INFAMOUS for the ridiculous, mothers can often be heard saying “There’s enough dirt in those ears to grow spuds,” or “Close that door. You’d think you were born in a field.” And they’re also partial to claiming the down-right-impossible: “If you fall of that wall and break your legs – don’t come running to me.” Yet, few would doubt a mother’s well-meaning intent. They are the ones who love us when the rest of the world doesn’t. The ones we … Read More
Patriarch Kirill of the effectively nationalised Russian Orthodox Church, not only refuses to condemn the crimes against humanity perpetrated in Ukraine by his long-standing friend Vladimir Putin: he has described the war (without even using the word “war”) as part of an imagined and imaginary struggle against sin and pressure from liberal foreigners to hold “gay parades” as the price of admission to their ranks. Kirill, in a ridiculous sermon delivered before the start of the Orthodox Lent, repeated Mr … Read More
Mammy Mammy I’m your baby,Hug me and caress me,Nourish and protect me,‘Cause Mammy I’m your baby. I want to look into your eyes,When you tuck me into bed at night,Smile and kiss you tenderly,‘Cause Mammy I’m your baby. They try to tell you I’m not real,But deep down I know you feel,Me wriggle ‘round inside of you,Mammy that’s what babies do. I want to watch the flowers grow,The mountains tall all white with snow,Run and jump into the sea,You running, … Read More
Say what you like about Donald Trump, he was the most Catholic-friendly President whom the United States has ever loved to hate. The heart of the message of the Lord of Life is love, and it is the antithesis of love to take the life of another, particularly where the victim is an innocent unborn child. Hear Psalm 139, in the sweet rhythms of the Bible – For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s … Read More
Many Catholics and also non-Catholics who, while they do not embrace the Catholic faith, respect the Catholic Church for her teaching regarding faith and morals, have asked me how it is possible for Catholics to receive Holy Communion, while at the same time they publicly and obstinately promote programs, policies and legislation in direct violation of the moral law. In particular, they ask how Catholic politicians and civil officials who publicly and obstinately defend and promote the practice of abortion … Read More
By Dr. Doyen Nguyen and Dr. Joseph M. Eble This article was first published in the American Homiletic & Pastoral Review on March 12th 2021. It is written in the hope of helping Catholics to understand the dangerous nature of ‘brain-death’ definitions which seek to make it easier to harvest organs for transplant. Brain death (BD), the declaration of death by neurological criteria, is an established medicolegal practice in the USA and many countries worldwide. In 1968, the Harvard Medical … Read More
(This article is available to download here as it appeared in Catholic Voice. Please feel free to print and share) Let us continue to pray earnestly for our Irish bishops as the evidence continues to grow of a renewed persecution of the Catholic Church in Ireland, the like of which has not been since the Penal times. Although not yet violent, the signs are beginning to emerge that dissent from the new secular religion will not be tolerated for much … Read More
Falling on Deaf Ears:Last September, I commented upon the fact that the Belfast newspaper, The Irish News has lost its way in that, while it still offers the reader the comfort that it is pro nationalist and “catholic” in its outlook and news identification of “Pro fide et Patria”, it saw fit to accept advertising revenue from the Belfast Fertility Clinic under its caption: “We make Mums!” This identification with the evil that is IVF is a clear renunciation with … Read More
James M Bourke reflects on his new book and explains what motivated him to write a book about the obscenity of abortion. Reflections on the Abortion Issue in Ireland:My monograph, Reflections on the Abortion Issue in Ireland was launched in Limerick on 23rd November, 2019 at the Annual Conference of the Catholic Voice newspaper. It consists of 12 critical essays which tell the story of how abortion was legalised in Ireland. It is not a very edifying story. In fact, … Read More
Tafida Raqeeb, a child of just 5, has a grave illness that requires life-support. Her devoted parents, who love Tafida, rightly see it as their duty to give her the chance of a normal life if that is possible. They want to fly her from London to a children’s hospital in Genoa, where Italian doctors think they will be able to treat Tafida successfully. However, the Health Trust that administers St Bartholomew’s Hospital, one of the world’s foremost teaching hospitals, … Read More
