Ahead of the referendum on the Eighth Amendment, Limerick’s Bishop Brendan Leahy has penned a letter to his diocese promoting respect for human life. In his letter, which was read at all of the Masses in the Diocese of Limerick over the weekend of February 3-4, Bishop Leahy acknowledged the difficult task in speaking about…
With at least six people dead after a deadly earthquake and series of aftershocks in Taiwan, Pope Francis has sent a telegram assuring of his prayer for the victims and those engaged in rescue efforts. Signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and addressed to Bishop Philip Huang Chao-ming of Hwalien, the February…
A Vatican spokesman has insisted that a Rome-based conference which is due to be addressed by former President Mary McAleese is not an official Holy See event. It comes amidst media reports that Mrs McAleese has been barred from speaking at the Vatican by Irishman Cardinal Kevin Farrell over her opposition to the Church’s teaching…
RTÉ is due to broadcast a Mass to mark the conclusion of Catholic Schools Week this coming Sunday. The Mass will be celebrated by Bishop of Killaloe Dr Fintan Monahan live from the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Ennis on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra at 11.00am. As well as the local parish community…
Pro-life campaigners have warned that Tánaiste Simon Coveney’s stance that he favours repealing the Eighth Amendment but still wants legal protection for the unborn is a sign that the Government cannot be trusted. A spokesperson for Save the 8th said Mr Coveney’s “confusion on what repeal could mean for the rights of the unborn shows…
Bishop John Fleming hopes that people who no longer attend Mass will give their opinions on how the Church might reach out during an extensive listening process in his Killala Diocese. The initiative was launched in Ballina last night (Wednesday) and sessions will take place in every parish across the diocese over the next two…
Cody Weddle The strenuous relationship between the Venezuelan regime and local Church leaders deteriorated further in January, with President Nicolas Maduro calling two bishops “devils in a cassock.” During his comments to the pro-government National Constituent Assembly on January 15, Maduro also ordered the attorney general to investigate the bishops for hate crimes. “One…
People should be willing to “open their hearts and minds” to Scripture readings at Mass said Pope Francis, because it allows us to hear God directly speak to his people. Continuing his series of audience talks about Mass, Pope Francis spoke today about the Liturgy of the Word and the importance of listening to the…
A group which campaigned for reduced religious influence in Church-owned schools was forced to close down following a series of complaints to the State’s ethics watchdog over controversial funding, The Irish Catholic understands. ‘Equate: Equality in Education’ was established in October 2015, aiming to change the law so that oversubscribed Church-owned schools would not be…
The Pro Life Campaign has said that the Government’s decision on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution is “as bad as anyone could have envisaged: the removal of legal protection from unborn babies and providing for abortion on demand”. On Monday, the Government announced plans to hold a referendum in late May asking citizens whether…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Greg Daly