Changing Attitudes Ireland is again organising events for International Day Against Homophobia in Belfast, Cork and Dublin. While IDAHO is on the 17th May, the events will take place on the preceding Sunday 16th of May. The theme this year is “Open Doors”, which I think is very fitting for a church dealing with...
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Image via Wikipedia Having read Pope Benedict’s XVI pastoral letter to Irish Catholics, I can say I my respect for him and the Vatican has increased. He has apologised on behalf of the church and is sending an Apostolic Visitation for certain Diocese. It will be interesting to see which ones. I have reproduced...
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Image by Getty Images via Daylife From the Archdiocese of Dublin, the Primate of Ireland and now the Supreme Pontiff, allegations of involvement in the cover up of child abuse have been directed at them all. When reading the stories regarding the role played by Cardinal Brady in the Father Smyth case and the...
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I got this recently on facebook. Defamation Act 2009 (Commencement) Order 2009 (SI No 517 of 2009) I, Dermot Ahern, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 1(2) of the Defamation Act 2009 (No 31 of 2009), hereby order as follows: 1. This Order...
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Image via Wikipedia So the Murphy Report and the usual outrage is being shown. We have been there before earlier this year with the Ryan Report, but has anything changed? Not much. The priests not named in the report will not be charged, the bishops who let them get away with it are refusing...
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Image by Martin LaBar via Flickr I am not sure if many people i Ireland are aware of the promises made by people today attending Rembrenance Day and Armstice Day Services make a very poignant promise during the service. Maybe we should all make this promise. Let us commit ourselves to responsible living and...
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I was going through the Church of Ireland Book of Common Prayer and I came across a prayer for the European Union. Now it is some thing I have never come across before and I thought I would share it, considering it is Sunday. O Lord our heavenly Father, we pray you to guide...
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Image via Wikipedia Well it has happened. The President has signed the Defamation Bill into law today which means in Ireland you can now be prosecuted for blasphemy. Yes that is right, in this Ireland of the 21st Century I can no longer complain about God, Jehovah, Allah, The Flying Spagetti Monster, or any...
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I haven’t blogged about the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Reportreport as between the jigs and the reels and the coverage on other blogs, I didnt see the point. But after reading a story in the Irish Examiner that the religous orders are not going to re-negotiate the indemnity deal and seeing this...
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Image via Wikipedia Last night I attended Evensong in St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral in Cork for a special IDAHO service. It was a beatiful service with an excellent choir. The Dean The Very Revd Nigel Dunne made everyone welcome and during the service we were all invited up to place a stone at the...
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