Dear Editor, As the worldwide Catholic family mourns the death of its spiritual leader, Pope Francis, it is important to examine his legacy on current issues. He is rightly remembered for his 2015 landmark encyclical “Laudato Si” which focused on care for the environment, justice for the marginalised and activism to save the planet. Included…
Dear Editor, Felix M. Larkin’s review of Edward Burke’s Ghosts of a Family, on who perpetrated the McMahon killings in Belfast in March 1922, points to a fascinating piece of historical detective work. It made me want to read the book. A caveat, however. Larkin’s characterising systemic attacks on northern nationalist communities, by forces of the…
Does loneliness affect your parish? A strange thing happened to me last month: three of the people I used to visit on my First Friday calls all went to the same nursing home, within a few weeks. That meant that my call list in one of my church areas was instantly reduced to zero. The…
Dear Editor, I agreed 110% with Fr Chris Hayden ‘Be quick to listen’ [The Irish Catholic – March 13, 2025]. Irish Catholics really need to move on from the stereotypical desire for ‘quickie’ Masses and homilies. It’s quite immature, minimalistic and lacking in generosity to the God to whom we owe our very existence. It…
Dear Editor, So many excellent articles to comment on your issue of March 6 but I would like to begin with Maria Steen’s outstanding report on the media’s predictable take on the Trump/Zelenskyy meeting in the Oval Office. I cannot say I am surprised but I was certainly shocked to learn that it lasted 50…
Letters Dear Editor, The snakes are back! Poor St Patrick, even after driving out the snakes of pre-Christian paganism, here, they reappear, in the form of our annual An Post, contribution for the feast or rather now, the festival of St Patrick’s Day, as they call it. They are multicoloured and long. What is…
Dear Editor, I was listening to R.T.E. recently and heard the article on the Gay Pride protest march in Cork. The Gay Pride person being interviewed commented that she was not impressed by the number of pubs displaying pride flags, who had no interest whatsoever in the gay movement, but were cashing in on the…
Dear Editor, As Pope Francis nears the end of his papacy, his legacy remains a topic of debate. While some have found him controversial, it is undeniable that he has been a Pope committed to reform, transparency, and outreach. His leadership has challenged the Church to face difficult questions and to become more open to…
Dear Editor, I wish to associate myself with Liam Lally’s Comment [The Irish Catholic – January 30, 2025]. Educated, free, for 12 years by the Sisters of Mercy in Cobh, Co. Cork, I am eternally grateful to my teachers. Wise women who gave their all during those informative years. I know I often put them to the…
Dear Editor, Three cheers for historian Fr Conor McDonough OP for exposing the ‘paper thin’ reasoning for deposing St Brigid in favour of some pagan goddess. The latter, he tells us, is only mentioned once in the 10th-century manuscript, ’Sanas Cormaic’. She never enjoyed any importance in Ireland. Where, one might ask, does that leave…