the lid on a culture where predators abused with…
Despite an increase in Islamist attacks and the threat of martyrdom, the Faith is growing in West Africa writes Michael Kelly Most of us would probably struggle to point out Burkina Faso on a map, much less say anything coherent about the political situation in the landlocked west African nation. Pope Francis used the occasion…
Saint Bernadette Special The relics of the saints are a trusted way to draw closer to God, writes Michael Kelly Catholic veneration of relics – body parts and indeed objects linked to the lives of holy men and women – goes right back to the early Church. The bodies of the martyrs were often retrieved…
Three decades on from the IRA ceasefire, it’s right to recall the role played by prominent priests writes Michael Kelly It would become an iconic image of the terrible civil conflict on our island we euphemistically call ‘the Troubles’. Redemptorist Fr Alec Reid kneeling reciting the last rites for two British soldiers who had just…
It was with a mixture of disbelief and shock that the news of the untimely death of Archbishop Noël Treanor emerged on Sunday morning as Mass goers gathered to celebrate the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. From his native ‘stoney grey soil of Monaghan’ to the sprawling housing developments of his adopted home in Belfast,…
Despite the challenges facing Christians in many countries, we need to keep hope alive writes Michael Kelly Some of you will be aware that last week it was announced that I will soon take up a new appointment as Director of Public Affairs for the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need, Ireland. It…
Most politicians are dancing down the road to assisted dying with talk of meaningless ‘safeguards’, writes Michael Kelly On Monday of this week, the British parliament discussed the issue of euthanasia. The House of Commons heard passionate pleas from many MPs calling for people to be allowed to end their lives in a way that…
Michael Kelly in Buenos Aires An Argentinian priest who works with the country’s poorest and most vulnerable people is hopeful that Pope Francis will visit the community during a proposed trip to the Pontiff’s homeland later this year. Fr Pedro Cannavó, who was ordained by the then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio over 15 years ago, is…
Ecclesiastical structures are only useful if they allow our parishes to be vibrant places where people encounter God, writes Michael Kelly While all eyes were on the cabinet reshuffle of Taoiseach Simon Harris, officials in Rome were preparing to announce details of the Pope’s reshuffle of sorts of the Irish ecclesiastical landscape. While Ireland has…