Three workers with the Catholic aid agency Caritas were abducted from their convoy in the Democratic Republic of Congo and held for 24 hours by militiamen in the troubled North Kivu region, it has been reported. Initial reports detailed a gun attack on the convoy of vehicles in which a German photojournalist covering the work…
Dear Editor, All human life is sacred. The child in the womb is human life. Therefore the life [of the child] in the womb is sacred. The above piece of simple logic is the reason why I and many, many others believe that abortion is always wrong. It is the reason why we believe that…
Fr Conor McDonough OP Brothers and sisters, just a few weeks ago, I had the joy of being ordained a priest along with seven other men, all of us members of the Dominican Order – eight new priests for the eighth centenary of the order, since it was in 1216 that the Church gave official approval to St…
More work is needed in Ireland’s schools and colleges to raise awareness of what exactly theology is, a leading Biblical scholar has said. Speaking to The Irish Catholic following the publication of the first round of CAO offers suggesting that interest in university-level theology has dropped, Fr Brendan McConvery CSsR stressed that dropping points reveal…
Staff reporter Pope Francis has appointed the Irish-born Bishop of Dallas, Kevin Farrell, as the head of the new Dicastery for Laity, the Family, and Life. The move sees Bishop Farrell become the most senior US Churchman to serve in the Holy See. Reacting to news of his appointment, Bishop Farrell said: “I look forward to…
The National Novena at Knock opened on Sunday August 14 with a warm summer breeze, bright blue skies and a joyous atmosphere as pilgrims, young families, tourists and passers-by gathered for beginning of the nine-day devotion to Our Lady of Knock. With the Diocese of Meath making its annual pilgrimage to the shrine, Meath’s Bishop…
Good news in India was tempered with a sad loss, writes Paul Keenan
Chilean Bishop welcomes talks A Catholic bishop in Chile has welcomed moves to establish a forum for dialogue towards ending violence and arson attacks in the Araucania region. Bishop Hector Vargas of Temuco said such a forum for talks “will be very positive” if they are conducted for “the common good of all inhabitants”. The proposal of talks…
The Central Catholic Library has found itself in the news headlines. Many people, especially those outside Dublin, may like to learn a little more about this venerable institution, its history, and the difficulties it faces today. The Central Catholic Library was founded in January 1922 — so it is actually as old as the State…
By choosing Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas as the first-ever head of his new department for family, laity and life issues, Pope Francis has handed a big win to pastoral moderates in the Church and also laid to rest concerns that he’s somehow hostile to Americans. (Farrell, 68, isn’t American by birth since he was…
Paul Keenan
Courtney McGrail
Greg Daly
Peter Costello
John L. Allen Jr.