The decision to involve the Vatican’s child protection commission in training new bishops is very welcome, child abuse survivor Marie Collins has said. Mrs Collins, in Rome for a plenary assembly of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, told The Irish Catholic that the commission has been “invited to take part in training…

The Irish Country Women’s Association (ICA) has not distanced itself from a new campaign by the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI)  to repeal the Eighth amendment and introduce ‘safe, legal’ abortion to Ireland”. The ICA is a member of the Women’s Council.  Asked by The Irish Catholic if the ICA also wanted ‘safe and…

The Catholic Schools Partnership (CSP), the body representing all stakeholders in Catholic education in Ireland has announced two major new appointments. Fr Richard Byrne OCarm will become the body’s chairperson, while Mr Ferdia Kelly assumes to the role of chief executive. Fr Byrne is currently Provincial of the Irish Province of Carmelites. He has a…

The Sisters of Mercy have rejected claims that delays in transferring land in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin for the National Rehabilitation Hospital are their responsibility. The hospital was promised the site in 2009 as part of a State deal to increase compensation payments for abuses in religious-run institutions. In a statement, the sisters said: “We…

A report suggesting that more than half of Irish adults don’t fully understand what end-of-life palliative care involves is probably accurate, Bishop Kevin Doran has said. The Bishop of Elphin’s comments followed an announcement by the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care that more than half of those surveyed admit to having at…

Br Kevin Madigan OSB (left) after his recent Simple Profession of Monastic Vows at Glenstal Abbey, pictured with Abbot Brendan Coffey OSB.      

Pupils can feel vulnerable and embarrassed in sex education classes in school, according to a new study which looks at the experience of pupils in a number of countries, including Ireland. The study appears in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal. It also reports that pupils dislike their usual teacher teaching sex education.…

After a six-year gap, the singing sensation, the Priests, will release their fourth album on October 7.  The new album Alleluia, features a mix of traditional hymns (Nearer My God To Thee, Céad Míle Fáilte Romhat, The Lord is my Shepherd) and the classical oratorios for which the men are famous (Ave Verum and the…