Letters

Dear Readers The situation in Gaza, right now, is desperate. Israeli forces have now entered Gaza, encircling Gaza City. They continue their massive, indiscriminate bombardment and nowhere in Gaza is safe. More than a million people have been internally displaced, and a total siege has cut us off from essential supplies. Sleeping, eating is very difficult. We don't even have clean water to drink.... Read More

We are Christians who believe that God has been definitely revealed as having a preferential option for the poor and oppressed. We believe that Christians are called to reflect that preferential option in our lives and proclamation. With this in mind, we stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza. We condemn utterly the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and in particular the killing of civilians. We have ... Read More

We share with you the following worlds from Fr Paul Abernathy, of the FOSNA Board of Trustees: We Orthodox Christians have for days heard of and seen the courageous witness of St Porphyrios Orthodox Church in Gaza. We have seen this community in prayer as they offer comfort, shelter, and refuge to Palestinians who are suffering from indiscriminate Israeli military aggression as well as from the hu... Read More

Dear Editor, Those of us who had hoped for the Update to Laudato Si' - Laudato Deum - to at last bring animals to the forefront of discussions on the environmental crises were very disappointed. Animals got barely a mention, and animal agriculture not a whisper. The story of mankind's exploitation and enslavement of animals goes back to the dawn of civilisation right up to this moment when we are ... Read More

Thanks for today's useful article (ICN - 21 September 2023: Reflection on academisation of Catholic schools https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/48049 ) I may have missed any reference to ASKING PARENTS - the first educators - what they think! Or even older pupils. In a synodal church where we are bidden to LISTEN not just to the voice of the magisterium but the whole people of God in seeking to ... Read More

Dear Editor Re: ICN 15 April 2023 Conference for Catholic Multi Academy Trusts I should say first of all that I do value greatly the daily email from the Independent Catholic News and I have never previously found any of the articles problematic. However, today's item, which was effectively promoting the conference for Catholic Multi-Academy Trusts, included a statement that is highly likely to be... Read More

Dear ICN Readers, Today, more than 141,000 children in Zambia are sitting in classrooms with full stomachs, learning how to read and write, thanks to your readers' incredible response to a previous match funding campaign supported by the UK government. Mary's Meals serves nutritious food at school to children living in some of the world's poorest countries, giving them the chance to gain an educ... Read More

Dear ICN Readers, On Monday, during an Israeli military incursion into Jenin refugee camp, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian children, both 14 years old. Ahmad Saqer died Monday morning after an Israeli soldier shot him in the abdomen, and earlier today, Sadil Naghnaghieh died in Jenin Government Hospital, two days after an Israeli soldier shot her in the head as she filmed the milita... Read More

Referring to St Columba - today's 'Saint of the Day', ( see: https://www.indcatholicnews.com/saint/170 ) reader Sean Mac NIalluis writes: My 'home' parish in County Donegal is Gleann Cholm Cille - named in honour of Columba whose name in Irish is Colm Cille (the Dove of the Church). Some people will have walked the pilgrimage way last night at midnight while more will do it today or during the m... Read More

Dear Editor, Thank you most deeply for your coverage of Israel/Palestine, and particularly for reporting on the first anniversary of the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh by an Israeli soldier. ( See: ICN 10 May 2023 - Call for action and prayers on Shireen Abu Akleh anniversary https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/47128 ) - The Government of Israel has ignored repeated calls for... Read More

Dear Editor, For people who pray, our prayer lives tend to have ups and downs. Sometimes we struggle to find the right words or bring clarity to our intentions. I often find that having a focus brings new energy to my prayer time and invites a deeper connection with God. I've spoken many times on the significance of prayer within Mary's Meals - in our story, prayer came first. And while the visi... Read More

On Divine Mercy Sunday, I left Mass with a pit in my stomach. My family and I had gone to a different parish than our own. When the lector read the intercessions, she prayed for people on death row. For a moment, I was deeply moved…until she prayed only that innocent lives be spared from execution. For guilty people, she asked just for their repentance. I couldn't believe my ears. When Mass ende... Read More

How did it feel at 76 to be going on my first real demo and march? A bit daunting but the two days I spent were fantastic and fun! We started at St John's Waterloo with a service of praise and lament and then we walked to the Shell building where Magda who leads the European Laudato Si' animators and had travelled from Poland read the prayer of Pope Francis from Laudato Si'. Led on by the Salvatio... Read More

Twenty years ago today, on March 16, 2003, word came to us that our daughter Rachel had been killed in Gaza. She had been run over by an Israeli military-operated and US made and funded Caterpillar D9R bulldozer, as she stood to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian family's home in Rafah. Members of the family watched the bulldozer approach through a hole in their garden wall. Our family's jour... Read More