A new diocesan administrator, Fr Tom Healy, has been appointed for the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois following Archbishop Francis Duffy’s installation as the new Archbishop of Tuam. Fr Healy PP of Edgeworthstown in Co. Longford will administer the day-to-day affairs of Ardagh and Clonmacnois until a new bishop is appointed. He will continue in…

The murder of Ashling Murphy in Tullamore is “incomprehensible and tragic”, her former Religious Education teacher has said. Fr Michael Wall, chaplain in Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, where Ms Murphy studied to become a teacher, told The Irish Catholic she was an “excellent student” and “a great musician”. “She was teaching music at home.…

One of Ireland’s most-senior prelates has insisted that the planned synod gathering on the future of Catholicism must be open to all voices if it is to bring meaningful reform to the Church here. Archbishop Francis Duffy warned that the process would only be worthwhile if Church leaders can reach out to those who are…

Staff reporter The HSE-run pregnancy helpline My Options is “leading vulnerable women toward abortion”, a study from Students for Life has shown. Katie Fenton of Students for Life warned the helpline is “failing women in crisis pregnancies” by not offering continued-pregnancy practical support. Students for Life investigated how My Options counsellors interact with callers between…

Staff reporter For the first time in almost two years, The Irish Catholic Christian Solidarity Pilgrimage to the Holy Land will go ahead next month. The February 16-24 trip looked uncertain due to Covid-19 concerns. However, Israeli authorities announced that the borders of the Holy Land would reopen to pilgrims in time to facilitate the…