Plagiarism priest submits teaching resignation to college A long-time Vatican spokesman who apologised last week for plagiarism has resigned from the governing board of a Catholic college affiliated with the University of Toronto. “As a sign of contrition and acknowledgement of the error, I freely submitted my resignation (February 24) to the Collegium of the University of St Michael’s College,” Fr Thomas…
The most prominent religious affairs story in the media last week was the child abuse summit in Rome. Commentary varied from optimistic to cynical and all shades between. Some Catholics called for a review of Catholic teaching on sexuality, but I felt they needed to be more specific. That position could mean anything from scrapping…
Pat O’Kelly Besides organising its touring programme, Music Network, which stemmed from the now defunct Music Association of Ireland’s ‘Country Tours’, also administers the government-sponsored Music Capital Scheme. The recently announced 2019 fund of €270,250 will be dispensed towards “the purchase of musical instruments to both non-professional performing groups and to individual performing musicians”.…
In a way, every time someone is talking about clerical sexual abuse the Church is losing. Few things convulse people with anger and dismay as much as revelations that those charged with leading people to God betray that trust and instead inflict the most appalling harm. Perhaps, the only thing to come close is when…
The number of people in emergency accommodation increased by 234 people last month, with the total number just under 10,000. The latest homeless figures released by the Government reveal that 9,987 people were in emergency accommodation in January – a new record high. That breaks down as 6,363 adults and 3,624 children. Merchants Quay Ireland,…
Australian Cardinal George Pell has been taken into custody for the first time since historic child sex abuse charges against him were set for hearing in May 2018. The former prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy and former member of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals will remain behind bars ahead of his sentencing…
The holiness of God is a power that is constantly expanding and will defeat all evil once and for all, Pope Francis has said. “Evil’s days are numbered,” the Pope said on February 27 during his weekly general audience. “One thing is certain: It is evil that should be afraid, and this is beautiful.” Continuing…
The death penalty is a cruel violation of the basic right to life and robs people of the chance to repent and make amends for the crimes they have committed, Pope Francis said. The right to life is “the source of all gifts and of all other rights” that must be protected, the Pope said…
The Catholic Church needs “new legal structures of accountability” for bishops accused of sexual abuse or of negligence in handling abuse allegations, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago told the Vatican summit on safeguarding. Addressing Pope Francis and some 190 presidents of bishops’ conferences, heads of Eastern Catholic churches, religious superiors and officials of the…
A state senator in California introduced a bill yesterday which would seek to force priests to violate the sacramental seal of Confession in suspected cases of child abuse or neglect. Clergy are already mandatory reporters in the state of California, but there is a legal exemption for material disclosed in the confessional. Senator Jerry Hill…
Brendan O’Regan
Michael Kelly