Leo Varadkar quoted the newly canonised John Henry Newman in the Dáil this week during a debate about future relations between Church and State. He was responding to Brendan Howlin, leader of the Labour party, and the Taoiseach quoted the famous line from Newman that he would drink to his conscience first, and the Pope...
Katie Ascough, if you remember, was the head of the Students’ Union at UCD who was booted out of her job essentially because of her pro-life views and following a very nasty campaign of vilification. The authorities at UCD could have activated their anti-bullying policy and told everyone to tone it down, but they stood...
On Sunday Cardinal John Henry Newman will be declared a saint by Pope Francis in Rome. Newman established the Catholic University of Ireland, which later became University College Dublin. Despite this, UCD initially decided not to send any official representative to the ceremony. “Although John Henry is the founding rector of our antecedent, the Catholic...
I went along to see the pro-life movie ‘Unplanned’ yesterday. It began showing in Irish cinemas last week and the run has now been extended into a second week due to public demand, which is good news. It is certainly a film anyone who is pro-life ought to try and see, and maybe bring along...
Journalist, author, and former feminist campaigner, Mary Kenny gave a very interesting talk last week at an Iona Institute event. Her topic was feminism and motherhood, but more specifically Simone de Beauvoir and motherhood. Mary laid out de Beauvoir’s attack on motherhood, but listening to her talk, it occurred to me that de Beauvoir was...
On Tuesday I took part in a debate about euthanasia in UCD at the invitation of the Law Society. The evening was further evidence that arguments based on ‘choice’ have almost overwhelming power in the present culture. I was teamed up with Peter D Williams of Right to Life UK, and Jason Conroy who is...
David Quinn of the Iona Institute, and Mike Nugent of Atheist Ireland, have been debating the relationship between morality and religion in the last few weeks. The challenge for atheists is to give a convincing, non-utilitarian answer to the question of why we should treat everyone equally, if we are simply the product of evolution....
The French parliament is debating a new law which will extend assisted reproduction to single women and lesbian couples as well. What is interesting is the fact that no less a body than the National Academy of Medicine has objected to the proposed reform on the ground that will be permit the deliberate creation of...
My debate with Michael Nugent of Atheist Ireland continues. The basic question we have been considering is why are we morally obliged to treat each other well? I think it is because we are all made in the image and likeness of God and therefore each of us is of infinite moral worth. Obviously, an...
Senator Ivana Bacik (Irish Times 11/9) has taken serious issue with Archbishop Eamon Martin who recently said that Christians are obliged to bring their faith to their politics. Senator Bacik regards this as an unacceptable attack on the separation of Church and State and says that the Catholic Church still has too much influence in...
