Any future government must prioritise the common good, says Bishop Alan McGuckian.
“I wish each and every one of you a peaceful and happy Christmas and a new year of hope and possibility,” says President Michael D. Higgins.
Celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Muire na Trócaire company of Girls Guides, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin appealed to young Guides not to be afraid to stand up against intolerance and disregard for those who are different.
Advance planning by the State, including full and transparent consultation with local people, should go some way to allay fears and misunderstandings, says Archbishop Michael Neary.
Statement follows Pope Francis' unveiling in St Peter's Square of a sculpture depicting 140 refugees crammed aboard a small raft.
“Of course it is good news that fewer people are forced to seek an alternative to their lives. But the figures cannot hide the fact that behind them there are many stories of frustration and suffering. People may be reduced to numbers, but their lives cannot” – Jose Ignacio Garcia SJ.
“Cruelty toward the suffering and bullying the most vulnerable should not be national policy and we cannot allow it to continue.”
President of Ireland says this figure highlights “the growing scale of the challenge we face in helping refugees, asylum seekers and those internally displaced”.
“The well-being of local communities and of refugees alike requires that the provision of facilities for those who have lost everything must be carefully planned.”
The victims were Ethiopians migrants attempting to escape poverty in their home country by making their way via Libya to Europe.
“The lessons we have learned in the European Union during the 2015 migration crisis should serve to remind us of the need to address migration in a cooperative and comprehensive manner. ”
New pastoral letter on the housing and homelessness crisis, ‘A Room at the Inn?’, calls on Irish society to commit itself to work towards the provision of warm, decent, affordable and secure homes for all.
Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin served under Cardinal Desmond Connell and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin between 1994 and his retirement in 2009.
“The people we serve are those made destitute by the asylum process." – Sarah Teather, former MP and director of JRS in Britain.
The introduction of a more general right to work from June, for those who can avail of it, should ease some of the stress people experience while waiting. Ultimately, however, they need certainty about their fate to move forward with their lives – Enda O’Neill, Head of Office with UNHCR Ireland.
The government's minimalist response to the Supreme Court judgement, does not reflect the equality of dignity or the compassion that is so often promoted as a core value of Irish society.
Addressing the congregation at Raheen parish in Limerick in his New Year’s ‘World Day of Peace’ homily, Bishop Brendan Leahy warned the faithful to be particularly vigilant to avoid exploitation of women and children.
The objective of the competition is to encourage students to use their writing and mobile skills to look at a topical issue which is relevant to Catholic Social Teaching and resonates with Columban mission.
“Our volunteers are very reliable, which is essential when providing this necessary service. They help build friendly relationships between children and parents living in direct provision with members of the community. Our volunteers add to the good spirit and positive attitude to learning that is created in our homework club” – Jim Walsh, SVP.
“I am grateful to the Supreme Court for reminding us, during these unsettled and cynical times, of what we must be about as a culture, namely, a society that both protects the person and allows his or her talents to flourish.”
The human costs associated with the ban on seeking work are: boredom, isolation and social exclusion; obsolescence of skills and creation of dependency; and negative impacts on physical, emotional and mental health.
“To keep letting people drown in the Mediterranean Sea is a scandal and immoral” - Tom Smolich SJ, director, JRS International.
“Migrants are our brothers and sisters in search of a better life, far away from poverty, hunger and exploitation, much like our forefathers at the time of the famine."
Pope Francis says visit aims to “express closeness & solidarity" to the displaced & the citizens of Lesbos & the people of Greece "who are so generous in their welcome”.
Bishop of Ossory says it is hard to wish a 'happy Christmas' knowing it will not be a happy Christmas for the sick, the unemployed, the bereaved, the troubled.
As the country prepares to welcome refugees, we are "challenged to engage with the poverty, homelessness sub-standard accommodation that many are living in".
“Urgent reform is required to avoid the creation of an unjust two-tier system in which the needs of those waiting for status for many years are overlooked.”
“The current mass movement of people into Europe represents the most serious displacement crisis the European Union has faced in recent times."
'Welcoming the Stranger: Irish Migrant Welfare in Britain since 1957' shows that policy which endures starts with the people it serves: Bishop Kirby.
Jesuit Refugee Service calls on the Government to provide funding and support to help them transition to life outside Direct Provision.
