RTÉ is gearing up for another season of religious discussion programming. Beyond Belief returns to RTÉ One TV with a new series of six Monday night programmes beginning on September 23 at 11.15pm. In this series, Mick Peelo and a panel discuss a range of stories from a moral, ethical and religious perspective. …
Michael Kelly
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.
Pope: war is always a defeat for humanity
Pope Francis has appealed to the US not to launch military strikes against Syria as the Vatican intensifies efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Tens of thousands of people answered the call by Pope Francis for a ‘cry for peace’ in Syria by attending a vigil in St Peter’s Square at the…
Eucharistic Congress cost €9.5m
Parish collections to fund last year’s International Eucharistic Congress raised more than €4m to cover the event, final accounts show. Figures, which have just been finalised and lodged with the Companies Registration Office, show that overall the Church spent €9.5m on the lead-up to and during the week-long event. Collections Funds for the…
Getting the Church ready for mission
The Church is missionary by its very nature: that is to say that Catholics should be constantly reaching out to others. One of the great calls of Pope Francis since his election has been for Catholics to step outside of ourselves, to go out to the margins. We have an enviable missionary tradition in…
Church can be leader in child protection
Delegates from over 100 countries are meeting in Rome to ensure a global Church response to abuse. Michael Kelly reports. If bishops around the world courageously embrace robust child safeguarding policies, the Church can lead the way the Rome conference on abuse has been told. While the Church has failed dramatically to respond properly…
Catholic schools are key to vibrant faith communities
Catholic schools deserve credit for their hard work, writes Michael Kelly At a time when some commentators and politicians would propose a narrow narrative that see faith-based schools as divisive, Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to celebrate the vital contribution of the Catholic sector. More than 100 guests from North and South…
O Riordain targets school chaplains with latest cuts
The invaluable work done by school chaplains at community and comprehensive schools across the Republic has come under fire from Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. Despite the fact that the role of chaplain in such schools is mandated by legislation Mr Ó Ríordáin, who two weeks ago told The Irish Catholic he thought…
Labour to debate ban on Catholics in senior posts
Catholics who apply for jobs in the civil service would be screened to ensure that they are not too Catholic under a proposal being discussed by the Labour party. The plan is likely to cause further tension with coalition partners, Fine Gael, who have been accused of allowing Labour to set the Government’s agenda.…
We must never forget Holocaust – Shatter
Justice Minister Alan Shatter has warned that the world must never be allowed to forget the horror of the Nazi Holocaust. Launching a new exhibition in Dublin on the systematic extermination of an estimated six million European Jews this week, Mr Shatter said: ‘As the years pass by and the remaining survivors of the…
Ireland Stand Up delighted with campaign reaction
Campaginers protesting against the closure of the Irish Embassy to the Holy See have expressed delight after dozens of Oireachtas members turned up at a briefing aimed at informing politicians of the value of the relationship. Ireland Stand Up invited members of the public who are opposed to the move by the Government to…