JCFJustice

Ireland’s prisons are dangerously overcrowded. Our prison system is failing society and those whom society has locked away. 👥
Do we look away and wash our hands of the undignified treatment? Or do we consider the prisoner in light of the legacy of Pope Francis and Jesus?

bit.ly/Lententalkre...

Lent invites us not only into personal reflection and conversion, but also into a deeper awareness of how our faith calls us to respond to the needs of our world 🌍

Email faithrenewal@knockshrine to receive the Zoom link

The DJ and the Pope: The Birthday Party Rave | Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church It is pretty unusual for an archbishop’s birthday to be celebrated in a public event that takes over an entire city square. It is practically unheard of for that celebration to take the form of a rave...

catholicethics.com/forum/the-dj...

'Introducing dance as a common element allows us to see how worship bumps up against protest, and protest can be joyous as opposed to simply combative.'

The Economy of Francesco In Ireland - Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland Sophie Manaeva Sophie is our Theology intern. She supports our research projects by conducting interviews, researching, and providing general academic assistance as needed. She has a BA in Religion an...

www.jcfj.ie/2026/02/26/t...

'EoF was founded on a call from Pope Francis, for young entrepreneurs, economists, and changemakers ....to begin imagining an economy inspired... [to be] an inclusive, sustainable economic future.'

Could this view of economics be the change this country needs?

No Bad Chocolate for Lent - Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland For many people, Lent is a time to temporarily abstain from chocolate. Is this self-denial pleasing to God? Niall Leahy SJ takes a closer look at the chocolate industry before making up his mind.

The uncomfortable truth is that much of the chocolate we consume is relatively cheap because someone else, and somebody much poorer than us, is paying the price. Our bargain is their poverty and our pleasure is their pain. 

www.jcfj.ie/2026/02/19/n...

‘Informed by decades of visiting and ministering to men in prison, he (Fr Peter McVerry) often quips that prison is the only public service with no waiting lists. Never has this been more true, which is particularly clear after the documentary’s revelations.’

I forgot to tell you guys but I went on the radio last week to tell the people of Ireland that the storms are bad and gonna get worse. My colleagues talked me down from going full Prophet on the listeners about just how bad the climate crisis is gonna get
www.spiritradio.ie/podcast/kevi...

Prison Has No Waiting List - Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland Those caught in this situation are often too unwell to stand trial, condemned to spend an indeterminate time in an overcrowded prison. Prisons, which have a deleterious effect on those with stable men...

Last week, RTE's Psychiatric Care Scandal docs and Ivan Rosney's death report shone light on the some of the darkest recesses of Irish society.

"Prisons ... exacerbate the rapid fraying of a person’s mind. It is not too much to draw an equivalence to torture."
www.jcfj.ie/2026/02/16/p...

College Green civic plaza design revealed eight years on from last plans Traffic-free scheme in Dublin city centre includes several water features and 75 trees

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/dubl...

Mid-week good news! Imagine being able to stroll down several streets in Dublin without any cars.

New book from Michael Byrne, seeking to map why the rent is too damn high

Everyone in @jcfjustice.bsky.social is very excited about this from @mickbyrne.bsky.social

Learn about the Economy of Francesco, young adult community. Talk about the issues that you care about and the changes you want to see in the world.⁠
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www.Francescoeconomy... ⁠
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#care #commongood #irisheconomy

Still looking for people, if you regularly use an e-scooter, please get in touch #escooters

"For women in prison, one abuser is replaced with another. The U.S. calls this “justice.”"

Traditional Irish Solidarity - Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland Colm Fahy was part of the Jesuits for Climate Change campaign at COP 30 in Brazil. He was impressed by the ethos of the Irish delegation.

www.jcfj.ie/2026/02/03/t...

'Ireland proved that even smaller nations can lead by example, demonstrating that financial commitment to climate justice is both possible and necessary.'

Now we must continue to be examples in our community and further afield

www.jcfj.ie/issue/99-the...

We are delighted to share the electronic copy of WN 99 The Hungry Gap: Food and Social Justice

An excellent look into how what we do with our food has consequences.

Our Amnesia on Progress - Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland The “veto culture” is often motivated by the desire to seek an easy payout. There is something fundamentally tawdry about this and we should not be ashamed to comment on it. An attitude prevails that ...

New blog by @kevinhargaden.bsky.social on rise of objections (and shakedowns).

"We're failing to meet our climate targets ... The rate of road deaths rises. And even when it isn’t motivated by whingeing, there is something depressingly reactive about objection culture.
www.jcfj.ie/2026/01/16/o...

A very helpful source of sound people to keep up to date on the small wins and the ongoing struggle for environmental justice in Ireland

Women in Irish Prisons — Irish Penal Abolition Network It should really shock us that the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment after visiting the women’s prisons in Ireland had sufficient reason...

New IPAN blog on treatment experienced by women in Irish prisons.

"Crimes of misery and survival should make women targets for care, not custody. So, let’s not keep putting women behind bars and instead fund meaningful community initiatives."
www.irishpenalabolitionnetwork.com/blog/women-i...

“Two tickets to homeownership, please!” - Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland You have probably seen on social media either ads or people sharing “win a home” posts. They are always the same, usually telling you to like the post and follow the page for more opportunities, possi...

www.jcfj.ie/2026/01/08/t...

Should we have to turn to gambling to be homeowners?

JCFJ extends our sympathies to the Marist Sisters, the family and friends of Sr Brigid Reynolds, and to everyone at @socialjusticeire.bsky.social who are mourning.

The Gospel assures us that shewill be reunited in the next life with all whom she served and advocated for in this life.

Anticipating Justice in 2026 - Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland The turning of the year prompts us to look back and look forward. In JCFJ in 2025 we were delighted to deliver a special issue of Working Notes dedicated to marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Franci...

Looking to 2026, our predictions for housing and prison policy are bleak (sorry!) with some signs of hope in environmental justice and theology.

Ultimately, we resolve to not "embrace the politics of fear" and enter 2026 knowing "the world is enough for all our needs."
www.jcfj.ie/2026/01/01/a...

Calls on State to help religious groups aiding immigrants There have been calls on State bodies to include religious communities in efforts to help integrate members of immigrant communities.

Our latest @jcfjustice.bsky.social research on migration and faith is featured on RTÉ today. Faith communities must be recognised as essential strands of the common good. Excellent interview with our brilliant research assistant, Sophie Manaeva, on the ground-level impact. www.rte.ie/news/dublin/...

Using the Kenny Report To End Land Hoarding - Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland The Housing Crisis in ireland needs a radical solution that was suggested 50 years ago.

www.jcfj.ie/research/usi...

'If costs are affecting the property market and the delivery of social housing, while in the middle of a housing and homelessness crisis, it is logical that we explore every possible option for bringing costs down.'

From our new report!

Using the Kenny Report To End Land Hoarding - Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland The Housing Crisis in ireland needs a radical solution that was suggested 50 years ago.

My first report with @jcfjustice.bsky.social came out today, entitled “Using the Kenny Report to End Land Hoarding”, and is available to read now: www.jcfj.ie/research/usi...

Prison Expansion in Ireland: Treating a Symptom, not the Disease — Irish Penal Abolition Network The illness of overincarceration has been spreading for decades in the Irish prison system. It will not be cured with a single intervention but a steady course of decarceral treatments. Similarly, d...

I wrote a blog for the Irish Penal Abolition Network on prison overcrowding as a symptom, not the disease.

This is the first in a series of posts of an abolitionist hue by IPAN members.
www.irishpenalabolitionnetwork.com/blog/blog-po...

a church and parking graphic One of these places is considered holy ground & untouchable that must be protected at all costs and only discussed with the utmost reverence - the other is a church.

Reverence

TII says there's nothing it can do to fix the traffic on the M50.

They could try building Metro West.

Experts warn of ‘global crisis’ as number of women in prison nears one million Number of women incarcerated around the world rising at nearly three times the rate of men, with female prisoners often subjected to sexual violence and forced labour

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

'Most of these women don’t represent a danger to society...' It is important we take a step back and look at the damage we are causing by locking them away

There are many rehabilitative ways to help these women!

Building more prisons is not one of them.

Our Social Theologian, Kevin Hargaden, is currently at the #aarsbl conference in Boston, where he presented a paper on how to think theologically about the Future Generations initiative, a campaign that JCFJ is a constituent member of: fitforfuturegenerations.eu

Cop30 climate summit in Brazil disrupted after fire breaks out in venue Event thrown into confusion and 13 treated for smoke inhalation after conference centre evacuated

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

'Talks at the Cop30 climate summit in Brazil were disrupted on Thursday after a fire broke out in the venue, triggering an evacuation just as negotiators were preparing to try to land a deal to strengthen international efforts to address the climate crisis.'