In this edition of The Confession Box Brandon Scott and Ruadhan Jones dissect the latest topics and themes in this week’s edition of The Irish Catholic newspaper, featuring phones, Christian persecution and another loss to the Catholic landscape in Ireland.
Staff Reporter
The Confession Box – Episode 12
In this episode of The Confession Box, Brandon Scott, Ruadhan Jones and Ian Dunn delve into the issues, topics and themes in this week’s Irish Catholic newspaper … along with some other surprises!
Govt snub for women religious on St Brigid’s day ‘very sad’
Ruadhán Jones and Chai Brady The Government has been accused of “omitting” the “gigantic” contribution of women religious from its official programme for St Brigid’s day, with just one event in Irish embassies across the world acknowledging their work. Women religious and missionaries told The Irish Catholic that the State’s “blindness” towards the work of…
John Bruton a ‘committed Christian’
Former Taoiseach John Bruton, who died on Tuesday aged 76 after a long illness, has been remembered for his “profound Christian faith” and “compassionate” leadership. A man of “deep conviction and profound Christian faith, John realised from an early age that the future of Ireland and the future of Europe were inseparable,” Archbishop of Dublin…
As new era dawns, education is key battlefield in NI
Michelle O’Neill’s election as First Minister in the restored power-sharing administration in Stormont is rightly hailed as an historic moment. We don’t need to rehearse the history of partition or the creation of Northern Ireland to know that those who crafted that state, never wanted or expected it to turn out this way. Ms O’Neill…
Cambridge study: Religious people coped better during pandemic
Two Cambridge-led studies have found that both the distress caused by the pandemic in the UK and the experience of infection with Covid-19 in the US were reduced among people of faith. According to a new study released by Cambridge University, religious people seem to have experienced lower levels of stress and unhappiness during the…
Children from Gaza arrive in Rome for medical treatment
Ten children from Gaza in need of medical attention arrived in Rome on a military plane late January 29, the first group of young patients who will receive treatment in Italy thanks to the lobbying of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land and negotiations involving the governments of Italy, Israel, Palestine and Egypt. The…
Danish ethics council warns Ireland against legalising euthanasia
Ruadhán Jones and Brandon Scott The Danish National Council on Ethics has warned the Oireachtas Committee examining assisted suicide against legalising euthanasia. The council roundly rejected such legislation in Denmark, voting last year by a majority of 16 to 1 not to recommend its introduction. Speaking to the committee on Tuesday, January 30, council representatives told…
Ukrainian chaplains meet in Poland to ask how to help war wounded
Chaplains to the Ukrainian Catholic community throughout western Europe have met in Poland to address the biggest concerns facing the Ukrainian population in their care. Foremost among these are the ongoing physical, emotional and spiritual effects on those who’ve been displaced by the ongoing war in Ukraine, according to Fr Vasyl Kornitsky, chaplain to the…
Chaplaincy ‘safe space’ for women prisoners report shows
Chaplaincy provides a “safe space” for prisoners to share concerns and worries, an inspector’s report for Mountjoy Female Prison has shown. The report also raised concerns about the fact that there was only one full-time chaplain available to the women. “The women welcomed the support provided by chaplaincy,” according to the Inspection report from the…