Posted on 26. Jun, 2014 in Christian Values, Crime, Gospel Values, Humane Vitae, Uncategorized
“Those who go down the evil path, as the Mafiosi do, are not in communion with God. They are excommunicated,” Pope Francis said on Saturday June 21st in Calabria, a mob-heavy region in southern Italy. The thousands who had gathered underneath the hot sun cheered. Pope Francis’ pronouncement was the strongest censure of the mafia so […]
Posted on 04. Jul, 2013 in Church Teachings, Humane Vitae
Columnist John Waters writes for the Irish Times, The Irish Catholic and various other publications. He believes that the current debate on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy legislation in the Irish media is not a debate at all. He criticises much Irish journalism as belief systems promoted under the guise of reportage – reportage […]
Posted on 20. Jun, 2013 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Church Teachings, Humane Vitae
Fine Gael TD Peter Mathews put three motions before a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party calling for the proposed abortion legislation to be scrapped, the suicide clause to be removed and for members to have a free vote. However he did not get support for any of these motions and voting for the […]
Posted on 13. Jun, 2013 in Church Teachings, Humane Vitae
The much debated abortion legislation was published this week. It brought in new changes regarding conscientious objection and gave powers to the Minister for Health to suspend services if he believes an institution is failing to comply with the provisions. It included the controversial access to abortion for women experiencing suicide ideation, even though psychologist […]
Posted on 09. May, 2013 in Church Teachings, Humane Vitae, Uncategorized
In this second part of our series on euthanasia, Dr. John Murray talks about euthanasia and the common good, arguing that giving people the right to assisted suicide might lead to others being actively put under pressure to choose to die. He draws on examples from other countries to explain his point further to Miriam […]
Posted on 02. May, 2013 in Church Teachings, Humane Vitae
The recent high court case rejecting Marie Fleming’s appeal to die has highlighted the issue of assisted suicide. In this first of a two part series, Dr. John Murray, lecturer in Moral Theology in Mater Dei and member of the Iona institute, speaks with Miriam Gormally about the Church’s teaching on euthanasia and the right […]
Posted on 07. Feb, 2013 in Church Teachings, Humane Vitae
After three days of hearings on abortion, The Oireachtas Committee on Health did not make any specific recommendations to Minister James Reilly. As differences become more apparent, it seems that legislation on the issue is not a foregone conclusion. On January 19th 2013, almost thirty thousand people attended a vigil for life organised by the […]
Posted on 01. Nov, 2012 in Church Teachings, Humane Vitae
In an Irish Times poll earlier this year, it was shown that over 70% of Catholics don’t consider Church teachings on contraception to be relevant. However Ita McDonnell who teaches the Billings Method, one of the natural family planning techniques, says that it is still relevant and is in fact increasing in popularity, often in […]
Posted on 25. Oct, 2012 in Church Teachings, Humane Vitae
Earlier this month a pastoral letter on abortion was delivered to the country’s 1,360 parishes. In one parish in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, a woman gave details of her own story. One comment regarding the woman’s sense of guilt extending to every aspect of her life included the idea that her special needs grandchild was a […]
Posted on 11. Oct, 2012 in Church Teachings, Humane Vitae
The first woman to be elected President of the Methodist Church in Ireland called on the country’s leading judges, barristers and solicitors to apply practical theology in their profession. The Reverend Dr. Heather Morris was giving the address at the annual service to mark the opening of the Law term in Dublin. The 47-year-old mother […]