Courtney McGrailPrayers have been said in churches across India for a 71-year-old nun who was gang-raped after six men broke into a convent school in Ranaghat in West Bengal. The attack has raised fears among India’s Christian community, already distressed by a series of attacks on churches and unconvinced by Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s…
Month: March 2015
Papal expert rejects Mary McAleese’s misogyny claim
Greg DalyA highly-acclaimed expert on Pope Francis has dismissed claims by former President Mary McAleese that Pope Francis carries a “residual element of misogyny” that blinds him to the risks of insufficiently empowering women in the Church. Mrs McAleese’s comments came in RTÉ’s Pope Francis, A Sinner, a Would You Believe? special this week in which…
Bishop Doran clarifies comments
Bishop Kevin Doran issued a clarification following a controversial interview on Newstalk last week. Bishop Doran admitted that some of the words and examples he had used were not “chosen as carefully as in a prepared address”, but said that some of his comments had been “misquoted or quoted out of context in further media…
Concerns for religious freedom raised ahead of referendum
Cathal BarryA high-profile group of clergy and lay faithful from various Christian denominations have raised concerns that the introduction of same-sex marriage could lead to the violation of religious freedom here. The cross-denominational group, led by Catholic Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin and Church of Ireland Bishop Ferran Glenfield of Kilmore, warned that service providers, such…
Christian Easter egg raises thousands for charity
Mags GarganA Christian Fairtrade Easter egg which raises awareness of the story of the resurrection, has raised nearly €200,000 for charity. The Real Easter Egg is made from Fairtrade chocolate, with chocolate buttons, and contains a child-friendly, 3ft storybook/banner, ‘The real meaning of Easter’ which tells the story of the crucifixion and resurrection. The larger Premium…
New book offers insight on ecclesial communities
The law of the Church should be seen as something that empowers and can help build community, according to a new study of canon law. A Novus Habitus Mentis: Canon Law as Empowerment of Communio with particular application to selected new ecclesial communities and associations by Sr M. Bonaventure Higgins was formally launched at All…
Vatican Round-up
Pope Announces Year of Mercy Pope Francis has announced the celebration of an extraordinary Jubilee Year dedicated to Mercy. The Holy Year of Mercy will begin on December 8, 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council, and will end on November 20, 2016, the…
It’s the process, not the child, that’s wrong
Mary KennyWe hardly need reminding that in Italy, “la Mamma”, is a powerful figure, both in reality, and in symbol, image and metaphor. If you really want to upset an Italian, you insult his mother. The wildest Sicilian bandit has always retained the uttermost respect for “la Mamma”. There is even a civilised Italian tradition that…
Irish relief efforts in Vanuatu
Trócaire, the bishops’ overseas aid agency, is supporting relief efforts in Vanuatu in the aftermath of what is thought to have been the worst cyclone to ever hit the country. Cyclone Pam, a category five storm, devastatedthe most populated island of Efate, where more than 65,000 people live, with wind speeds of up to 270…
Catholic Ed. chief defends ‘inclusive and diverse’ schools
Schools are places of ‘security and shelter’