Month: November 2013

"The Bishop of Rome will not be at peace as long as there are men and women ñ of any religion harmed in their dignity, deprived of what is necessary for their survival, robbed of their future or forced to become refugees." Pope Francis’ message for peace in the Middle East, delivered on November 21…

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A leading prelate in Syria has called on “foreign forces” to end their support for Islamist fighters in Syria who have banded together with the aim of creating an Islamic state there. Gregorios III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch of the Greek Melkite Church issued his call last weekend following the announcement that seven Islamistrebel groups…

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Italy – An interview with Pope Francis which caused consternation when it appeared on the Vatican’s website has been withdrawn as it emerged that the interviewer involved made up some content attributed to the Pontiff. Eugenio Scalfari (89) penned his interview only after his meeting with the Pope, during which no notes or recordings were…

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In the week since our last issue the world has been marking the anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963. This has evoked many articles, and a Hollywood film, Parkland, about the immediate aftermath of the crime. We all of us remember where we were when we heard the…

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Dear Editor, It is good that Sister Julie Rose of Roscrea has commented as she did on the portrayal of religious sisters in a recent film. We should expect that the Catholic Church as a whole would have come to the defence of sisters, brothers, clergy and others who acted honourably in the service of…

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Dear Editor, After the death of Pope Pius XII in 1959, the Kennedy Directory USA, now the Official Catholic Directory, published the following statistics in relation to his 19 year Pontificate from 1939 until his death in 1958. In 1939 the number of archdioceses in the USA numbered 19, in 1958 they numbered 26 an…

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Pope Francis has officially closed the Year of Faith. Before a packed St Peterís Square last Sunday, the Pontiff concluded the last celebration of the Year and reminded the faithful to keep Jesus ìcentralî to their lives.  ìJesus is the centre of creation; and so the attitude demanded of us as true believers is that…

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Dear Editor, – Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them (Shakespeare). A great man has passed in the person of Fr Alec Reid – though his characteristic humility would’ve undoubtedly seen him embarrassed as such sentiment. In a world that lauds multimillionaire football players and loose-living celebrities…

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