Peter McVerry responds in The Irish Times (11 August, 2017) to the assertion of An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar that “many, if not most” of the people on the housing list already have houses.
Peter McVerry SJ of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice was quoted in this weekend’s Irish Examiner (August 06, 2017) calling for urgent pressure to be put on the Government to solve the housing crisis.
The UN Committee against Torture (CAT) will examine Ireland this week about its progress and compliance with the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT). The second periodic review under the convention will take place this Thursday 27 and Friday 28 July, at United Nations headquarters in Geneva,… Read more »
Irish prisoners are locked up for on average seventeen hours a day, and this routine has not changed in thirty years. So said Eoin Carroll, Advocacy and Social Policy Research Officer in the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice.
The Grenfell Tower blaze in London tragically took the lives of almost a hundred people, and left many more without homes. As it becomes increasingly clear that this catastrophe is, at least in part, a consequence of years of austerity politics, Kevin Hargaden reflects on how it illuminates the problems with housing in Ireland.
Writing in The Irish Times Online Kevin Hargaden, Social Theology Officer in the Centre questions the fuss that is being made over Stephen Fry’s comments on blasphemy. Kevin argues that the fiasco has exposed the cultural gap between the concerns of real, actual religious people and the conversation about religion in Ireland.
The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice has called upon the Government to adhere to the legislative requirements of the Climate and Low Carbon Development Act (2015) when formalising the National Mitigation Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Scriptures and the Christian tradition have a direct relevance for how to think about economic issues. So argues the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, Social Theology Officer, Kevin Hargaden, in the latest edition of the magazine Reality.
The Centre welcomes the Dáil’s decision to support the Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill. The Bill will bring about legislation requiring Ireland’s National Strategic Investment Fund to withdraw over €8 billion worth of taxpayers money from fossil fuel companies, and ban any future investments in the fossil fuel industry.
In February 2016, the Jesuit Secretariat for Social Justice and Ecology and for Higher Education in Rome published a Special Report on Justice in the Global Economy. The Report was compiled by an international group of Jesuits and lay colleagues in the fields of social science and economics, philosophy and theology. This issue of Working… Read more »
The latest report from the Central Statistics Office shows that half of young adults in prison re-offend within three years upon release. Clearly, a different approach is needed. Community programmes allow those who have caused harm to ‘pay back’ for the hurt caused, to make reparation.
Wednesday October 5th marked the ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Undoubtedly, this is a welcomed milestone in international efforts to curb dangerous climate change levels; however without committed, ambitious and tangible efforts at a national level, the goals of the agreement will not be achieved. In response to the ratification, the Stop… Read more »
The Centre has criticised the Government’s position towards tackling climate change, following the European Commission’s recent publication of its 2030 targets for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, for each Member State. Ireland received significant concessions, reducing its 2030 targets significantly, in comparison to the targets of other EU Member States. While some have described the… Read more »
The Centre has called on the Government to end ‘severe confinement’ for young adults in prison. Out of fear for their own safety, 100+ young adults (aged 18–24) are spending up to 23 hours a day in their cell. Our latest report, Developing Inside: Transforming Prison for Young Adults recommends that Youth Justice, under the Department of… Read more »
Liberals have argued that the Apostolic Exhortation by Pope Francis, The Joy of Love, is disappointingly traditionalist.Traditionalists, ironically, are disturbed that it is too innovative. In an article in the June Furrow JCFJ staff member Gerry O’Hanlon outlines why he thinks that, by reading between the lines, the traditionalists are closer to the truth, but… Read more »
Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice to jointly host seminar on Laudato Si’on June 8th On June 8th, the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice and Trόcaire, in association with the Loyola Institute (Trinity College Dublin) will host a seminar event titled ‘Caring for our Common Home; Towards an Integrated Perspective on Society and the Environment’.… Read more »
At the launch of ‘The Search for Refuge’, the May 2016 issue of Working Notes (the Journal of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice), Judge McMahon expressed frustration at the failure to meaningfully improve living conditions and supports for asylum applicants in Ireland. During 2015, the average processing time doubled for first instance cases,… Read more »
This Earth Day, Friday 22nd April, world leaders gather to sign the Paris Agreement. Although the Agreement reflects political consensus on tackling climate change, action is urgently required to help translate ambition into reality. Catherine Devitt, environmental justice officer with the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice argues that we need to move beyond a… Read more »
Prior to the election the JCFJ in a joint statement with other social justice groups argued that the current housing crisis has to be solved.The next Government needs to have housing top of their agenda and reverse the failed policy of the last 20 years where there has been an over reliance on the private… Read more »
Reacting to the January 2016 figures on family homelessness, the Centre says that the current homelessness crisis represents a terrible social injustice and reflects the abject failure of housing policy over the last two decades. In Dublin there are now 769 families, including 1,570 children, living in emergency accommodation, more than doubling since January 2015.… Read more »
The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice are pleased to announce that it has joined Stop Climate Chaos – “a coalition of civil society organisations campaigning to ensure Ireland plays its part in preventing runaway climate change”.
A rally call As we approach Election 2016, it is important that election candidates understand that action on climate change is needed urgently in Ireland.
Housing Crisis: A Key Election Issue In a joint Call with other social justice groups, JCFJ argues that the current housing crisis should be a key issue for politicians and the electorate in the General Election.
Church, Women, Authority: Why Not? Pope Francis wants women to exercise authority in the Catholic Church, without becoming priests.
COP21. Success, Disappointments, and the Road Ahead The resulting Paris Agreement presents a road map for action.
Working Notes is a journal published by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. The journal focuses on social, economic and theological analysis of Irish society. It has been produced since 1987.
