Ahead of next week’s elections to the Assembly, the northern bishops have issued a pastoral reflection. They are asking Catholics to think about key issues like the right to life, refugees, education, climate change and poverty before deciding who to vote for. Fundamental to our duty as citizens is the exercise of the precious freedom…
The family of Tom O’Gorman, a well-known Catholic activist who was violently killed in 2014, are seeking the full details of his killers’ psychiatric treatment to be publicly aired. The Dublin man was killed by his tenant Saverio Bellante, who was found not guilty by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal Court and remains…
The Northern bishops have said Christians are feeling a growing ‘chill factor’ in public policy and law in Northern Ireland. In a pastoral reflection on the forthcoming elections to the Northern Assembly, the bishops have listed a number of key issues for Catholic voters to consider, including the right to religious freedom. Funding The bishops…
Contract hitch halts audit of Vatican’s finances The first ever audit of Vatican finances by a major global firm has been cut short after – it is understood – the Holy See’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, raised concerns. The audit by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) was “suspended immediately” on April 12, it has been revealed, when Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu…
“It’s wonderful the way that technology can come to the rescue of good ideas and update the way we look at things,” writes Mary Kenny Natural Family Planning (NFP) was encouraged by the Catholic Church after the publication of Humanae Vitae in 1968, and many couples who felt they needed to limit their families tried…
“It would be easy, but wrong, always to assume that all that matters is the faith that people die in,” writes Martin Mansergh The commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising has been uplifting, and has attracted wide public interest, support and enthusiasm. Fortuitously, its timing has filled a gap in public life created by the…
The St Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SVHG) has rejected suggestions that an order of religious sisters is obstructing plans to relocate the National Maternity Hospital. In an article headed “Nuns obstruct maternity hospital plan”, The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that the SVHG, which is owned by the Religious Sisters of Charity, will not allow…
Cathal Barry speaks to JMB General Secretary John Curtis about the challenges facing Catholic schools The JMBAMCSS is quite the mouthful. Better known as the JMB, the Joint Managerial Body Secretariat of Secondary Schools represents the interests of all voluntary secondary schools in the country. “The JMB provides services and advice to schools on a…
The theme of ‘Mercy: Compassion and Healing’ will be explored at the fourth annual All Saints Round Table Gathering hosted by Ballymena Parish in Co. Antrim next month. Margaret McNulty of Embrace, an interdenominational group of Christians working together, will speak about her work promoting a positive response to people from ethnic minorities living in…
The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has expressed hope that new child protection guidelines may help improve damaged relations between priests and bishops. The independent safeguarding watchdog, the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC), has been rolling out new standards and more detailed guidelines are expected next month. The new standards…
Mags Gargan
Mary Kenny
Dr Martin Mansergh
Greg Daly
Cathal Barry