Letter from Rome All eyes and ears will be on the Vatican during an unprecedented gathering February 21-24 to discuss the protection of minors in the Catholic Church. When Pope Francis announced the international meeting in September, it sparked an optimistic note that the global problem of abuse finally would be tackled with a…
US bishops have welcomed the Pope’s decision on the disgraced former cardinal as a sign of real reform writes Christopher White Pope Francis’ historic decision to defrock Cardinal Theodore McCarrick at the weekend (technically, to dismiss him from the clerical state) prompted an immediate wave of responses from US prelates, who lauded the decision…
A survivor of sexual abuse tells Chai Brady about finding healing in his Catholic Faith For many victims and survivors of abuse by priests or religious, their faith is severely tested or even crippled by what they have experienced. It’s a cruel paradox that those abused were often the most involved in their local…
A Dublin priest who is embracing technology has said parishes that set up online sites facilitating online payments could encourage young people to make donations. Spearheading the Archdiocese of Dublin’s new initiative that allows parishioners to make card payments in Church, Fr John Bracken of Dundrum parish said to further tackle declining donations an online…
A Parent’s Perspective I was at a very interesting talk recently in St Saviour’s Dominican Priory in Dublin. It was one of a series of lectures and was conducted by Fr Thomas Joseph White, OP, Director of the Thomistic Institute at the Angelicum in Rome. In recent months a lot of my social life seems…
Pope Francis has restored priestly faculties to 94-year-old Fr Ernesto Cardenal, who had been suspended in 1984 for holding a cabinet position in Nicaragua’s Sandinista government, in violation of canon law. “The Holy Father has graciously granted the absolution of all canonical censures imposed on Rev. Fr Ernesto Cardenal, accepting the request he had recently…
A Dublin parish has expressed “great joy” after hearing Blessed John Henry Newman is set to be canonised after approval from Pope Francis. Fr Bill Dailey of Newman University Church in Dublin, founded by Blessed John Henry, said that so many people feel a great attachment to the church. “Catholics have a sense that a…
Chai Brady looks into Fairtrade Fortnight Unbeknownst to anyone who buys a product in Ireland, they could be seriously negatively impacting and perpetuating the suffering of a person who is being exploited somewhere in the world. It’s well known that in many countries, particularly in developing countries, workers are paid a pittance to work…
The Vatican has a key role to play in acknowledging failures Archbishop Eamon Martin tells Michael Kelly Nothing has done more to damage the credibility of the Church’s witness to the Gospel in recent decades than what we tend to collectively refer to as ‘the scandals’. The abuse of children and vulnerable adults by…
A famous Hollywood actress has said that her Catholic faith pushed her towards supporting charities and tacking causes of injustice and poverty. Patricia Heaton, best known for her roles as Debra Barone on the long-running hit comedy Everybody Loves Raymond and as Frankie Heck in The Middle, said that donating to charity was important to…
Chai Brady
Maria Byrne
Michael Kelly