The Iona Institute was very pleased to host an outstanding talk by Melanie McDonagh (pictured below) on her widely reviewed new book, ‘Converts: From Oscar Wilde to Muriel Spark, Why So Many Became Catholic in the 20th Century’. In front of a packed room, Melanie explained the social and religious conditions that led hundreds of...
In light of declining marriage and birth rates, and the meaning vacuum created by secularism, three young people discuss whether their generation has a future without religion and how they see a growing opening to Christianity among some of their peers. The panel was chaired by columnist, Breda O’Brien. The panel discussion took place at...
At our recent youth conference, Bishop Niall Coll (pictured) addressed the topic, ‘The Crucial Choice Before Gen Z’. Citing St John Henry Newman, he said that there are “three Ds” needed for faith, namely ‘disposition’, ‘decision ‘and ‘difference’, that is, a disposition towards the faith, followed by a willingness to make a decision to embrace...
What are the signs of a great openness to religion among members of Gen Z? Stephen Bullivant, Professor of Theology and Sociology of Religion at St Mary’s University, Twickenham in London, looks at what the data have to say. He gave his talk at 2025 Iona Institute youth conference on October 11 in Dublin. The...
Watch the opening remarks from David Quinn at the annual Iona Institute youth conference. In his opening address at the annual Iona Institute youth conference last Saturday, (you can watch the address here), David Quinn spells out the demographic facts of life to Gen Z. He told a packed room that ‘Gen Z’ (roughly corresponding to those in their...
Well-known religious affairs commentator, Michael Kelly, recently gave a talk about Pope Leo XIV at a lunchtime event of The Iona Institute in a packed Central Catholic Library. He discussed the new pontiff’s life, his ministry and how he will respond to the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Catholic Church. He talked about the...
“Evangelium Vitae” (the ‘Gospel of Life’), Pope John Paul II’s great encyclical on “the Culture of Life” and the “Culture of Death” was published 30 years ago this year and greatly galvanised the pro-life movement worldwide. In this talk, leading Catholic commentator, Maria Steen discusses the enduring themes of the encyclical and how it is...
David Quinn, Chief Executive of The Iona Institute, recently delivered the 4th Rosemary Sheehan Memorial Lecture. His theme was ‘In Defence of Catholic Healthcare’. In his talk, he reminded people of the immense contribution Catholics have made to healthcare in Ireland and worldwide both historically and down to the present day. He explained the origins...
Professor Richard Rex of Queens’ College, Cambridge, addressed The Iona Institute and the Notre Dame Newman Centre for Faith and Reason in University Church on Wednesday, March 22, 2013. His topic was ‘Europe and the Faith’, borrowing the title from Hilaire Belloc’s book of the same name. Professor Rex discussed the past, present and future...
Recently in Ireland Catholic healthcare has been attacked as ‘dangerous’. The accusation arose in the context of a row over the relocation of the National Maternity Hospital. In this video, David Quinn of The Iona Institute interviews Dr Christopher Kazcor, a professor of philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in California, about Catholic healthcare. They discuss...
